How to Clean White Carpets at Home

Modern and minimalistic styles give a fresh look to your rooms. When it comes to white carpets, keeping them pristine clean is critical to keeping your home stylish.

The charm of your pearly white rugs is irresistible, but maintaining their colour and shine is challenging. However, if you know the correct steps and methods for maintenance, it will be quite easy.

This guide will help you understand how to clean a white carpet at home, from basic stains to important maintenance tips, so read on!

Preparations

Did your beautiful rugs turn into an ugly shade of yellow? Here are some preparatory steps to help you know how to regain its white colour.

Vacuuming

The smallest of specks will be more noticeable on a white carpet than on a dark one. This is why you should vacuum them regularly.

You’ll need to vacuum white carpets at least once per week. If these pieces are placed in high-traffic areas though, you should consider increasing this frequency to twice or three times weekly.

Removing Furniture

You should remove furniture and vacuum underneath it. Some items will be too heavy to move, but there’s no need to exert a lot of effort into hauling these pieces outside of your room.

Use tin foil to cover the floor underneath them. You can also place clean sheets over them to keep dust particles from falling over your fine upholstery.

If your cleaning solution contains a bleaching agent, remember not to skip on protecting your furniture, especially if they have a dark colour.

Spot Testing

Not all cleaning treatments will work for all carpets. If you want to know how to clean a white carpet by hand, a spot test is the best course of action.

Start your spot testing by choosing a hidden area with low traffic. Our recommendation is to test spots that are close to skirting boards or under furniture.

Prepare a piece of cloth or paper towels, and pour some of the cleaning solution over it. What you can do next is blot your area of choice with the solution gently. 

If the colour of the carpet changes, or if you spot any damage to the treated area, consider changing the solution you’re using with another.

Basic Cleaning Methods

The following methods will relay how to clean a white carpet without a machine or any special equipment.

DIY Carpet Cleaning Solutions

Solutions with bleaching ingredients are critical for the cleaning process. Think of ingredients such as vinegar or baking soda to incorporate into your DIY techniques. Lemon juice is also a great option.  

To clean white carpets with vinegar, simply add equal amounts of it and warm water to a spray bottle, and mist the mixture over your white carpet.

The next step is to add dish soap to a cup of water and spray it over the discoloured area. Then, apply the mixture into the stain.

It’s possible to use pure lemon juice and water to benefit from the lemon’s bleaching properties as well. To use it, blot the spot with a dry cloth first, and then use the juice to work out any remaining stains.

Finally, baking soda and vinegar can work as a bleaching shampoo. You can use this mixture by sprinkling the baking soda powder over the rug, and then pour a spoonful of vinegar until the mixture creates foam.

Cleaning Procedure

Here are a couple of easy steps explaining how to clean a white carpet by hand:

1. Use a white cloth or a paper towel to blot liquid stains or use a spoon to remove rigid stains.
2. Add warm water to your white carpet and prepare a detergent that is designed specifically for white clothes or carpets.
3. You can skip the previous step if you’re using a DIY solution.
4. Apply the detergent to your cloth of choice.
5. Gently dab the carpet. For visible stains, don’t scrub to avoid spreading the particles further.
6. Blot the carpet again with another cloth to remove the excess solution.

When you don’t have the necessary tools available, you can call in a professional carpet cleaner to take care of it for you. 

Rinsing and Drying

One easy way to rinse white carpets is by running clean water through them multiple times. The downside of this method is that your carpet will require more time to fully dry. 

Adding commercial carpet rinse aids in accelerating the drying process though.

Alternatively, you can use a carpet cleaning machine, which can rinse your carpet efficiently and won’t leave it extremely wet compared to the previous method.

Note that this is also how you can clean white wool carpets. However, wool is extremely porous, meaning it’ll absorb and seal water quite easily. 

To make your wool carpets dry faster, make use of tools like dehumidifiers or fans to dry your rugs in a shorter period.

Stain Removal Techniques

How to clean white carpet stains is a multi-answer question, as this depends on the type of stain you’re looking at. Here is an overview of different stains and how to handle them.

Common Stains

Food stains are damaging and easy to spot on your beautiful white rugs, which is why you need effective stain removal methods against them.

For juice stains, you can use club soda. Coffee spots, on the other hand, require a mixture of two parts hydrogen peroxide and one part dish soap.

If you have pets and your rugs are prone to pet accidents, an enzymatic cleaner is superb in eliminating such stains and odours.

On the other hand, ink stains are difficult to clean. They will sometimes require a professional cleaner to handle them. However, there are some home ingredients like hair spray and alcohol that will mitigate some of the damage.

Specialised Products

Not all commercial products work against different types of stains, let alone work on white fibres.

Common water-based spillage from tea, coffee, or juice leaves obvious marks on your white pieces but are easy to remove with a mild detergent.

Discolourations caused by greasy food, make-up, or oil-based solutions are trickier and require detergents designed specifically for grease. Alternatively, you can use dishwashing liquid to combat the stain.

Some protein-based damage caused by vomit or blood requires enzyme-based detergents to get rid of the colour and odour efficiently. If not available, try applying a mixture of cold water and salt directly to the affected area.

As for ink or dye-based stains, consider using a combination of mild detergent, cold water, and a commercial detergent manufactured for dye stains.

Stain Removal Procedure

Common stains must be treated by blotting the area, dabbing the stain with a detergent or a cleaning solution, and then rinsing. Finally, leave the area to fully dry.

For oily spots, consider using an absorbent material like talcum powder or cornstarch. Brush the powder away after leaving it for a couple of minutes. You can then follow the steps mentioned above.

If you want to know how to clean a white carpet without a machine, especially one with a protein-based stain, start by rinsing the area with cold water. Add the enzyme-based detergent directly to the spot next. 

Apply cold water again to the spot and leave it to soak for 30 minutes before rubbing it gently. Avoid using hot water on these stains, as it’ll help the odour and colour to set in the fabric.

For stains containing dyes, you’ll need to implement different steps. Start with blotting until you absorb as much ink as possible. Rinse the area with cold water and apply a mild detergent to the area. After that, rinse again with cold water.

Leave the spot to dry and avoid using heat as it’ll help the remaining dye to set in. You can apply a commercial stain remover designated for dyes to the area, and follow the same steps.

Deep Cleaning Techniques

Here is how to get a white carpet clean using the best deep cleaning techniques:

Steam Cleaning

These handy machines produce highly heated water that removes allergens and dirt from the bottom layers of carpets. In addition, the high-temperature water and cleaning solutions eliminate most fungi and mould.

Start by using the steam cleaner across your white carpet, and ensure that you do not pass by the same areas twice. 

Once the cleaner’s tank is full of brown water, throw it away before filling it again. Repeat this process until the water in the tank is clear.

Carpet Shampooing

This is yet another ideal solution to remove deeply embedded stains and dirt. It’s also the easiest and fastest method you can use to bring your white rugs back to its original state.

There are two options. Either use a carpet shampooer or spray a mixture of water and shampoo solution over your white pieces. The next step is to simply vacuum the shampoo away.

Conclusion About How to Clean White Carpets at Home

White carpets are a prudent part of any minimalistic look. So, keeping them pristine and as clean as the day you first bought them is extremely important.

Ensure that you follow the correct methods of basic and deep cleaning mentioned above to avoid causing any irreparable damage to your beautiful pieces. When in doubt, try researching the best products and homemade cleaners for optimal results.