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Carpet shampooing:Hot water: Some people argue that using only hot water, with only a minimal amount, or no carpet shampoo, does a good enough job, and gets around all the problems of shampoos.Problems of carpet shampoos: When dry, the shampoo left in the carpet may attract even more dirt. Any brighteners in the shampoo may damage your carpet. Also, carpet shampoo is expensive.Soft water creates more suds, so you can use less shampoo.
thesource (378)
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Remove the shampoo from your carpet or it will attract dirt. Use a solution of one cup of vinegar to 2 1/2 gallons (US) (or about 5 1/2 litres) of hot water, and go over your carpet with your shampooing machine to extract most of the shampoo from the carpet. Then go over again just using hot water. The hot water reactivates the shampoo already in the carpet, providing the needed cleansing action.
thesource (378)
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General tips:Always test for colorfastness before using any stain removers - pick a small area in a hidden corner to make sure the cleaning product won't affect the carpet color.Door mats in front of doors (one outside, one inside) make a huge difference in reducing the amount of dirt tracked into a home - use them generously.Act quickly on spills even on stain-resistant surfaces - start your blotting and absorbing before stains get a chance to sink in to deeply.—When picking up spills, remember to blot and not rub or scrub, which can damage the carpet fibers.
thesource (378)
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Cigarette burns in carpeting can be repaired by cutting the blackened fibers from the hole. Squeeze liquid glue into the hole and fill with fibers trimmed from carpet remnants.
[guest]
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Cat Vomit: Let it dry before attempting to clean. Then use carpet cleaner or soap & water.
sdw (11)
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Before shampooing: Remove as much furniture from the room as possible, and place foil or plastic film under the legs and bases of the remaining furniture to prevent stains.
thesource (378)
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To raise depressions left in a carpet by heavy furniture, try steaming. You can hold a steam iron close enough for the steam to reach the carpet, but don't let the iron touch the fibers, especially if they are synthetic, because they could melt. Then lift the fibers by scraping them with the edge of a coin or spoon.
thesource (378)
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Steam cleaning: Be very careful with steam cleaning, as the intense heat can damage carpet. The twist in a cut pile carpet is heat set and using excessively high heat (steam) can release the twist in the pile giving the carpet a felt like appearance. Hot steam can also damage velvet pile fabrics on furnishings.
Vacuum your carpet and remove as much dirt as possible before doing any steam cleaning.
Cheaper, home-style steam cleaners, or even rental equipment, can do a much poorer job than professional steam cleaning machines, especially if they lack the enough suction power to remove the moisture from the carpet, or if their steam contains too much moisture.
thesource (378)
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