We all know the struggle! Large area rugs are a pain to clean and maintain. If your area rugs are looking dingy, don’t fret! We’ve got the solution to getting them dirt-free, pet hair-free and smelling great!

Basic Area Rug Care

1) Vacuum: Make sure you vacuum your rugs regularly to remove any dirt that will wear out your rug. If your rug has a fringe, don’t vacuum the fringe! You could easily damage it.

2) Get rid of pet hair: Sometimes a vacuum won’t get out all the pet hair. Remove what’s left using a large brush. Brush in the direction of the nap of the rug. As an alternative, get out basic rubber cleaning gloves. Put them on and get them wet. Run your hands over the carpet, and all of the hair will stick to the gloves. When the gloves are covered in hair, simply rinse them.

3) Turn your rugs: Family members constantly stepping on the rug can cause wear and tear. Turn them a few times a year to even out the wear.

How to Care For Special Rugs

1) Sheepskin, fur, and hides: Get your hands on unscented talcum powder and sprinkle it over the rug. Allow it to sit for several hours. Brush the powder through the hair and then shake it out. Do this several times, depending on how long the hair is. Clean the back of the rug with warm soapy water and a cotton cloth. Rinse with a clean cloth and set the rug out to dry.

2) Handmade, oriental, and antique rugs: When vacuuming the rug, protect it by placing a piece of nylon screen over it and weighing it down with books. Then vacuum over the screen. As an alternative, you can place a piece of nylon mesh over the vacuum attachment and change the mesh as dirt accumulates. Have the rug professionally cleaned once a year. Rotate the rugs a few times a year and avoid direct exposure to sun, as it can fade the color.

3) Woven rugs: Check the rug for any stitching breaks before you clean. Check the label to see if it’s washable. If washable, place them in a zippered mesh laundry bag and wash in cool water on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry low. For large rugs, place them on a vinyl or concrete floor and sponge carpet-cleaning foam over them. Rub it in and rise or vacuum according to package directions. Allow it to dry completely before placing it back on the floor.

4) Sisal and grass rugs: Vacuum them often and remove the rug to vacuum underneath them. To clean stains, first protect the floor underneath with a plastic drop cloth and a towel. Scrub stains with a brush dipped in soapy water and rinse. Blot the rug until it’s as dry as possible. Allow the rug to dry completely before using it again.

Photos: Enlighten Me, Parviz Rug, The Daily Nest.

We all know it’s hard to keep carpets clean. Carpet stairs can be tricky to clean because of all the nooks and crannies, but with these tips, you’ll have clean stairs in no time!

Step 1: Dry Cleaning

Because of the shape of stairs, dust tends to accumulate in the crevices and corners. This can make cleaning them harder, and in order to get out dust and dirt, use a hard brush broom. Do this before wet cleaning your stairs. Using some force, brush each step a few times to get out stubborn dirt. Don’t forget to use a vacuum along with your hard brush. The vacuum cleaner will pick up the loose dirt that was picked up by the brush.

Step 2: Wet Cleaning

After you’ve gotten the dry cleaning out of the way, it’s now time for the wet cleaning process. You can easily make your own carpet cleaning shampoo by using the following recipe:

– baking soda

– hot water

– peppermint oil

– liquid soap

– white vinegar

When you begin shampooing, start from the highest stair and work your way down. When the shampooing process is finished, dry the stairs as quickly as possible so the moisture doesn’t produce mold. Lay down towels on the stairs and stomp on them to draw moisture out of the carpet. You can use a wet/dry vacuum if you have one instead. You should shampoo your carpets every 4-5 months to keep them looking clean.

Photos: Carpet Plus Floor, Afranko, Zubujk. Tired of stairs? Check out these luxury condo rentals in Toronto. 

With kids, pets, and weekend get-togethers, stains and dirt can be inevitable. We all know what it’s like trying to scrub out that stubborn coffee stain that never seems to fade. These tips and tricks will help you battle (and win!) the toughest stains on your carpet, and keep it clean, too!

First, the stains need to go! Here’s how:

1. Take 2 empty spray bottles and fill one with cold water. In the other bottle, add 1/4 tsp dishwashing liquid and 1 cup of warm water. Shake well.

2. Spray the detergent mix onto a cloth and dab the stain (don’t rub!). As the stain begins to dissolve, begin to blot with a clean section of the cloth. Keep doing this until the stain is gone.

3. Take a clean cloth and spray it with the cold water. Use it to rinse the detergent from the carpet, and blot it with a dry cloth.

4. Stack up paper towels on the spot and place a heavy pot on top. Leave this overnight. The paper towels will soak up any residual stain that’s deep inside the carpet. In the morning, remove the pot and paper towels and fluff up the carpet with your fingers. Allow it to air-dry completely.

Now that we’ve got the stains out, here are a few tips on how to keep dirt at bay:

De-Grit Doormats

Your interior doormats only stop dirt from being tracked inside the house if they’re clean. Toss your mats into the washer and dryer on a gentle cycle and tumble-dry them on low. If they are non-washable, use a vacuum. Vacuum first the front, then the back to loosen any embedded dirt. Vacuum the front of the mat again to get all the grit that came out. To give the mat a quick refresh, take it outside and shake it well. Using a stick or your hand, beat the mat to loosen any dirt.

Clean High-Traffic Areas

In between heavy-duty cleanings, use a powdered or foam carpet cleaner on areas that get a lot of traffic. Apply the cleaner according to package directions and vacuum.

Take Off Your Shoes

Keep dirt outside by implementing a no-shoes rule in your home. Keep extra slippers near the door, and encourage visitors or family members to use them. Keep a broom handy in the entryway closet to collect dirt before it gets stuck into your doormats. Put mats outside your door as well so you can wipe your feet before heading inside.

Photos: Angies List, This Old House, House Ideas. 

Dry cleaning is cleaning a room without sinks or any water sources. Dust and dirt tend to fly when they’re disturbed, and a dry room is always cleaned starting from the top to the bottom. Working around the room only once saves you time, and makes the job go by faster. Read our steps on how to handle cleaning a dry room!

Step 1:

Place the wastebasket outside the door to be emptied. You can get rid of the trash at the end.

Step 2:

Move around the room in sections, and always start from the top. Use a long-handled duster and wipe down crown moldings, door tops, and the tops of photos and other artwork. Clean photo glass and windows with a cloth sprayed with glass cleaner.

Step 3:

Now it’s time to tackle horizontal surfaces. Dust any knick-knacks on mantles, shelves, or tabletops with a cleaning cloth, then dust the surface beneath them. Apply a spray of cleaner to loosen any soil on windowsills or counter tops. Dust furniture legs and wipe the dust from baseboards.

Step 4:

From circling the room and working from the top to the bottom, clean any furniture in the center. Vacuum the floor and empty and replace the wastebasket. For a final touch, spray the room with freshener to leave it smelling great!

Photos: Housekeeping.about, Housekeeping.wonderhowto, Life Hacker.

Having pets in your household is great fun, but every pet owner knows the stress of having to deal with pet hair. If you find that your home is getting overrun by hair, follow our 5 tips to getting it hair-free!

1. Cover it Up

Use slip covers on your couches and chairs. These will catch the hair, which means less hair on your floors. Before throwing them in the wash, put them in the dryer for about 10 minutes with a fabric softener sheet. This will help loosen some of the hair. Using fabric softener in the wash will help loosen even more hairs, too.

2. Slick Surfaces

If you absolutely hate any hair on your furniture or carpets, it might be time to invest in furnishings that are hair resistant. This includes hardwood or tile flooring, leather or pleather, canvas, and heavy duty cotton fabric.

3. Removing the Hair

If your furniture is covered in hair, there are a few ways to get rid of it. Lint rollers are great, as they effectively pick up hair from any surface. But, they do create a lot of waste and can get expensive. Try using a rubber glove spritzed with water. Put the glove on and wipe down your couches and chairs. The hair will stick to the glove and you can just rinse the glove when you’re finished. Dryer sheets are also good at picking up hair from your furniture. Simply wipe down surfaces with the dryer sheet.

4. Vacuum

Change the bag in your vacuum cleaner often to keep dust at bay and your vacuum running nicely. A full bag in a vacuum cleaner makes vacuuming less effective, and throws more dust out into your air, too. Make sure to keep the brush attachments clean, as hair can get caught in these as well. To keep your carpets hair-free, experts recommend going over them 3 times in alternating directions to loosen up as much hair as possible. If you have the budget consider purchasing a Deebot Pet Vacuum Cleaner, so that your vacuum cleaner can do the cleaning for you!

5. Brushing

Brushing your pets is a way to greatly reduce hair from accumulating in your home. Use the Furminator brush to remove dead hair from your pet that will end up falling out. Giving your pet a bath will also help in removing a lot of loose hair.

Photos: Vegas Chatter, Wikimedia.