Back to School Carpet Cleaning Tips
As kids are headed back to school, with that, comes extracurricular activities, sporting events, conferences, and more! This means that already busy parents, just got busier. It also means that you may be seeing a little additional grime coming into the home. Here are some back to school carpet cleaning tips to help your carpet adjust to the new schedule.
Remove Those Shoes
If you haven’t already, now is the time to enact a “no shoes in the house” policy. Kids will be running around on the playground or walking on asphalt all day. If shoes aren’t removed, oil, tar, dust, and debris will likely come into the home with their shoes. It is best if you can have a bucket or shoe rack at the door so that minimal dirt is tracked into the home.
If you know your no shoes on the carpet rule will not be observed, make sure you use area rugs or runners to cover high-traffic carpet areas. This small effort will protect your carpeting, keep the kids moving, and prevent you from being upset about footprints on the carpet fibers. If someone wears shoes in the house, be sure to spot treat any high traffic areas.
Don’t Forget The Backpacks
Like shoes, backpacks also harbor dirt and grime. Have a designated place for your child to place their backpack when they get home. Take a look at the bottom of the bag! If a child places their backpack on the ground, dirt may stick to the bottom of the bag and makes its way to the carpet if the bag is not cleaned prior to entering the home. Therefore, always check the bottom of the backpack for any major dirt or grime.
Check The Lunch Pails
Lunch pails are another secret carpet destroyer. Though it would be nice if all uneaten items were thrown away prior to returning home, that is not always the case. If a drink or other item spilled in the bag and the lunch pail is not properly secured, the liquid can make its way to your carpet. Therefore, always double check to make sure lunch pails are not leaking before bringing them inside.
Snack In The Kitchen
We get it – your kids come home from school and they want to chill in front of the TV before homework time. And that relaxation time usually comes with a snack. If you can contain eating to the kitchen, your carpet will remain that much cleaner.
Be Careful With School Supplies
Be proactive about your rules of what school supplies are allowed on the carpeting (e.g., no glue or markers). Did you know you can remove crayon from carpet with your iron? Because you’ll be using an iron on the carpet, you want to make sure that your carpet fibers won’t melt when coming into contact with the heat.
Gently test the iron (on a low setting) on an inconspicuous area of the carpet.
Place a clean white cloth over the crayon stain, then gently press the pointed end of the iron (on a low heat setting) into the stain itself; this causes the crayon to transfer away from the carpet and onto the cloth instead.
If you still see some crayon on your carpet after completing Steps 1 and 2, you can blot at the area with a cleaning solution.
Have Cleaning Supplies At The Ready
When your carpet gets dirty footprints on it – and you know it will – have cleaning supplies handy so you can blot, rinse, vacuum, and otherwise to deal with the stain, spot, or soil. One of the best ways to keep a carpet from absorbing stains is to deal with them immediately (or at least as soon as possible).
You may have good intentions about rules when it comes to carpeting, but you’re a busy parent. Even you can get lazy about following your own rules, which makes it harder to enforce them on the kids. To get yourself motivated about keeping your floor coverings clean throughout the fall, schedule a carpet cleaning. When your carpeting is freshly clean to start the school year, everyone is off on a new foot, and it will be easier to establish good habits for the school year and beyond.
Why not start the school year off fresh by getting your carpets cleaned by us? Give us a call (319) 382-9815, today!
