The annual clean is upon us. As the weather warms up and flowers begin to bloom, we turn our attention to our homes with spring cleaning, ticking off all the cleaning jobs and tasks we need to accomplish to ensure our homes are ready to welcome in this fresh season. And while that to-do list may at certain points feel never-ending, I venture a pretty confident guess there’s still one job you keep missing – the impacts of which are pretty damn gross.
No matter how diligent we’re being, the odd jobs or dusty corners always somehow manage to get missed – but this one? This one is right under our noses – or, more accurately, right under our feet. So whether it’s out of sheer forgetfulness or the mistaken belief that certain tasks are a time-consuming pain suitable for procrastinating, I’m here to say it’s time. Here’s the one spring-cleaning job everyone misses, why it matters and the 99p trick to getting it right.
What is the forgotten job?
I’m of course referring to our carpets and rugs. This may sound like nonsense, especially as vacuuming is often on our weekly to-do lists. But what I’m referring to lies more beneath the surface, literally.
How often have you cleaned your carpet or rug – not just vacuumed but actually given the fibres themselves a clean? I’m guessing not often. And that’s not to say I’m shaming anyone’s carpet-cleaning habits. I understand that it may seem like a laborious task that requires expensive machinery and hours of cleaning time. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t have to). But I’m here to say why this forgotten job is so important and deserves a proper place on the spring-cleaning chore chart.
Vacuuming gets rid of the debris lying on the surface but doesn’t come close to disinfecting or removing all the dirt, germs and bacteria that accumulate over time. Similarly carpets and rugs are great at holding on to all sorts of allergens, too, such as pollen and embedded pet dander. And let’s not forget about possible odours that may have built up since last year, yuck!
Plus, the actual appearance of your carpet or rug is significantly improved by an actual clean, helping to remove stains, spots and general discolouring. Cleaning your carpet is also the secret to its longevity, helping fibres stay softer and more plush for longer.
So while vacuuming regularly is commendable (or in my books, essential), so is a proper clean, and the spring clean is the best time to do it. So let’s make sure to not forget it this year, shall we?
The 99p trick
While professional cleaners and carpet cleaner appliances are amazing at getting a truly deep and thorough clean, we here at GH firmly believe that the answer to your cleaning woes need not always involve loosening the purse strings.
In fact, when it comes to cleaning your carpet, all you need is this age-old hack, something your grandmothers most likely used that’s still perfectly good today. It takes next to no time to do and costs next to nothing. All you need is bicarb.
Bicarbonate of soda is often a great go-to miracle cleaning product. It’s a natural highly alkaline crystalline salt, and it’s those alkaline properties that neutralise molecules in grease stains. While it’s far more gentle than chemical cleaning products, making it ideal for cleaning old or delicate products, it’s still abrasive enough to fight dirt and delve deeper beneath the surface without damaging delicate surfaces.
To try the trick, start with a good vacuuming. For this spring-cleaning task, make sure you’re also addressing your carpets or rugs that are underneath large furniture. Even if it’s out of sight, it still needs cleaning, too. Once satisfied, the next part is the fun bit, sprinkle bicarb all over the carpet. You’ll want a nice, even coating over the desired area, whether this be the whole thing or a stained spot, so you may find using a sieve will help get the coverage just right.
Now let it sit, for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better, but results should start working after this time. For particularly tough stains or smells, you may wish to try overnight, perhaps the night before your annual spring clean. Once your chosen time is up, use a dustpan and brush to sweep away the majority of the excess powder – this also helps make sure the treatment really gets into the fibres. This will ensure you don’t overwhelm your vacuum with powder, as the next step is to vacuum up the remaining remnants.
While this trick won’t necessarily disinfect your carpet – for that you’ll need more heavy-duty chemicals or equipment – it’ll banish musty or foul odours, brighten appearance, treat stains and help loosen any tricky dirt or debris lying beneath the surface.
GHI Approved Best Vax Carpet Cleaners
Score: 93/100
The winning Vax carpet cleaner is easy to manoeuvre, comfortable to hold and features motion sensor technology, so it applies the detergent and vacuums automatically in motion. The 'SpinScrub' hand tool is particularly useful for stubborn stains.
Score: 88/100
This Vax carpet cleaner is easy to use and copes well with fresh stains. The performance was strong across all our carpet tests, and we found the 'Deep Clean' setting particularly useful for a thorough wash.
Score: 85/100
The sheer size and depth of the brush head makes this carpet cleaner ideal for those with larger homes. With an impressive tank capacity of 4.7 litres, it will also cover a wide space before needing to be emptied, and on test we found that it successfully removed all traces of dirt from both carpet and upholstery.
