Welcome today’s guest post blogger, Bethany Thomson.
How to clean your carpet with bleach
A stain on your valuable rug is a little accident but is not the end of the world. Take a deep breath and then decide how to deal with the stain. If you have a particularly stubborn stain on your carpet and you are thinking about using bleach as your last resort, then take a moment and consider the possible damage which bleach can do to your carpeting.
First of all, keep in mind that you should never use bleach on a wool, or wool-based carpet. Also, keep bleach away from very bright colored carpets and rugs, because it can cause drastic fading and bleaching of the colors. In fact, bleach should be used mainly on white carpets, which are not made of wool.
So, if you have found it absolutely necessary to use bleach for removing a stain from your carpet, there are some steps you need to follow in order to successfully remove the stain without causing damage to the carpet.
Before treating a urine stain with bleach, make sure you have removed all of the hardened residue and or mold from the stain. Use a spoon, a brush or another blunt object to gently remove all the remaining spill. After you are done, thoroughly vacuum the stain, so that you get as much dust and dirt out as you can.
Always wear rubber gloves when mixing your bleach solution, because bleach can cause severe burns to the skin. Also, wear a protective mask, because the fumes can harm your respiratory system quite seriously.
Remember to never use bleach directly on the carpet. You need to mix a cup of the bleach with a gallon of water, to create a safe mixture which can be used on your rug. Pour some solution into a spray bottle. Meanwhile, open all windows in the room where you will be using the bleach because as mentioned before, the fumes can be harmful to you, your family and your pets.
Make sure that you don’t allow the bleach to contact any other cleaning chemicals you have used for the stain removal. The mixture of bleach with ammonia, for example, can cause fumes which can be fatal.
So, when you are done with all the preparations and precautions, spray the bleach and water solution on the stain. It is sometimes recommended to spray the entire surface of the carpet in order to ensure the hue stays the same in all areas of the carpet.
Yes, the bleach will make your carpet lighter in color! Leave the solution to sit for half an hour, and leave the room ventilated at all times. It is best to not enter the room while the bleach is doing its job in bleaching the carpeting.
After the 30 minutes are over, rinse the carpet with water meticulously. To remove the remaining odor and the residue, you can shampoo the carpet after that with carpet cleaner and gently rub it in with a soft brush. After you are done, rinse the carpet once again and let it dry. If you have the means, do this outdoors, or ensure you get as much of the water out of the carpet as possible, to allow it to dry faster. Use additional heating, air conditioning, fans or fresh air to quicken the drying process.
When it is dry, the carpet will be lighter, and hopefully, that annoying stain will be gone for good!
Link: http://www.rugcleaninglondon.co.uk/
