With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday right around the corner, it’s a good idea to have a few carpet clean up tips in your back pocket. Everyone loves a festive holiday gathering, but the cleanup, not so much. And let’s face it, a Thanksgiving gathering can do a number on your carpet. Here are a few carpet and upholstery clean up tips to keep in mind as this festive holiday season draws near.
Be prepared to tackle a variety of holiday spills by keeping some necessary carpet cleaning supplies on hand. Here’s a simple list that should cover most spills. Remember, avoid over-the-counter carpet cleaning products, like Resolve. This type of cleaning product leaves a soapy residue in your carpet that will attract dust and dander. Eventually, you’ll end up with a dark spot and a bunch of soap on your carpet.
Have a basket of cleaning supplies on hand before tackling spills throughout the year. This way, you’ll be prepared for any carpet or upholstery clean up that may be required.
Carpet Clean Up Tips Supply List
- Clean, White Cotton Towels
- Cornstarch
- Dawn Dish Soap
- White Vinegar
- White Wine
- Spray Bottle
How to Remove Cranberry Sauce from Carpet
Any cranberry spill (cranberry juice or cranberry sauce) is one that you’ll want to address immediately. First, mix one tablespoon of Dawn liquid dish soap with two cups of cool water. Then, using a clean white cotton cloth, sponge the stain with the solution. Blot until the liquid is absorbed. Continue sponging and blotting until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.
How to Remove Gravy from Carpet
Remove as much of the gravy as possible from your carpet, using a spoon or other tool. Next, sprinkle cornstarch onto the spilled gravy and soak up for approximately 15 minutes.
Next, vacuum or sweep up the cornstarch, which should have absorbed most of the gravy and grease.
Depending on the spill’s size, you may need to repeat the cornstarch application and removal process a time or two.
Next, use a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water to cleaning the remaining spot. Fill your spray bottle with 1/2 a cup of white vinegar and 1/2 a cup of cool water. Evenly mist the area, and use a clean cotton towel or paper napkin to absorb the mixture and the spot.
HINT: Stand on the towel to absorb more of the spill and cleaning solution. Repeat 2-3 times.
How to Remove Red Wine from Carpet
Believe it or not, the best way to clean RED WINE out of the carpet is with a splash of white wine! First, absorb as much of the red wine from your carpet by placing a clean, white cotton towel over the spill and standing on it. Your body’s full weight will apply more pressure to the stain and absorb more of the wine.
Next, put some white wine in the spray bottle and lightly mist the white wine over the red wine stain. Again, use the white cotton towel and stand on the spill. Repeat several times. Eventually, the red wine spill should lift from your carpet.
Hopefully, you don’t need to know any of these carpet cleanup tips shared here but if you do, keep one thing in mind – it’s best to clean up any spills on your carpeting as quickly as possible. The longer the spill remains on your carpet or upholstered fiber, the higher the risk you won’t be able to remove it completely.
And remember, NEVER scrub a stain. This can cause carpet blooming and make the damage to your carpet or upholstery permanent.
Tru-Clean Surface Care is a Certified Partner with the international Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the prestigious Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). In addition, we are A+ Rated by the Better Business Bureau and a seven-year-in-a-row-winner of the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award.
Tru-Clean Surface Care is a family-owned company, and our cleaning solutions are allergen-free and safe for pets and small children. Our technicians are certified and background checked for your safety and we are fully licensed and insured.
Tru-Clean Surface Care is a full-service company offering carpet, tile and grout cleaning, upholstery and leather cleaning, allergen-free mattress cleaning, travertine, granite, marble, and limestone restoration and polishing, as well as pet urine treatments, slip-free resistant coating for hard surface flooring, and grout color sealing services.
For more information about our company, please visit us online at www.TruCleanSurfaceCare.com or “call us on the carpet” anytime at 239-541-4888 – Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, 239-206-1935 – Bonita Springs, Naples and Marco Island or 941-621-2198 – Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, Florida.