Having a family changes how you do a lot of things. Your home gets a little more cluttered a little faster than it used to and things like carpet cleaning get a little more difficult. When you’re trying to keep up with kids and maybe even a pet or two, things are just a little more complicated. It’s entirely possible there are times when cleaning your house and your carpet just aren’t priorities.
Kids aren’t gentle on their parents or the carpet in your home. While you can probably get with ignoring carpet cleaning duties from time to time, skipping them altogether is just not an option. There will always be spills that happen unexpectedly and at some point, you will have to break down and figure out a deep cleaning option.
Luckily there are are some great family-friendly carpet cleaning tips and tricks out there for you to use. Some of them come from carpet cleaning pros themselves while others are from busy parents just like you. From using stain removal techniques that don’t require harsh chemicals to how exactly to get gum out of the carpet, there’s a tip out there to make your life a little easier.
Table of Contents
1. Break Out The Baking Soda
Baking soda is probably something you should just become best friends with when you’re dealing with the combination of carpeting and kids. It’s something that you don’t have to worry much about using around pets either. The great news is a lot of the baking soda hacks you’ve read about online actually do work.
You can use a combination of baking soda and vinegar to remove stubborn stains. There are a few options for how to use this tip. You can soak the stain directly with vinegar and pour a little baking soda on top allowing the mixture to bubble and soak for about 20 minutes. You can also spray the stain with a spray bottle full of 1-2 cups of water, 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda. You’ll want to let that sit for 20 minutes as well.
Once the baking soda and vinegar have been able to soak into the stain you can blot up the mixture and the stain with a clean, dry towel. If the stain is particularly stubborn you can also put a dry towel over the stain and get your iron involved. Place the warm iron over the towel and the stain should lift out of your carpet and into the towel as you go.
You can also use baking soda for other things like regular carpet care. It’s a good way to freshen up your carpet without having to buy cleaners at the store. You can mix a box of baking soda with about 20 drops of essential oils in your favorite scent. Sprinkle that around the rooms you’re going to vacuum and let it sit for about ten minutes. Once you vacuum your carpets will look brighter and your rooms will smell amazing.
2. Freeze Gum In Its Tracks
This is a literal tip for how you can handle removing gum from your carpet. There’s a pretty good chance this is something you’ll have to deal with at least once as a parent. When you’re looking at your carpet and wondering what you’re going to do, think of ice. Ice will help you get the gum out of your carpet without losing your mind.
Use a few ice cubes to freeze the gum into a solid mound. After it’s frozen as much as possible go ahead and use a butter knife or spoon to lift it out of the carpet. The ice should help this process go pretty smoothly because the gum shouldn’t be as sticky as normal. Once you’ve removed as much of the gum as possible clip any tiny fibers still hanging onto the gum with a pair of scissors.
You won’t want to jump right to clipping the gum out of your carpet. If you do that anything you clip will probably be very noticeable. However, if you go with the ice first and the clipping option as a second step you won’t have to clip as much out and it’s unlikely even you will be able to see where you had to clip a few fibers after you’re done.
3. Shoes Off At The Door
This is one that’s more about preventing possible messes than dealing with the aftermath but it’s still a good carpet cleaning tip to use. If you haven’t already implemented this rule in your home, now is the time to do so. Make sure everyone knows that when they come into the house, shoes come off at the door. Not a step further.
Having everyone take their shoes off at the door prevents them from having a chance to track in mud, grass, or other things that might be on their shoes. It gives you a way to avoid some of the more insanity-inducing messes you might have to deal with on your carpet otherwise. It’s an easy change to make and it will make a huge difference in your carpet care routine.
4. Area Rugs Are Your Friend
Area rugs are a way to protect your permanently installed carpeting from some of the daily wear and tear that’s normal when you have a family. They are easier to clean and they give your regular carpeting a little break from spills and high foot traffic areas. Area rugs also just tend to make a room look a little more put together, so it’s a decorating bonus too.
Since you can move the rugs around with ease there’s a better chance of getting a tough stain out of an area rug than your actual carpeting. You can still use the same method you read about earlier, but with an area rug, you’ll have the option to flip the rug over and get anything that’s deeper down in the fibers out too.
5. Plan Out Your Deep Cleaning Schedule
Even with regular care, you’re still going to have to deep clean your carpet at least a few times a year. This could mean you rent a steam cleaner from your local market, or that you call in the pros to come handle it for you. Whatever works for you, just make sure you aren’t skipping the deep clean entirely.
Your carpets are going to be taking a lot of abuse from kids and pets so you need to do what you can to extend the life of your carpeting. Deep cleaning is an essential step for long term carpet care. Plan on deep cleaning your carpets about every 3 months or so, and try not to skip it even if you’re really dreading taking the task on. It’s not fun but it is worth it.
Conclusion:
Family life definitely adds in some extra challenges when you’re trying to clean your carpets. With these tips in mind, you’ll have a better chance of dealing with the unexpected more effectively and maybe even preventing some issues from happening at all.
Once you start using these tips you might even find life is just a little more enjoyable with carpets that look better. It’s just one less thing you’ll have to worry about, and that’s always a positive when you’re a busy parent. Happy cleaning!
