Great Green Recipes For Home Carpet Cleaning

Synthetic Carpeting

Synthetic fibres are machine-made coverings. You cannot find these naturally. As a rule of thumb, natural fibres are more eco-friendly and safer for humans. That’s my personal opinion thugh. I am old school – analogue and natural stuff works for me. Same goes for carpets. Synthetic fibres are made from various chemical compounds mixed in labs by mad scientists (ok, not really mad). Nowadays most commercial floor coverings (carpet tiles) are synthetic due to the ease of cleaning and maintenance. Among the most popular types are polyester, nylon and polypropylene.

How to Maintain Man-Made Carpets

Homemade recipes are great for cleaning synthetics. DIY cleaning solutions always have to be rubbed deeply in the fibres using white cloth just to be on the safe side that there is no colour bleed.

Avoid pouring the liquid directly on the stained surface. Apply the solution to the spot only after testing your homemade recipee onto a small part of the stained fibres.

You can mix dish soap (1/4 tablespoon) with a cup of white vinegar. If any grease removal is required then add a solvent solution which can eliminate oil spots and traces of fat. A nail polish remover free of acetone is also a good choice to eliminate stubborn stains embedded into synthetic carpet.

Carpets With Natural Fibres

Photo by © Andy Doyle

One of the most effective ways for treating natural fibres is high-quality dry cleaning liquid. For regular maintaining, you can use a vinegar solution. For deep cleaning, try two tablespoons of ammonia product and one cup of warm water.


If you have a bunch of larger rugs or wall-to-wall carpeted areas it is a good idea to employ the services of a professional Brixton carpet cleaning company. They will manage to do them quicker, safer and better (no offence to your carpet and rug cleaning skills, knowledgeable Brixton resident :)). They use products and equipment not available in supermarkets. Add to the mix the fact that they have been doing this job for years and it becomes a no brainer. You can rest assured your precious investment in soft furnishings will be well looked after.

Useful Tips

Spills accidents occur often, fact. In homes where little people roam the house (kiddies, pets) these are almost a daily occurrence. Mums and babysiters better be prepared at all times. Food and drink stains dry quite quickly and become an unpleasant gunky mess if left untreated. Delaying the clean only makes the problem grow worse.


Synthetic floor coverings require a little bit of pressure if you want to successfully pull out the small pieces and microscopic parts of organic residues hiding deeply in the tissue.


Please, always read manufacturers lists of recommendations as to how to best keep your new purchase clean and healthy. Regular and mainly correct cleaning technique will prolong the life of your carpet with a few years and will keep it at its best looks. Definitely worth going for it. Follow their instructions to ensure a good condition of the strands despite frequent washing, scrubbing and treatment.

One of the essential tricks is to use a clean white cloth asyour main tool of maintenance. As we mentioned above, printing and colours can damage the fibres.


Dampen the cloth with the cleaning solution and dab repeatedly. Then press onto the spot for a few seconds and leave the wet cloth for about 20 minutes to soak the dirt substance properly. After the stain breaking down process, remove the excess liquid and dry with a paper towel or another white cloth. A terry towel will do an excellent job. For better final results and longevity of the cleaning effect repeat the process with white vinegar. Soak the carpet or rug and let it sit for an hour to give it more time with the natural product. It can work over the stubborn spots and spills, lighten blots, but most crucially – vinegar eliminates residual detergent, which will attract grime and dust if left in the fibres.


When are struggling with unsightly marks you want to get rid of from synthetic carpets and rugs, try one handy trick. Put a stack of white paper towels over the spot you have been working on and place over a glass type of baking dish to improve the lightening process.


You can do the same with natural fibre carpets. Before the vinegar solution, carefully treat the stains with ammonia solution for precisely that type of carpet material and again dry with a white terry towel.


The washing process’ previous steps are also available for dirt and mud removal but do not forget to vacuum extensively prior to starting the wet process. Do it before applying the homemade and vinegar solutions.


The abovementioned cleaning ideas for DIY carpet maintenance and spot removal are suitable also for different types of grease traces and residues like butter, oil dressings, eggnog, cheese, cooking oil, etc.


How to Get Rid of Chewing Gum and Spilled Wax

That could be a considerable challenge. Rub the spots gently with a bag full of ice cubes to make the dirt hard. Then shatter it with a spatula and vacuum after that. Treat the area with a small amount of suitable cleaner, blot and then rinse with a white cloth and lukewarm water.

To wash smaller cotton or wool-rich rugs at home, but without damaging their precious natural fibres, choose to do it by hand with a soft detergent (must be woolsafe though) and a mild brush or sponge. During the rinsing process add 2 cups of white vinegar, which can lend additional shine and sense of perfect cleanliness.


Regular machine washing keeps small synthetic rugs in great nick (they are very easy to maintain) but keep in mind to use gentle cycles/programmes.


Deep cleaning every 6 months, regular weekly vacuuming and immediate reaction when spill accidents occur is the perfect way to maintain the beauty and longevity of home carpets, rugs and upholstery.

Instead Of Conclusion

Armed with the right knowledge, desire to learn new things and generous amounts of elbow grease you will certainly be able to protect, clean and maintain you home carpeting’s fibres. Removing spots will become a breeze and keeping in green and eco will be a walk in the park. All these yummy stains will not look that scary now.