Buying cream furnishing is a major risk for any household as it shows up stains and dirt fairly quickly, but I have cleaning hacks up my sleeve.
A friend had visited with her little dog in the evening for a catch-up, and I proceeded to give the pup an ice cube to help numb its teething gums.
Fast-forward to a couple of hours later, and I noticed a drool patch and water stain on the rug, presumably from the pooch, which meant I got to try out my cleaning hacks in real time.
The £150 rug from Wayfair had been ruined so quickly, I thought, but knowing the powerful cleaning effects of one natural ingredient, I knew I might as well give it a try.
Grabbing a bottle of white vinegar spray, I sprayed the natural solution onto the rug and let it stand for five minutes.
I then added some warm water and blotted the stain dry with a white towel; thinking the stain would be gone in the morning, I went to bed.
However, the next day, I was dismayed to see an even larger stain on the rug – what had I done wrong? Why was the stain (now larger) still there?
Repeating the process, but this time opening the window in the living room, I was relieved to see that the stain had completely lifted within a few hours.
It seems the rug required fresh air to dry well. Fearful of more stains to come in the next few months, such as tea and coffee, I wanted to prepare in advance.
Prolux Cleaning said tea and coffee stains require more power than vinegar, but that doesn’t mean that the solution won’t be a natural and affordable option.
The key is to mix vinegar with baking soda to make an effective stain-removing solution that is easy on the bank account and not harmful to the environment.
How to make the solution
First, mix a cup of warm water with four tablespoons of white vinegar into a bottle. Then add one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of washing powder into the bottle.
Mix the white vinegar, water, baking soda and dish soap solution together, then apply to the stain and let the solution sit for 30 minutes.
The stain can then be blotted away with a white cloth (or hand towel) and a hoover might be needed to pick up any remnants of dirt.
Do note that vinegar can have a musty smell, so you may want to open the windows when cleaning up any carpet or rug stains.
For me, I am so pleased the stain on my new rug has disappeared and am very happy with the vinegar and warm water cleaning hack.
Not only that, I had to open the window anyway to dry out the water and vinegar mix, and lighting a candle in my home is an everyday luxury I do, so my home smells lovely.
