7 Smart Tricks To Save Your Bright Rug From Stains
If there is one thing that all homeowners dread ubiquitously, it’s this: maintaining bright coloured rugs! Yes, they are absolutely gorgeous, come in so many unique designs, and can match a variety of interior design styles, but once their surface is hit with those inevitable spills or spots, you’ll have a whole new dilemma on your hands altogether. But don’t worry, with proper care and precaution, you can easily take care of this problem. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some smart tricks to save your bright rug from stains.
Regular Vacuuming With A Twist
Rugs with bright colours tend to collect a lot of noticeable grime, which can then coagulate into its very fibers and take the form of stubborn stains. Sounds messy, right? But this dilemma can be easily avoided if you vacuum your rugs regularly. Three times a week should become your life-mantra if you want to maintain the beauty of their bright colours. It not only stops the dirt from coagulating but also swoops it up and fluffs up the trodden parts. You can even add a sprinkle of baking soda over the rug before vacuuming. This will help it smell fresher as well.
Make Yourself An Emergency Kit
More often than not, stains happen to appear on rugs due to an unforeseen accident – maybe your kid tripped and spilled something or maybe a family member had a slip of the hand. This can be especially harrowing if your rug has a bright colour that highlights the stain. In such cases, it’s best to have an emergency spot-checking maintenance kit on hand. You can make one of your own. You can stock it with commercial carpet stain remover for the stubborn stains, club soda for wine spills, hydrogen peroxide for blood stains, and dishwasher detergent for mild stains. Remember to dab, and not rub while cleaning – otherwise you’ll just end up making it more permanent. If none of these homebased remedies work, it’s time to call for professional rug repairmen and cleaners.
Stain Removal Know-How
It’s important to know the fabric of your bright coloured area rugs and carpets to prevent them from staining permanently. When you know the properties of the fibers, you’ll be better equipped to deal with the stain-removal first-aid. When you dab/blot, you’ll need a stain removing agent, and the best way to determine which one to use depends totally on what your rugs are made of. For example, water is enough to blot away at nylon and polypropylene rugs. Wool rug stains can be removed with club soda, and so on.
Chewing Gum Stains
Gum and the sticky mess it leaves in its wake has become a ubiquitous contemporary conundrum. There are two things from which gum can be quite challenging to extract: hair and area rugs. Once it sticks to either of these things, it can be next to impossible to take out. Imagine the horror of having a gum stain on your gorgeously bright rugs! Sounds like a nightmare, right? But here’s a little trick that can help you take out the sticky wad out of the rug fibers easily: simply rub the affected part with ice-cubes. It will freeze the gum, which you can then take out with minimal to no damage at all.
When Precaution Is Better Than Care
Now that winter is in full swing, your bright area rugs are more susceptible to stains than ever before. Add messy outdoor activities to cold and insane moisture content, and you’ll have a mess on your hands if somebody even accidentally steps a dirty step on your precious rug. There are a number of ways you can keep your homes cleaner this winter, but the most effective ones by far include implementing the no-shoe rule and doubling up on the doormats!
Using Rug Protectants
One of the simplest and best ways that you can save your bright rugs from stains is by investing a good protectant. These are developed especially for area rugs and seals them up against any and all spills by bonding with the fibers. However, applying the sealant yourself can be very tricky as rugs come in all sorts of fibers and therefore, have unique characteristics. Amateurs might end up ruining the rug surface, so it’s better to contact professionals if you want to apply a protectant.
The Water-Vinegar Remedy
There are many types of stain cleaning solutions, but the one that is the most versatile and universally beloved is the water-vinegar remedy. It consists of three-parts warm water and one-part vinegar. It works incredibly well on a number of stain types. It can remove coffee, beer, milk, soda, and other liquid stains. It’s also extremely effective against food-related stains like curry, gravy, ketchup, and even eggs.
So, these are 7 smart ways that you can protect your bright rugs against stains of all types. As you can see, a good knowledge of solvents, rug fibers, and quick wit are all you need to beat those pesky stains once and for all!
I do the baking soda, i have a brown carpet and 2 large stinky dogs..lol so I sprinkle on the soda let it sit for about 30min. and then vacuum it up, and it does look cleaner and brighter, so I do this about once a week!!
Got to do all I can to prevent.. as a pet owner with half the house …
I have a friend that has a white rug and whenever she has company over, she rolls it up and puts it away to which I laugh every time. I’ll have to give your tips and hopefully some day she’ll leave the rug alone!
Well… I can’t blame her, but I would leave it!
Awesome tips thanks for sharing them.
Great tips! Thanks – we were gifted a couple of rugs and I took them in to be professionally cleaned and got them to tell me exactly what they were made of etc.
My pleasure!
I use apple cider vinegar for many things but I hadn’t thought of using it with water for stains. That’s a great tip!
I do not really like carpet but so have some in the home Thanks for the tips.