- 1). Examine the carpet for snags, color blotches from spills and worn down areas in the nap from high traffic. Determine if the carpet is cleanable or if it needs to be thrown out or recycled. According to author Robert Irwin, "cleaning will make a dirty carpet look better, but it won't make an old carpet look new."
- 2). Remove all the furniture from the area. Push heavier furniture against the wall and out of the way. Place plastic over the furniture that is too heavy to move and cover the legs so that they won't get stained from the carpet cleanser.
- 3). Vacuum the carpet. Pre-treat stains. In her "Homekeeping Handbook," Martha Stewart advises placing ice cubes in the indentations left by furniture in pile carpet, where the pile has been crushed or matted. The water will cause the fibers to swell. Towel blot the area, then vacuum.
- 4). Mix 1/4 tsp. mild dishwashing liquid (one that does not contain lanolin or bleach) in 1 quart cold water to make the cleaning solution recommended by Jeff Bredenberg in "2001 Amazing Cleaning Secrets." Dip a cloth in the solution. Blot the stain with the cloth. Sponge the stain again with a paper towel. The stain should come off into the paper towel. Rinse with cold water and repeat if the stain persists. Alternately, buy a commercial shampoo solution.
- 5). Test the cleaning solution on a small part of the carpet to make sure it won't alter the color of the carpet. If the carpet returns to its original color after it dries, then the solution is safe.
- 6). Rent a carpet cleaning machine. Grocery stores rent machines like Rug Doctor for about $25 to $30 as of 2010, depending on the location. Rentals are for 24 hours.
- 7). Ventilate the room. Add the solution to the machine as directed in the machine's instructions.
- 8). Start in the corner the farthest from the exit of the room. Work your way across the room, using only as much water as needed to lightly dampen the carpet. According to Carpet & Rug Pedia, you should then go over the carpet a second time at a 90-degree angle to your first pass. Use the machine's vacuum capability to suction up as much water as you can from the carpet. Replenish the water and solution as necessary.
- 9). Check the matted areas again. Fluff the matted areas to make sure they are separated before they dry together again. Keep everyone in the household away from the room with the freshly shampooed carpet until it dries.
- 10
Put your furniture back in the room. Take the opportunity to rearrange your furniture to give the room a new look. If there are areas of the carpet that don't look as clean as you'd like, or have sustained more wear and tear than the rest of the carpet, use the furniture to cover them up.
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