Your carpet will ultimately become the victim of spills, drops, accidents, and whatever’s on the bottom of your shoes despite your best efforts at cleanliness. Follow these secrets to keep carpets looking new.

Don’t Rub Stains, Blot Them

With a clean cloth, cleaning solution, paper towels, or a sponge, dab stains. Blotting is the key. Particles tend to get into the carpet fibers while rubbing, and this can lead to the hasty breakdown of those fibers. Blotting can soak up the stain by putting a small amount of pressure on it. Blotting outward can spread the stain, so always blot from the outside of the stain inward.

Use Club Soda

To remove wine and beer stains club soda is effective. Pour the soda on a cloth and blot the area. Another technique is to use vinegar. Pour half cup white vinegar and half cup water into a handheld sprayer. Spray the solution on the stained area and let it sit on for at least 15 minutes. Then soak up the solution and the stain using a clean sponge.

Rinse the spot with warm water once the stain is gone. Finally, put white paper towels over the area and use something heavy like a book to weigh them down. The dampness from the carpet will be absorbed by the towels. Until the carpet is dry leave the towels in place.

Try Shaving Cream

For general stains shaving cream is the best carpet cleaner. You can remove all types of stains using it. Apply the shaving cream on the stain and leave it on for 30 minutes. Check if the shaving cream has set. Using a dry white cloth, blot it away. Using one part vinegar mixed with one part water, spray the area and then wipe away the solution with a cloth.

Freeze-Dried Gum

To clean the sticky mess on the carpet, use a couple of ice cubes. Using the ice cubes freeze the gum for about 30 seconds. When the gum is frozen solid, lift up the glob using a spoon.

Dishwasher Detergent v Grease

Use a drop or two of a grease-cutting dish washing detergent in a cup of water to remove difficult-to-clean grease stains. Just the way it cleans your dishes, it’ll cut through the grease in the carpet, too. However, you will have to use it multiple times for larger stains.

Heat Wax

Wax dripping dries quickly and gets embedded on the carpet. To remove it you have to heat it back up. To warm it place a white cloth over your iron, then put the iron on top of the wax. With a butter knife scrape off the wax. Then lay a paper towel over the surface area and iron on the paper. The wax will melt and binds to the paper, and it will be gone after a few more applications.

However, you risk burning the carpet if you use the iron this way for more than 30 seconds. Since colored ones can transfer the color onto the carpet when heated up, be sure to use a white cloth and white towels.

Deep clean regularly

Steam cleaning the carpet regularly will keep it fresh. The embedded soil will loosen when the water penetrates the fiber all the way down to the backing. This will also remove grease and oil deposits. A family of four should get their carpets deep cleaned at least every six months.