January 3, 2016  

Anyone who lives with carpeting and children and pets knows that it can be an ongoing battle to keep your house looking reasonably clean.

Because as we all know, a clean carpet makes an otherwise messy room look better, and a dirty carpet can make even the neatest room look bad.

So what is a person to do?  Well, frequent steam cleanings are an obvious start. I get our carpets professionally cleaned about every six months. And it helps, somewhat. But, I also have a dog that loves to dig in the dirt, and I live in a rainy part of the country, and no matter how many times I stop him at the door to wipe off his paws at the entry way before he comes in, that mud always seems to make it on to the carpets.  And I have kids who spill things.  And I spill things!  

I have tried many carpet spot cleaners and other common household remedies over the years, to keep our house looking presentable in between steam cleanings, and the following is what I have found works best:

Good old plain club soda or seltzer

Best for:  Small, very fresh stains, i.e., no bigger than your palm. Anything bigger than that, and you will need to use too much soda, and it will be harder to blot up the stain.  And, you need to get the club soda down and blotted up with a clean towel or white paper towel right away, within minutes of the stain occurring. I have found this method to be most successful with liquid stains, such as red wine, chocolate milk, etc. A lot of times, if you stick with it, you can remove the stain entirely with just club soda…just make sure it is nice and bubbly and has not gone flat.

Resolve spray 

Best for: Plain old dirt, i.e. mud tracked in by a dog or by someone’s shoes. I can honestly say that this is what I have found to be the best remedy for removing regular muddy dirt.  Follow the instructions on the can. On the downside, I haven’t had much luck with it when it comes to removing liquid stains. But any pet owner will definitely want to keep some of this stuff around.

Spot Shot Spray cleaner

Best for:  Old, dried-on stains.  Almost all the cleaners out there, including Spot Shot, recommend getting the cleaner down right away while the stain is fresh, but what if you are unable to do that?  Spot Shot is my, and will be your secret weapon.  One time one of my children had a minor accident in the house, and dripped blood all over the beige carpet. Obviously my first concern was getting the child to the emergency room, not cleaning up the carpets!  (She recovered completely and was and is fine and healthy).  

Once the crisis was over, I went back to deal with the carpeting, and I have to say I thought I was going to have to throw it out or hire professional specialty carpet cleaners.  But  Spot Shot took care of my two-day old blood stains, and I was sold!  I’m never without a can in my cleaning closet, and neither will you be after trying it.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a busy mom’s life easier…these inexpensive products have helped me, and I hope they help you too!

by Karen DeVenaro, See Jane Drill

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