It seems that carpet stains are unavoidable. No matter how careful we are or how many times we remind our family members to try and keep the carpet clean, we still manage to get coffee, red wine, juice or food grease on it. When this happens, we get the urge to spot treat our carpet which usually may involve the use of a carpet cleaning foam.
Carpet cleaning foams seem like a good idea to quickly remove carpet stains. They’re easy to use – simply spray the foam onto the carpet, work the foam using a sponge or cloth, leave until it’s dry and then vacuum the treated area. But before you reach for that bottle, here are some things you should know about carpet cleaning foams:
Carpet cleaning foams can change the colour of the carpet. Once you have applied the foam, left it to dry and vacuumed the area, you may find that it has left a bleach-like effect on the spot which often cannot be reversed. While you may have succeeded in removing the stain, you may have taken the colour out too! This leaves you with an unsightly patch on your carpet.
Carpets tend to soil quicker and easier once you have sprayed something on the carpet and not extracted it, especially if it’s a chemical. Carpets are made of fine fibres that may be prone to weakness and breakage if not treated with the correct cleaning solutions and equipment.
Carpet cleaning foams can damage your vacuum cleaner. Once the foam dries, they become little powder particles that can block the filters of your vacuum almost immediately and cause the motor to overheat.
Do carpet cleaning foams actually work?
We’ve had feedback from many customers saying that in most cases, these cleaning foams don’t work in removing the stain and can also tend to trap more dirt and grease. Many agree that using household remedies can work better. In fact, in a product review conducted by choice.com.au on carpet cleaners, the top product with 80% effectiveness was a home solution made by mixing some products you already have in the kitchen.
Reading the fine print
If you still want to try carpet cleaning foam for DIY spot treatment, we recommend testing the product first. These cleaning products will always have some fine print on the bottle that says to test the product before using. Test the cleaning foam by spraying it on a small hidden area of your carpet. Allow the test patch to dry. If you see that the colour has been affected, do not use the product on the rest of the carpet.
Carpet cleaning alternatives
A safe way to spot clean your carpet is to use natural home remedies to remove carpet stains. For a list of what you can use, check out our blog article on 5 tips for cleaning spills on your carpet.
If you want to be confident that your carpet is cleaned thoroughly while keeping its appearance intact, you may want to book the services of a carpet cleaning company. Professional carpet cleaners use the proper equipment and cleaning agents to give your carpet a complete clean without damaging it. Call us on 0438 554 830 and let the experts handle your carpet cleaning needs.