How to Get a Blue Carpet to Look Clean

A blue carpet can easily become dingy and stained with normal wear and tear. To maintain the life of your carpet, it is important to have your carpet professionally cleaned at least once per year. You may also choose to rent or buy a carpet cleaner and perform a steam cleaning on the carpet yourself. After thoroughly cleaning the carpet, carefully consider your furniture placement and lighting.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vacuum
• Steam cleaner for carpets
• Stain pretreatment products (optional)
• Commercial cleaning products (optional)
• Vinegar (optional)
• Rubbing alcohol (optional)

1. Vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove any surface dirt.

2. Spray stains and heavily soiled areas with carpet pretreatment products. Allow the treatment to soak into the carpet for the length of time specified on the product's label.

3. Use a commercial steam cleaner that runs with water, following the manufacturer's directions. Use commercial steam clean products or mix 1 cup of vinegar with 2 gallons of water.

4. Use the steam cleaner attachment nozzles to scrub at stubborn stains. Use stain treatment products, if desired, or pour a bit of rubbing alcohol on the stain to loosen the carpet fibers.

5. Allow the carpet to dry overnight before walking on it. Keep windows open and fans on whenever possible to expedite the drying process and to prevent mildew formation.

6. Rearrange furniture to hide large stains. If there are large worn areas, consider moving furniture to new areas so different traffic paths are created. This will help your carpet wear more evenly.

7. Experiment with different lighting to see which makes the blue carpet look its best. Try moving lamps to different areas, exchanging bulbs for a lower wattage or arranging curtains so a flattering amount of light is directed toward the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Vacuum your blue carpet on a regular basis to avoid ground-in dirt and debris buildup.
• When cleaning the carpet, be careful not to oversaturate it with either water or shampoo, as this can leave a residue and cause mildew to form.