The best time to treat a carpet stain is as quickly as possible. For liquid spills, immediately blot away the moisture with paper towels or a white cloth. Never use a cloth or napkin that might not be colorfast 

Most professional carpet cleaning services use a combination of detergents and steam to deep clean carpet and recommend cleaning at least once per year.   

Always begin any cleaning process by vacuuming the carpet to remove loose soil, dust, dirt, and debris. If you skip this step, you may just be pushing soil around or driving it deeper into the fibers. Removing some stains like oil, tar, and pet accidents will require special treatment. Consult a stain removal chart for the proper cleaners to remove those stains. 

In a spray bottle, mix one part of distilled white vinegar and three parts of cold water. You will need to refill the bottle several times if cleaning a wall-to-wall carpet. 

WARNING 

Before beginning the deep-cleaning process, spray the vinegar solution on the carpet in a hidden location to test the colorfastness of the carpet. Do not use the solution if you see any bleeding or change of color. 

Working in a small 3-feet x 3-feet area, spray the vinegar solution onto the carpet until it’s very damp. Do not saturate. Follow a grid so you’ll know where you have cleaned. If you are cleaning an area rug, take extra precautions to protect the floor beneath the rug from moisture damage. 

Allow the solution to remain on the carpet for five minutes to begin breaking down the soil. Use a microfiber cloth to blot away the solution and the soil. Have a bucket of clean water ready to rinse the microfiber cloth. Change the water frequently as it becomes soiled. 

Open doors and windows to increase the airflow in the room or add oscillating fans to speed drying. Do not allow traffic on the carpet until it is fully dry. 

If you must use the room while the carpet is damp, place plastic sheeting or tarps on the traffic pathways to prevent staining. 

Use old towels or microfiber cloths to absorb the loosened soil. Allow the carpet to dry completely and vacuum to remove any residue remaining in the carpet. 

Follow the same steps for mixing baking soda and salt. Sprinkle the carpet with the mixture and then use steam, instead of cold water, to dampen the mixture. 

 Vacuum the carpet to remove loose soil and pretreat stained areas. 

If you have a clothes steamer or steam mop that is usually used on hard-surface floors, they can be used to deep clean carpet, as well. 

After scrubbing, use old towels or rags to wipe away the loosened soil. It is fine to leave a bit of baking soda in the fibers. Allow the carpet to air-dry completely. Use a vacuum to remove any remaining baking soda left in the fibers. The carpet should smell fresher and look brighter. 

Liberally sprinkle the carpet with the baking soda and salt mixture. You may find it easier to work in a grid pattern starting in a corner and working toward an exit. 

After sprinkling, spritz the area with a spray bottle filled with plain water. The carpet should be very damp, but not sopping wet. Use a scrub brush to work the baking soda deeper into the carpet fibers. Go in one direction and then at a 90-degree angle to help lift the soil. 

Vacuum or sweep the carpet to remove loose soil and then follow the recommendations on a stain removal chart to remove visible stains. 

Vacuum or sweep the carpet to remove loose soil and then follow the recommendations on a stain removal chart to remove visible stains. 

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Attack sticky debris ASAP with a damp clean cloth, a mini squirt of wood floor cleaner, and a vigorous rub; if you don’t like to crouch, plant one foot on a rag. Lift off dust and pet hair with a microfiber mop head, ideally treated with a positive electric charge so it can capture negative-ion ephemera. Keep the mop head moving, again with the grain. 

5 Ways to Avoid Major Damage 

• Don’t ignoring wet or sticky spills. They won’t go away on their own. Did an ice cube just shoot under the table? Go get it. 

• Don’t bring on the heavy equipment. You can damage the finish by attacking with a broom meant for the garage or a floor-cleaning machine designed for tougher flooring. 

• Avoid applying the wrong cleaning product. Experts say Murphy Oil Soap can leave a residue on polyurethane. Paste wax simply makes it slippery. As for acrylic polishes that claim to remove the glow while putting more on? They can dull polyurethane—just remove the grime and it will shine. 

• Be aware of flooding the zone. Standing water and overly wet mops shoot moisture between boards and through tiny tears in the finish that form when wood shrinks and expands with the weather. Over time, moisture can damage the wood. 

• No steam cleaning. Never on wood. Save it for tile, linoleum, and vinyl. 

What To Use To Clean Hardwood Floors 

For a neutral solution, you want a pH level of about 7, or matched to cured poly; higher is too alkaline, and lower is okay for an all-purpose cleaner, but not here 

Is it Safe to Use Vinegar to Clean Hardwood Floors? 

Don’t use vinegar or baking soda solutions. Old-fashioned remedies involving vinegar or dish detergent can’t do the same job as today’s multi-functioning solutions and can actually damage or dull polyurethane. 

Solvents: Speed the drying process, reducing exposure to moisture and making the job go faster; they also minimize streaking and filmy buildup. 

• Surfactants: Loosen grease and dirt and emulsify them so they can move to the mop head;   

• Chelators: Found in Method’s cleaner, fight water spotting and snow-melt salts. 

• Citric Acid: Breaks up dirt and combines with alkaline ingredients to help achieve a neutral pH. 

• Oxidizers: Release hydrogen peroxide to bust up dirt on long-neglected floors and are in extra-strength solutions

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