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Maintenance | Cleaning tips

Cleaning tips for your carpet

It is bound to happen that one accidentally spills or drops something sticky on a carpet. The important thing to do then, is to deal with the stain or the spillage immediately. If not action is taken, the stain will penetrate into the carpet and make it harder to be removed. Below are some tips on what you should do if an accident should occur.
 
10 things to keep in mind if an accident occurs:  
 
1. Deal with the stain immediately.
2. Ladle fluids carefully with a spoon.
3. Dilute with cold water if necessary.
4. Dab away - do not rub - fluids and other spillage with paper towels or a clean cotton cloth.
5. Work from the edge towards the middle of the spillage.
6. Use a very small amount of detergent and cold water, but only if necessary.
7. Brush lightly with a clothes brush if needed.
8. Repeat from step 2 if necessary.
9. It might be necessary to dry the wet area with a fan or a hair drier at low speed.
10. Finish the work by restoring the pile with a clothes brush (in the direction of the pile).
 
Some examples of common stains and how to remove them: 
 
Glue: Dilute the stain with a cloth soaked in vinegar or alcohol.
Wax: Put a blotting paper or a brown paper bag over the stain. Use a hot iron over the blotting paper/paper bag and let the wax be absorbed. It is important to keep moving the iron to avoid burnmarks.
Ink: Cover the stain with hair spray and let it dry, then brush it away gently with a solution consisting of water and vinegar.
Gum: Put ice cubes on the gum so it becomes hard which makes it possible to break loose.
Urine: Suck it up as fast as possible. Then rinse the area with a mixture of water and distilled white vinegar, about a tablespoon per 20 cl of water. Wipe up as much as possible from the carpet. If the urine stain is dry when discovered, act quickly, and leave the carpet to a specialized oriental carpet cleaner. Do not use urine stain removers because these can damage the wool in the carpet.