Green cleaning advice for carpets

If you have carpets at home, regular vacuuming is essential to remove the dirt and grit that can wear away carpet fibres. Here are 8 green ways to keep your carpets looking great without using harsh cleaning products.

1. Remember to vacuum under couches, behind furniture and along skirting boards. Doing so will keep carpet beetles and moths in check and help to remove dust mites and pet fur, which often accumulate in hard-to-reach spots. This is especially important if family members suffer from allergies.
2. Scoop or scrape away all solid spills with a blunt knife or spoon. Blot liquids with a clean cloth, pressing firmly to soak up all the spill.
3. Try using soda water to get rid of the rancid smells that can be left behind on carpets by some food spills, animal messes and vomit. Alternatively, rub a little baking soda on the spot with a damp cloth.
4. Pour soda water or mineral water onto liquid spills on carpets. The bubbles make the spillage rise to the surface, where you can blot it with a clean cloth.
5. Sprinkle baking soda on natural and synthetic floor coverings to remove grease, dirt and odours. Leave for 15 to 30 minutes and then vacuum up the powder. For heavy grease stains, you may need to use corn flour.
6. Remove candle wax from carpets by scraping off as much as possible with a blunt knife and then covering the remaining wax with a tissue, blotting paper or brown wrapping paper. Hold a hot iron just above it and press the paper down to blot the carpet. Use several sheets if necessary.
7. Never use an alkaline product (some laundry detergents are alkaline) on a wool carpet as it can damage the fibres and cause fading of fabric dyes.
8. Act quickly and you can remove all traces of a red wine stain, even on a pale carpet. Mop up any excess liquid with an absorbent cloth, then saturate the spill with white wine and leave it to seep in for 10 minutes. Rinse with a clean cloth and lukewarm water.

From regular cleaning to tackling tricky stains, keeping your carpets clean is an important part of maintaining a tidy home. And with the tips above, you can keep your carpets in tip-top shape using green methods that are better for the environment.