Carpet cleaning hacks to make those dingy carpets look brand new again! Or worst case, get that weird smell out of them!
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If you are anything like me, you have a love-hate relationships with carpets. I love that they make the sound of my kids running through the house a little less loud, but I hate cleaning them! Well fear not, I have some carpet cleaning hacks!
If I could, I would have hardwood floors in our house but since we are renting that isn’t possible at the moment.
Therefore I have had to learn some tips and carpet cleaning hacks along the way.
With 2 kids, 5 and under, our carpets have taken a beating over the years.
Between potty trainings, baby spit-ups, food spills, random dirt and markers our carpet have seen better days.
While I could invest (or even rent from Home Depot) a carpet cleaner that would suck out all the nastiness, I don’t find spending $100+ on a carpet cleaning machine to purchase for the small amount of carpet we have.
For reference, we rent a duplex which is only about 900-1000 sq. ft. and only the bedrooms and living room is carpeted.
So between the furniture and small square footage, we don’t have that much carpet so spending a fortune on a carpet shampooer is a bit much.
Therefore, I have learned some carpet cleaning hacks that have saved my carpet from looking absolutely wrecked.
Baking Soda
This one is common, but maybe you have not tried it yet.
Baking soda sprinkled on the carpets can draw out any odors. Same with the fridge. Place an opened box of baking soda in the fridge and use as a deodorizer.
Same with the carpets, sprinkle a little bit on the carpets, let it sit for few minutes then vacuum it up. Leaves fresh smelling carpets every time.
Carpet Cleaners
Specifically the foaming kind.
Personally I use and love this carpet cleaner.
It foams plus comes with a brush head directly on the bottle to scrub out the stains.
Very handy and compact to store in a cabinet or under the sink.
It does have chemicals, so store away from pets and kids.
I love this one for really tough, caked in, been there awhile stains. The foaming action really helps break up the stain.
Brush Attachment
This drill brush attachment bad boy is probably my most favorite item ever. I recently got this bundle of attachments for your power drill to do the heavy work for you.
I love the carpet attachment (white brush head) because I can spray the foaming spray and use this attachment to really scrub hard to break up the stain.
Below is a before and after of the carpet right in front of the main door which is the most high traffic area and had seen much better days!
This was after just one pass on it! I sprayed the foaming carpet cleaner, used this brush until the stain was gone then dried with a towel.
The difference is incredible, plus its super satisfying to do too!
Plus the other attachments it comes with can clean so much more around the house too! More on those cleaning hacks later!
Maintenance
Now this one is easier said than done, but after all that work cleaning those carpets you want to make sure they stay that way right?
Try enforcing a no-shoe policy in your house. Have slipper by the front door that are only for inside use to keep the dirt out.
Lay a blanket or towel down if the kids want a snack in the living room while watching a show. I have a few older blankets that I lay down for the kids for snack that way the blanket is easier to wash than the carpets.
These two things should dramatically help the maintenance of those clean carpets and cut down on the amount of times you have to deep clean them.
Plus make sure to try and vacuum up those crumbs when they happen to ensure they don’t get ground into the carpet and become stains.
These are my top carpet cleaning hacks to keep your carpets clean and fresh!
Therese says
I think this would be perfect for my couch downstairs where the cat sleeps and I think pees lol. We’ve gotten rid of much of our carpet thankfully, but I need to look into these items for my basement couch.
heatherwriterslifeforyoucom says
Where has this article been my whole life? I love that something as simple as baking soda can combat odors. Thanks for the tips!