Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

Cleaning carpets without a vacuum – is that even possible?

Carpets are a lovely addition to any home. Whether you choose wall-to-wall carpets or area rugs, their texture and colors add a creative, warm touch to your house. Many of them are comfortable to sit on and play with your kids, and in the winter they protect your feet from the cold floor. The variety of carpets today is astounding – any color, type, size or price range is available.

cleaning carpets without a vacuum

The trouble with unclean carpets

The trouble with carpets is that with time they tend to accumulate dust, debris, bacteria, mold, stains and so on; they can get dirty very fast if not taken care of. Many people neglect to clean their carpets, which can lead to unpleasant results:

  • Respiratory issues – coughing, nasal congestion and asthma attacks
  • Allergic reactions – sneezing and skin itches
  • Adverse skin conditions – fungal infections, chronic itching and redness

In addition to that, unclean carpets lose their luster, become discolored and are less pleasant to walk and sit on; they make the air in the house dusty and give it a musty smell.

So now that we’ve established that carpets must be cleaned, the question is how to do that in the most effective way. Many people do not like going through the trouble of vacuuming carpets; it’s noisy, it’s tedious, and plus, not everyone owns a high-quality vacuum to clean carpets with. How to clean a carpet without a vacuum, then?

Learn how to clean your carpet without a vacuum

 

vacuum

 

There are actually numerous ways of cleaning carpets without using a vacuum. For your convenience, we’re going to list the most effective ways to do so here.

  • Picking up dirt, shaking, brushing and sweeping – regular cleaning of your carpet’s surface can actually prevent most of the dirt, dust, etc. which tends to build up in there. If your carpet is littered with visible debris or dirt, some of them can be easily picked up by hand. Survey your carpet daily and do that, it’s only a few minutes’ work. An alternative – or an addition – to that is to shake the carpet by your window or in your lawn. This gets rid of much of the dust (just take care to narrow your eyes and not breathe in while you do that).

A strong brush or sweeper is a mighty asset for carpet owners. Make sure its bristles are stiff and firm for maximum effect. Brush or sweep your carpet vigorously once or twice a week. Most of the surface dirt can be cleaned by doing this frequently.

  • Washing – If you were wondering how to wash carpet without vacuum, the following methods might help you. But first of all, before washing, check the labels of your carpets for specific instructions depending on their materials and coloration. Also, before washing the whole carpet, check if there are any stains on it which you clean individually with a stain remover. One way to wash the carpet is to mix carpet shampoo with water in a bucket, dip a brush or a sponge in the bucket and then scrub the carpet vigorously. Another way to do it is simply to put the carpet in the washing machine if its label indicates it’s possible.

 

  • Dry cleaning or steam cleaning – if the methods above don’t work for you or are too time-consuming, it’s advisable to use a professional carpet cleaning service. Carpet cleaning NYC usually employ either dry cleaning or steam cleaning methods to clean carpets thoroughly and effectively. By using carpet cleaning services like Flat Rate Carpet, which uses steam cleaning (also known as hot water extraction) to clean carpets, you can rest assured that your carpets will come out looking as good as new.We hope we’ve answered your questions on how to clean a carpet without vacuum. As you can see, it’s perfectly possible!

 

 

 

Keeping your carpet clean when you have a dog

Has anyone said to you: “You can’t buy a carpet for your house, you have a dog!” (or a cat, or a rabbit or a guinea pig or any other pet that roams the house)? You might have heard that once or twice in your life if you’re a pet owner who has considered adding carpets to your home décor. Many people think that pets and carpets simply don’t go together, and there are several reasons for that.

Keeping your carpet clean with a dog

This is a shallow DOF and copy space of shag rug.

Pets and carpets – not necessarily a bad combination

First, unless you own a Sphinx cat, it’s guaranteed your pet will shed fur all over the house, and this includes the carpets. Pet hair tends to stick to carpets due to their tightly knit fibers. In addition, pets might stain the carpets in any number of ways: muddy paws, rolling on their back on the carpet and rubbing into it whatever they had rubbed in outside (which may sometime be pretty vile stuff), urine, poop (or worse, diarrhea), vomit and saliva. Besides stains, pets who roam outside the house might bring in fleas, bacteria, dust, sand, leaves, little bugs, etc.

Don’t despair, though. It’s actually possible to own pets and have clean carpets at the same time. We’ve got some tips and tricks which will help you achieve perfect harmony between your pet and your carpets. Read on to discover how to clean dog poop off carpet, how to keep carpets free of cat hair, how to clean dog urine off carpet, how to avoid stains from muddy paws or dirty fur and how to avoid sand, fleas and debris brought inside by your pets.

Tips for keeping your carpets clean when you own pets

So here’s the list you should print and tape to your fridge so that everyone in your house knows how to protect the carpets from your dog or rabbit:

  • Keep them paws clean – If you have a pet that regularly goes outside, like a dog, prepare in advance for a case of muddy paws. Keep a towel outside the door, and before you let the dog in, kneel down and wipe its paws vigorously.

 

  • Minimize shedding – to keep fur on the carpets to a minimum, brush your pet regularly. The more hair you get on that brush, the less will end up on the carpet.

 

  • Keep a stain remover handy – even a well-trained dog can have accidents and poop, pee or vomit on the carpet by mistake. Purchase a carpet cleaner for dog urine (and other nasty stuff) and keep it on a shelf, together with rags, disposable wipes or paper towels. This way you’ll always be ready to clean up when an accident occurs.

 

  • The vacuum is your best friend – there’s no way around it, if you want to keep your carpets in good condition when you own a pet, a vacuum is a must. It can get all the teeny-tiny dust particles and bacteria out of the carpet fibers, as well as fleas and sand. Vacuum your carpets regularly, at least once a week.

 

  • Add a professional carpet cleaning NYC service to your speed-dial – While all the methods above are great for daily maintenance of your carpets, once in a while you’ll want to get a professional job done on them, to get the tough stains out and restore their freshness and luster. A professional service like Flat Rate Carpet will clean your carpets effectively, using methods like dry cleaning or steam cleaning.

We hope you’ve found this article helpful! Whether you need to clean dog pee off carpet, clean cat hair off carpet, clean dog vomit off carpet, or clean guinea pig urine off carpet, you’ve got many methods to do that; and when worse comes to worst, you can always call a professional.

Carpet Repairs and Cleaning: How to Know When the Time is Right

We’re so busy every day that it’s hard to find the time for basic cleaning, let alone take care of major cleaning projects. The great part about Spring cleaning is that it reminds you when it’s time to get certain jobs done. Wall to wall carpeting needs to be cleaned often, but how do you know if your carpets need a good cleaning or is it time to make some carpet repairs?

Take a walk around your home, do your carpets have small bumps or ripples? As they age it’s common for carpets to start to ripple and wrinkle. These bumps are tripping hazarards which can be very dangerous for the elderly, or if they are located near stairs. Fortunately, carpet restretching is an easy enough project for do it yourself types and nearly all carpet cleaning companies offer professional carpet restretching services.

Area rug Repair Services

Are there high traffic areas of the home where the carpeting is worn through to the floor, or do you have small burns in the carpet? Certain areas of a home get more traffic than others, often leaving the carpeting in certain areas looking messier than others. It’s easy enough to replace just the carpet in the hallway with spare carpet, making your whole house look as good as new.

After walking around the home, if you don’t notice any major damage to the structure of the carpet, then all you’ll need is an old fashioned carpet cleaning. Having the carpets cleaned at least twice a year will prevent the need for carpet replacement and repair in the future, and keep your home looking beautiful all year long.

How to Remove Stains From Wool

Wool Carpets | Flat Rate Carpet BlogWool carpeting is a beautiful addition to any room, and is a great way to add value and comfort to your home. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent dirt and stains from getting onto your carpet, and wool carpeting is very durable, but can still be harder to clean than some synthetic carpets. Often made with natural dyes, wool carpeting is easily damaged by harsh cleaners. Taking care of a stain quickly, and correctly, will help preserve your wool carpets for years to come.

Acting quickly is the number one way to prevent stains from sticking. For liquid stain removal, gently blot up as much liquid as possible with a clean, white paper towel or rag. Continue gently blotting the area until the stain has been removed.

For stains like chocolate or chewing gum, place an ice cube on the chocolate until it is frozen. Then gently pick off the frozen chocolate or gum with a knife.

Make sure that you find a stain treater that is safe for wool carpets, and that will not bleach or discolor the carpeting. Test any new cleaning products on an area of the carpeting that no one will see, such as inside of a closet.

If you’re not sure of the best way to treat a strain on a wool carpet, it’s best to call a professional.

Taking proper care of your carpeting will not only extend the life of the carpets, but will increase the value of your home.

How to Remove Candle Wax From Carpets

Candle Wax | Flat Rate Carpet BlogHannukah is right around the corner, and it’s time to break out the beautiful menorah’s and little candles that will light up the home for eight fun filled nights. Don’t let a few drips of candle wax on the carpet ruin your holiday this year. With this easy way to remove candle wax from carpets you’ll never worry about getting candle wax on your carpets again.

Taking care of any stain right away increases your chance of getting the wax out completely, but make sure not to rub the stain in any further.

For wax stains on carpets, put some ice in a waterproof bag. Place the ice over the wax, allowing the wax to freeze. Getting water on the wax will make it harder to get out, so make sure no ice is dripping into the carpet.

Once the wax is frozen, gently scrape it off the carpet with a knife. Don’t worry about getting out everything, just get out as much as you can without ruining the carpet.

Next, spread a clean cloth or paper bag over the remaining wax stain. Use and iron to go over the area, drawing the remaining wax into the cloth or bag. Continue this last step until all the wax is gone.

This Hanukkah spend your time opening presents and eating latkes, instead of stressing over a few drips of candle wax.

Happy Hanukkah!