Did your rug endure a big spill from something that cannot easily come out such as a plate of spaghetti being brought into that room and the dish accidentally had fallen? Therefore, the tomato sauce ended up all over the rug! Or did someone have a bloody nose and some of the blood fell onto the area rug while the sufferer was walking around? Anytime that expensive area rug ends up with stains of that nature that are not easy to remove, that will make anyone anxious.
However, the good news is that there are DIY cleaning tips that you can use for your area rugs to get them clean again even after bad spills.
Grab A Bucket And Warm Water With A Mild Detergent
Here is what you need to do. Get a bucket of warm water. Not hot water because if the water is piping hot, it will end up shrinking the rug fibers or change the color which is not something you want to see happen. And once the bucket is filled up, add some mild liquid dish soap, just add a few caup fulls of it into the water.
If you are concerned that the mixture will cause the color of the rug to fade, you can always test it by adding some of the mixes to a part of the area rug that is not easily seen. If it does fade, then you will want to dump the bucket and add less of the soap with water that is slightly cooler. Chances are though if the water is warm and not hot, and the soap that you have used for the mix is mild, it will be fine for the rug.
And after seeing that the rug is fine, then you will need to take a brush or a sponge and scrub the mixture into the fibers of the rug where it is stained. Keep mixing it until it is all deep into it. Then just let the mixture stay on the rug for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off.
The Rug Needs To Be Washed Off With Cold Water After The Solution Has Been Mixed Into It
Then you will need to take another bucket of cold water and spill it onto the rug so the mixture and the stain particles are removed. And the ideal situation is to take the area rug outside so a garden hose can do that job. Either way, it needs to be washed down with cold water so that the solution, as well as the stain, are both removed. Once it has been washed down, then the next step is to take a squeegee to remove the unused water. This is the step you will need to take outside either way.
Take The Area Rug Outside To Finish The Cleaning Process
However, when you are scrubbing the rug, be sure to go in the direction of the rug’s nap so it stays healthy. Be sure to make sure that every ounce of excess water is removed because any leftover water will become a breeding ground for fungi such as mold and mildew which will end up ruining the rug. The only way you will know if the water has been rubbed out of the area rug completely is by testing it to make sure that it is dry enough to the touch.
After that is determined, then you will need to take the rug back into the house so it will dry overnight.
Take The Rug Back Into The House And Let The Rug Dry Overnight
The rug after it has been cleaned from the stain will not be usable right away because it will need to dry overnight. Even though you had gotten all of the water out of the rug, it is still going to be damp. However, if there is no excess water, then the chances of mold or mildew growing are not very high so you do not need to worry about that.
Place the rug on a railing of the stairs to hang so it can dry out and if it still feels somewhat damp the next day, then it needs more time to dry. You can also put the rug into the basement and leave the lights on as well so it can dry somewhat quicker. That is really up to you how you want to dry the rug.
You will want to make sure that both sides of the rug have an opportunity to dry so you need to flip the rug so the other side is facing the air for it to have a chance to dry.
Vacuum The Rug After It Has Been Dried To Loosen Fibers
Then once the rug is dried up and appears to be clean from the stain, then you will need to either vacuum the rug so that the fibers are loosened to prevent matting from the wash – or you can use a brush that has soft bristles so that it will not ruin the fibers while brushing it. Either way, you need to prevent the fibers from being matted and this is the only way.
Enjoy The Rug Again And Implement Some Rules
After that work has been done, then you can put the rug back into the room where it was before. Then you will want to implement some rules such as no eating in the room where the area rug is. However, some things cannot be prevented such as nosebleeds happening in the room or other accidents.
It is a good idea however for families of young kids and pets to make sure that they have the area rug DIY cleaning apparatus ready just in case an accident does happen. Keep the bucket in place, as well as mild dish soap, a sponge, and a soft-bristled brush if that is the decided way to keep the rug soft.
This is what needs to be done to keep the area rug as clean and fresh as possible after something spills so stains are not set in!