NEW YEAR, FRESH CARPETS - How to bring your carpets back to life after a long, hard holiday season

Now the festive season has come and gone, and the new year is already well underway, we’re sure many carpets are feeling a little battered and bruised from the aftermath of the summer holidays. So we thought we’d help you jump into 2021 the Drytron way: clean, refreshed, revived and ready.

The general rule for carpet cleaning is: the sooner you act, the less you need to clean, so follow these easy ‘After Party’ carpet cleaning tips to get your carpets looking primed and pristine, ready to welcome more guests and gatherings during the year!

RED WINE CARPET STAIN 

As cautious and careful as you might be when it comes to drinking and celebrating in carpeted areas of your home, it’s pretty inevitable someone will have a glass or two too many and spill their red wine all over your carpet… and wine, rich in pigment, tannins, and other staining agents, is not that easy to clean. A red wine spill can totally ruin a carpet, and once it’s dried, it’s even harder to remove. But don’t worry, because we’ve got some simple methods for you to tackle those pesky vino stains.

Note, it’s always best to spot test these solutions first on an inconspicuous part of your carpet, before you try them on the stain. 

Solution #1:

Re-wet the stain with a small amount of water, then proceed to apply a generously large amount of salt to the stained area. Salt sucks out the moisture from the wet stain, drawing out pigment and other discolouration’s alongside it. Leave the salt overnight. The next day, you will find that the salt has turned pinkish in colour, which tells you it’s doing its job. Once you’re satisfied, simply scoop up the salt and discard. For the final touches, vacuum up the remaining salt grains and you should be left with a stain that has greatly reduced in size or intensity, or completely vanished!

Solution #2:

Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid, and 2 cups of warm water in a large bowl. Make sure you only use white vinegar as other vinegars can stain leading to further damage. Wet the stain with the mixture and using a clean rag, dab (don’t scrub!) the stained area. The mixture will loosen the stain. Use a second dry rag to absorb the liquid as you continue to blot. Alternate using the wet and dry rag. When the stain has been mostly removed, soak a third rag in cold water and press it into the stain. This will further loosen and remove the wine. Continue until the stain is gone.

CANDLE WAX STAINS

Everyone’s a sucker for the warmth and intimacy that candlelight so easily provides, and what better occasion for that ambience than a family sit-down Christmas dinner… that is until wax ends up all over the carpet. If you had any wax mis-haps over the holidays, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our go-to method for removal…

Solution:

Place a bag of ice, an ice pack or even frozen meat over the wax on the carpet until the wax solidifies and starts to lift up from the carpet fibers. Once the wax stain is frozen, use your knife, or a spoon if you’re afraid to ruin the fibres, to scrape off as much of the wax as you can. If you’re unable to remove all the wax, then grab a paper towel/bag and place it over the wax stain and proceed to rub over the paper towel/bag with an iron on low temperature. Keep repositioning the towel/bag on fresh areas and repeat until all the wax has been absorbed. Ta daaa.

PET URINE STAINS

Don’t we all just love having the relatives over for the holidays, especially Auntie Susan who insists that her precious pooch never gets left behind. Well, it’s all fun and games until you’re left to deal with the aftermath of the pooch’s party on your carpet… Luckily we’re here to give you the perfect remedy on how to remove pet stains from your carpet!

Solution:

Assuming you were wise enough to clean up as much of the urine as possible as soon as it hit the carpet, however, once the remainder of urine dries, the odour will set into the carpet fibres. To get rid of the odour, mix up a solution of 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups warm water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Transfer the solution into a spray bottle and spritz it onto the urine stained area. Let that sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then dab the area with a soft kitchen towel to remove any excess liquid. If you’re still struggling with the smell or urine stain, proceed to sprinkle some baking soda directly over the affected area. Then pour a half vinegar and half water solution onto the area and let it sit for 5 minutes. Again, dab the area with a cloth to remove any excess liquid.

For more tips on urine and your carpets click here:  https://drytron.com.au/urine-and-your-carpets/

We hope these quick and easy home remedies have come to your rescue, and helped you bring your beautiful carpets back to life, ready to take on another year of celebrations, gatherings and good old fun! However, if you’ve tried everything under the sun, and still find yourself in a pickle you can always call the carpet cleaning professionals – Drytron.

Of course, like everything, even carpets and rugs have a lifespan and if you’re considering replacing your carpet take a quick look here to see if it’s time to spoil yourself by starting the new year with some new carpets. We’ve even made a list of tips to help you pick the perfect rug.