Your carpets take a lot of beatings on a daily basis, especially in high-traffic areas of the home. That’s why freshening them up regularly so that they can be hygienic and smell good is so important.
Can you freshen up your carpet without shampoo? You can definitely give your carpets a makeover without the use of carpet cleaners and shampoos.
Better yet, you can make your own carpet cleaning solutions. Here are some of the most effective ones to try.
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How To Freshen Carpet: Eight DIY Methods To Try
Method One: Use Vinegar To Freshen Your Carpet
A really easy way to freshen up old carpets is to use vinegar on them. Pour some white vinegar in a spray bottle, and spray the vinegar on the carpet. Allow it to dry completely.
That’s it! Simple, huh?
The great thing about vinegar is that it’s naturally antibacterial and its smell will dissipate once absorbing unpleasant odors.
Method Two: Baking Soda And Vinegar Sanitizes Your Carpet
This is a simple carpet cleaning hack that will make your carpets look as good as new. Rub baking soda into a carpet with the use of a stiff brush, and allow it to sit overnight so that it will absorb bacteria and unpleasant odors.
The next day, vacuum up the baking soda residue, spritz water mixed with vinegar on it, and then use a brush to raise the pile of the carpet.
Method Three: Remove Furniture Dents In Carpets With Ice
Another way in which you can freshen carpets and make them look as good as new is to remove dents in the carpet that are caused by furniture or footprints. These dents can make the carpets look old.
Luckily, you just need some ice to remove these dents. Place ice cubes in the dents of the carpet, then let them melt. Blot up the excess moisture. You can also fluff up the fibers of the carpet with the edge of a spoon.
Method Four: Use Essential Oils To Make Your Carpets Smell Fresh
No one wants a carpet that smells bad! Mix a cup of baking soda with 25 drops of your favorite essential oil. This is an easy DIY method of freshening up your carpet and making your room smell good.
Simply mix them together in a mason jar, then sprinkle them over the carpet. Let the solution rest for a while and then vacuum your carpet.
Method Five: Remove Stains With Shaving Foam
Stains that have penetrated into the carpet fibers can make your carpet look old. All you need is some foam shaving cream to eliminate them.
Spray any stains, such as grease stains, with the shaving cream and allow it to sit for half an hour. Blot the shaving cream with a clean cloth.
Method Six: Clean Your Carpets With Enzyme Cleaner
An enzyme cleaner uses enzymes to break down stains such as oil-based and protein-based stains. If you own pets, you might find that your carpets get dirtier at a faster rate.
This can be as a result of pets urinating or vomiting on the carpets. Your carpets can also start to have unpleasant odors because of this.
Here’s how to use an enzyme cleaner on your carpet:
- If there’s solid material on the carpet, carefully remove it. Any liquid on the carpet should be mopped up carefully, such as with a sponge.
- Saturate the area of the stain or mess with the enzyme cleaner.
- Let it sit for around 30 minutes. Check the instructions on the bottle of enzyme cleaner that you have as these products might vary a bit when it comes to how they’re used.
- Allow the product to dry.
Method Seven: Clean Up Stains With Vodka
Vodka works well to clean carpets because of its grease-eliminating ability. Since it works as a solvent, it can also be used to remove other stains, such as grass and wine stains.
To use vodka on the carpet, you should spray it directly onto the stain. Make sure you blot the stain with a dry cloth, then blot it with a wet cloth. Allow the carpet to dry thoroughly. If the stain can still be seen, you should repeat the steps.
Method Eight: Remove Musty Odors With Baking Soda, Borax, And Essential Oils
If your carpet smells musty, this is usually a sign that it contains bacteria, mold, and/or mildew.
Mix together half a cup of borax (which is effective at killing mold) with a cup of baking soda. Then, add 15 drops of your favorite essential oil. Sprinkle this solution over the carpet and let it rest for about an hour.
Finish off the process by vacuum cleaning the carpet so that you remove any powder residue.
Method Nine: Use Baking Soda And Salt To Lift The Carpet Fibers
After vacuuming your carpet, you can make the carpet fibers look plusher by making a DIY cleaning solution of equal parts baking soda and table salt. Sprinkle this onto your carpet and then spray some clean water from a spray bottle over the granules.
Use a nylon-bristled scrub brush so that you can work the mixture deeper into the carpet fibers. Then, blot any loosened debris with an old cloth and allow the carpet to air dry.
Once it’s been dried properly, vacuum the carpet to remove any residue of salt and baking soda. This is an important step to lift the carpet fibers so that your carpet can be fluffy again.
How To Keep Your Carpet Fresh In Future
Once you’ve cleaned your carpet with one or more of the above cleaning tips, you should try to keep your carpet hygienic and smelling good in the future. You can do this by following these tips:
- Ensure good ventilation in the home: One of the easiest, but most important, things you can do to keep your carpets hygienic is to get enough ventilation and air circulation in your home. This will tackle high levels of humidity in the home and prevent mold and mildew from growing in your carpets.
- Clean your home regularly: By cleaning your home regularly, you will ensure that you also keep your carpets in good condition. Vacuum your carpets at least once a week to eliminate dirt and bacteria which can cause unpleasant odors. You should also consider steam cleaning your carpets regularly as this gives them a deeper clean. It also removes bacteria and odors because steam cleaning is a natural sanitizer.
- Remove stains while they’re still fresh: If you remove spills and messes as soon as they happen, this will make it easier to keep your carpets in good condition. It will also make it easier to clean your carpets as the stain won’t have time to set into its fibers.
- Keep dirty shoes off your carpets: A good tip to keep your carpets clean in high-traffic areas is to put doormats in doorways so that you can wipe off your shoes before you walk on your carpets. You might even take this one step further and remove your shoes so that you don’t make your carpets dirty.
- Prevent carpets from becoming flattened: When a carpet becomes flattened, this can make it look old because it loses its fluffiness. To prevent furniture pieces from flattening carpets, you should regularly rotate them. You can also use coasters underneath the furniture legs to help to evenly distribute their weight.
Related Questions
Can you use apple cider vinegar to clean carpets?
If you have apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, this will work but its strong smell won’t dissipate as quickly as white vinegar.
Can you clean carpets with hydrogen peroxide?
Chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide should be used in moderation, otherwise, they can bleach the carpet dye, causing the carpet to become faded.
Conclusion
If you need to freshen up your carpet, you don’t need to buy expensive carpet cleaners. With a few DIY recipes up your sleeve, you’ll be able to make your carpets smell fresh, be more hygienic, and you’ll remove stains on them with greater ease.
Best of all, you probably already have all the ingredients we’ve mentioned in this article that will help you make your carpets look brand new and keep them that way.