It’s an inspiring time of year! Back to school, children are excited about new teachers, new classrooms, friends and activities. But kids of any age can bring home trouble that can mean stains for your carpeting. Here is a quick list of back-to-school carpet challenges and their solutions. Read on for our quick and easy checklist: Back-to-School Cleaning Mini Tips!
Back to School Carpet Cleaning Mini-Tips
Get the dirt. Sure, we love it when our kids are involved in outside play, but tracking it into the house can make for a disaster, especially on rainy days. What advice do we have here? “Don’t be too quick to scrub,” says owner Scott. “If it’s just some dirt or mud, allow the area to dry and then vacuum what you can before attempting to clean soil out of carpets.” Once you vacuum dry particles from carpet, you can use plain water or a vinegar solution to gently blot out any remaining soil.
Creative but crushed? Crayons are a back-to-school staple, and all too easily left out, only to be stepped on later. If you end up with a dash of unexpected color in your carpet, here’s what to do: Vacuum all crayon particles out of the area. Remaining small crayon bits that have adhered to carpet fibers can be removed just like candle wax (Dampen a white cotton towel, fold it in half and place it over the wax. Press an iron set on “high” over the towel for 10 seconds. The heat will draw the wax out of the carpet and into the towel. Repeat until the wax is gone (you may have to hold the iron in place for up to 30 seconds). Remember to be patient, this can take a little time.
Watercolor wisdom. Most carpets can and will handle a few spills in their time, and the overturned watercolor wash cup never fails to leave a darkened, murky-looking spot in fibers. If you are confronted with this or any other ‘washable’ art or craft substance in your carpeting, remember this basic tip: Always start with clean, warm water and fresh white towels (to prevent additional marking or color transfer, as well as to clearly see what you have removed during the cleaning process). Repeated blotting may be all that is necessary. Be patient, and avoid scrub brushes, or anything with bristles, that can ultimately damage carpet fibers.
Advice about ink, gum or other similar substances: Some fiber care cleanup can pose a real challenge… either because of the fiber type or the spilled substance itself. If you have a spill or stain you think may be potentially difficult to remove, give us a call! It can also be helpful to check with your carpet manufacturer for details, or check with the product manufacturer (spilled/stain substance)
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