Owning a white carpet can be a very stressful experience. Especially if you are a little clumsy. Or if you have young children often running around with muddy shoes.
Keeping a white carpet clean can often seem like a job with no end. But, if you love the look of a crisp clean white carpet and are sure that it won’t be subjected to any spills of red wine or chocolate, then there are some easy ways to keep it clean.
White carpets can often appear dirtier quicker than other colors. This is simply because dirt will show up more clearly on a plain white surface.
So, if you’re looking for a way to keep your home looking fresh, read on for our easy guide to cleaning a white carpet.
General Maintenance
Vacuuming
This might seem obvious but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Regularly vacuuming your carpet is one of the easiest ways of keeping it looking clean and fresh. You should vacuum your whole house at least once a week.
But, when it comes to cleaning a white carpet, it can’t hurt to vacuum more regularly. The best way to do this is with a portable handheld vacuum cleaner. This will allow you to vacuum up small bits of dirt and dust without having to break out the big vacuum cleaner every five minutes.
Keeping on top of the vacuuming like this might seem like a lot of hassle. But it will be worth it in the long run.
No Shoes!
This is a big one. One of the easiest ways to keep any carpet clean is by not walking on it in outdoor shoes. This is an absolute given in many houses. A lot of people just take their shoes off as soon as they come through the door. But this isn’t the case for everyone.
With a white carpet, even the smallest speck of mud will be very obvious. Mud and dirt are relatively easy to clean off, especially once they have dried. But other outdoor stains, such as grass stains, are near impossible to remove.
Depending on how thick and deep your white carpet is, shoes can also scuff it. Even if it is relatively thick and fluffy, shoe polish can also transfer onto the carpet. Especially if it has been newly applied or if the shoes have been worn in the rain.
Overall, it’s really not worth the risk of wearing outdoor shoes on a white carpet.
Pets
Pets are another big problem when it comes to white carpets. Unlike the human residents of your home, you can’t simply ask your dogs to take their shoes off when they come in the room. Pets, especially cats and dogs, won’t care about making your white carpet dirty.
So it’s important to make sure they don’t walk on it with dirty paws. This might be difficult, especially if the carpet is in a room that you use often and don’t want to keep them out of.
The best thing to do is to clean off their feet when they come in from their walks. This will be very tricky if you have a cat that enjoys going outdoors. So, with instances such as this, you might just have the risk of your pets making the carpet a little dirty.
As we mentioned above, mud and dirt are pretty easy to clean off a carpet. And it will be mud and dirt that your pets will be most likely to track across the carpet. So you should be okay.
Regular vacuuming, especially with a handheld vacuum, will also help with pet hairs. This will be another problem with a white carpet. Especially if they have dark fur.
Cleaning Difficult Spills and Stains
Now you know the best way to deal with everyday cleaning for you white carpet, let’s move on to the more serious cleaning.
If you have recently bought a white carpet, you will likely be terrified to carry anything across it. This is especially true of anything such as red wine, coffee, or anything else likely to leave a deep and difficult stain.
But don’t worry, even if you have spilled a whole glass of wine on the carpet, you should be able to get a good portion of the stain out.
The best way to deal with a liquid stain is to dry it as soon as possible. Immediately after spilling the liquid, dab at the spill with a paper towel. The most important thing is that you do not rub. This will force the liquid deeper into the carpet and make it even worse.
Once you have cleaned off as much of the liquid as you can, the best way to remove the rest is by using baking soda. Baking soda might seem like a strange substance to shake over your carpet. But trust us, it will work wonders. If the stain is really bad, mix the baking soda into a paste with water or vinegar.
Another way of removing a deep stain on a white carpet is by using a specially formulated carpet cleaner. These will usually come with a brush on the end. Because of this, it’s important to make sure the stain is completely dry before you start cleaning it with the carpet cleaner.
If you don’t, you will simply be using the cleaner and brush to thin out the stain but also to spread it further. These cleaners are great for dried spills and spills in very thick and dense carpets.
The best thing to do is to try the baking soda first (especially if you have some in your kitchen cupboard) and, if that doesn’t quite seem strong enough, then move on to the carpet cleaner.
Cleaning Products
Bleach
Cleaning a white carpet can sometimes feel like a never ending process. But, one of the great things about a white carpet is that you can use a lot of different types of cleaning products on it.
Spilling something dark on a white carpet might seem like a nightmare. But, it is balanced out by the fact that you can treat it with some seriously intense cleaning products.
If you get a colored carpet or even an off-white or cream carpet dirty, then you will usually find yourself scrubbing at it with some basic products that won’t damage the color. But, if you spill something on a white carpet, you can safely break out the bleach.
But, only a small amount and you should dilute it (if the instructions state that this is safe). Intense cleaning products should be a last resort. Some substances, such as bleach, can be corrosive to the actual material. This will damage the carpet even more.
BUT, if you really need to give your carpet a deep clean after a spill, you can crack out the big guns and open the bleach.
Deep Cleaning
It’s a good idea to give all carpets and rugs a regular deep clean. Depending on how often they are walked over, this should be every 12 to 18 months. This is definitely the case with white carpets.
You might not notice it as you see your carpet every day. But it will gradually become more and more dulled and dark. You will only really notice the difference when you give it a proper clean.
You can hire a professional to do this. Or, you can rent a machine yourself. Lots of big chain grocery stores offer this service. (Plus, it’s super satisfying. Just like those pressure washer videos you see online).
Summary
The best way to keep a white carpet clean is preventative. Make sure to be super careful with anything that can stain it. And vacuum it regularly.
But, most importantly, remember to keep your outdoor shoes off it!
