Category Archives: Area Rug Cleaning

Area Rug Cleaning in NJ

Carpet Cleaning New Jersey.

Specializing in Cleaning, Area Rugs, Oriental Rugs, Persian Carpets and all things Rugs throughout!

Aladdin Oriental Rug Cleaning, we utilize different rug cleaning processes for each and every rug we clean and care for. We specialize in cleaning modern and antique rugs for residential and commercial accounts, rug dealers and commercial importers.

Cranberry Sauce Stains

Published November 18, 2017 By Aladdin

One of Thanksgiving’s classic dishes is cranberry sauce – the perfect tart complement to turkey or savory vegetable dishes, rife with all the fresh savor of Autumn. However, despite its magnificent deliciousness, cranberry sauce is a notorious carpet stainer, perhaps only rivaled by the dastardly beet. Here’s Aladdin’s guide for carpet cranberry sauce stain removal, so you can remain calm, confident, and really enjoy your family get together this Thanksgiving.

First, scoop up the majority of the sauce with a knife, being careful not to press it down into the carpet fibers (if it’s the more solid, gelatinous kind or has whole cranberries,) then blot the area with a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb as much of it as possible. Then wet a small towel with water, and continue blotting away.
Cranberry sauce produces a stain due to it’s tannins – these stains can be removed easily with detergent and hot water.
Don’t use natural soap for this, as natural soap make tannins harder to remove from carpets. Make sure, if you’re using bleach, that you use color safe bleach.
If the stains don’t come off, repeat the above steps. Just don’t use heat to dry it, as it will set the stain in.
If the Cranberry sauce isn’t 100% natural and has food coloring, use an oxygen based color safe bleach like OXO Brite-in or OxiClean according to package directions. Dip a clean rag into the solution and work from the outside edge of the stain inwards in order to prevent spreading it around. Don’t’ get it too wet. Let the solution stay on the stain for at least a half an hour before blotting it up.
Use a clean white rag to blot away any moisture, but don’t rinse it. Oxygen bleach usually turns into water within a couple hours – simply let it air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. Then vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.
It’s essential to remember not to get the fabric of the carpet too wet with the cleaning solution as it can cause mildew.
If none of these steps work, contact a licensed carpet professional, like those at Aladdin!

Carpets vs Area Rugs

Published March 21, 2017 By Aladdin

Carpet and area rugs have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Here’s the experts at Aladdin’s guide as to the differences between the two, so you can better decide what works for your household or business.

Advantages of Carpets

Carpets are one the most commonly used type of flooring inside homes. They go through phases of popularity, but have remained used for years and years. Homes with wall to wall carpets create a sense of comfort and total stylistic unity, offering the advantages of:

Softening both the appearance of a room, and sound
Being very comfortable for bare feet, which is great in cold months
Affordability
Cheap cleaning
A soft cushion to walk on, sit on, or fall on – important if you have toddlers
It insulates your home, which can help reduce your energy bill.

Disadvantages of carpets

However, carpets have these disadvantages:

It can be hard to clean the wall adjacent edges of carpets
Carpets can wear within a few years, leading to the need to replace the entire carpet
Carpets require specialty installation
Carpets can contribute towards allergies and asthma as if improperly cleaned they can hold dust or mites

Advantages of Area Rugs

Many other homeowners love their area rugs. Some of the reasoning behind this passion is:

Rugs often come in bolder designs and colors
Rugs offer versatility and the ability to be switched from different rooms
Rugs are easier to clean, either yourself or by a professional cleaner
They are perfect for anybody renting an apartment, as you can take it with you when you move, and they also muffle your footsteps, decreasing potential annoyance for downstairs neighbors
They are generally less expensive than wall to wall carpets
THey can be utilized easier in a broader design scheme as a pop of color
They can be conversation pieces
They don’t require specialty installation

Disadvantages of area rugs

Some of the potential drawbacks of area rugs are:

If not set down properly they can easily slide – but this can be remedied with the use of a rug pad.
They can be tripped over if a corner is sticking up – which can be remedied with double sided tape on top of a rug pad.
They only cover part of the floor – but that’s also part of their appeal! Can you tell we favor area rugs over carpets? Don’t blame us, this is our passion!

Carpet Cleaning Myths

Published February 23, 2017 By Aladdin

There’s tons of false information being spread about carpet cleaning, just the same as in in any other industry. However, it’s important to have accurate information if you want to make sure that your rugs and carpets are taken care of as well as they truly deserve. By understanding the common myths about carpets or rugs, you can make sure that they are truly taken care of.

Myth Number One

Amateur Carpet Cleaning Works

Home carpet shampooing machines purport to be able to clean carpets just as well as a carpet or rug cleaning professional, but the truth is that they do not. These machines create unwanted levels of moisture inside carpets and rugs – and if this moisture does not get fully dried, even just a little bit, it can lead to fungus and mold growing throughout the entire carpet. Carpet manufacturers recommend getting your carpet or rug cleaned by a professional using water extraction equipment only available on an industry level. Next time you need your carpet cleaned, trust the experts at Aladdin.

Myth Number Two

If my carpet doesn’t appear dirty, it doesn’t need a professional cleaning.

Don’t ever wait till your carpet appears extremely dirty before having it cleaned. That approach actually incurs damage to carpets and rugs because the longer that dirt remains inside the carpet, the higher the chances it will rip the delicate carpet fibers. Don’t wait to clean the carpets or rugs, as dust can also affect the health of your family members or anyone inside your home. Some experts estimate that just a foot of the average carpet or rug can hold over a pound of allergens, dirt, dust, and other particulates – which are especially hard to spot when your carpeting is tan or brown.

Myth Number Three

Carpet Protectors prevent all Stains or Spills from Causing Damage

Carpet protectors don’t really protect your carpets or rugs as well as they are known for. Scotch guards or any other protecting material that’s placed around or over carpets/rugs only provide a small amount of protection. Stains can still damage carpets or rugs when carpet protectors are placed down – however they simply won’t soak into the rug as quickly as they would without one in place. All stains even on rugs or carpets with protective materials should be handled as soon as possible by dabbing them up with paper towels, and then dabbing a mixture of white vinegar and water to blot out the stain from the carpet.

Rug Cleaning for the Holidays

Published December 23, 2016 By Aladdin

The holiday season is a special and cherished time of year where almost everybody is trying to shop and prepare for some form of family or friends social gathering. It is also known as a time of stress for rug or carpet owners who are forced to deal with disastrous spills after amazing and festive events. There’s no reason to fret, however, if you’re fearful of spilling up some upturned Glog. Here’s some tips on how to clean off any sort of festivity caused spills from your rugs.

Never Rub

Act right away when stains occur. The longer amount of time that a stain can set into the rug, the more likely it is to stay permanently. Right when a spill occurs, blot all the spilled liquid form the carpet or rug with a cloth or highly absorbent paper towel, in order to prevent the liquid from going deeper into the rug’s fibers.

Spray Bottles

If a stain has already dried, use a spray bottle to spray a small amount of water on it – don’t directly pour water on it however. Don’t just refill a bottle that used to contain other liquids or chemicals, and make sure the bottle is clean before you use it – and if it used to contain any other form of liquid but it’s the only one on hand, rinse it thoroughly before using it.

Don’t utilize chemicals

The ideal approach is to clean off the stain with just water – you don’t want to use any strong or hard detergents to get rid of the stain, as they themselves can stain, fade, or otherwise damage your rug or carpet.

Hand wash

Don’t use machines to wash your rugs. Machines utilize steam, commercial detergents, or heavy agitation, and they can deplete the dyes and oils out of any sort of fabric or wool inside the rug. Don’t ever wash a handmade rug in a washing machine. Simply spray water on it and blot as many times as it works. If it’s still not working, contact an expert like those at Aladdin.

Last Resort: Hydrogen Peroxide

If all other approaches don’t work, use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide on top of the stain area and let it stay on top of the stain for at least an hour. This should remove the stain without changing the color of the rug’s fibers. If this doesn’t work, we recommend you contact the professionals at Aladdin – they have the experience necessary to remove any stain known to mankind.

When to know to clean your rug

Published December 8, 2016 By Aladdin

Some people think that when rugs need to be cleaned they can just beat them against a hard railing to get rid of all the dust. However this isn’t the best approach because it doesn’t provide the most thorough clean. Most fine rugs are made of wool. Wool not only acts as a warm surface, but also as a filter for removing dampness, dust, and bacteria from the air. In many ways, a wool rug or carpet acts as an air filter. Unfortunately, that makes them susceptible to becoming quite dirty over time – so dirty that a simple beating won’t work at all to clean it.

How to know it’s dirty enough to warrant a cleaning

If you want to check how dirty your rug is and if it needs a professional clean, pick up a corner of the rug and kick it’s underside.. If dust and wool fiber fly out don’t worry, that’s normal. But if a massive cloud flies out – it’s probably time to get your rug professionally cleaned. Another cleanliness test can be conducted by rubbing the rug’s fabric f or 10 to 15 seconds, and if your hand comes off dirty, it certainly needs a clean.

Cleaning Methods

The best way to clean is by placing a rug in a utility room or area where you don’t mind getting dirty. A somewhat clean outdoor area is the best. First, vacuum both sides of the rug. Then shampoo the rug with cool water and soap – the best kind is a rug shampoo. Never use ammonia or a harsh detergent. Always test the shampoo against any color run in a small area of the rug first. Then use a soft long hair brush or a firm sponge that doesn’t shed. Brush or rub it against the rug in the direction of the weave when it’s fully covered in soapy water. Wash fringes as well, and always brush them away from the rug. Then rinse off the rug with water – you can use a window squeegee to get out all the excess water – but always do so in the direction of the weave. Lay out the rug flat to dry, and once the exposed side feels fully dry, flip it over to allow the other side to dry. If the rug is way too stiff, brush it gently or vacuum it lightly. If the stain still remains, take it to a professional rug cleaner.

Getting rid of Oil Stains

Published October 11, 2016 By Aladdin

You can remove any type of oil stain from carpets with this technique. Before starting these steps, gently blot a cloth or paper towel on the stain, taking care not to embed the oil deeper into the carpet- blot fromt he outside of the perimeter of the stain in.

Corn Starch or Baking Soda

Cover the stain with cornstarch or baking soda powder. They will soak up all moisture including oil.

Rub baking soda or cornstarch into carpeting – with just the right amount of pressure to make the powder penetrate into the carpet. If you’re dealing with a large stain use a large brush, and a toothbrush for smaller ones.

Allow the powder to set in

Leave it for at least 15 minutes – longer is fine, and then use a vacuum cleaner to suck it out of your carpet.

Drip liquid detergent onto the stained area

Rub it into the carpet with a small brush and put a tiny amount of warm water over the stain area and immediately blot it up with a cloth or sponge – there will be soap suds. Do this until the carpet is dry.

Let the Carpet dry outside

Check to see if the stain is still there, and if it is, repeat the whole process again. If it doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Rubbing Alcohol

Place rubbing alcohol on a cloth and dab it onto the stain – the alcohol will ideally dissolve the oil. Once it’s dried, rinse the whole stain with oil, and then blot the oil up. If this doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Dry Cleaning Solvent

Place dry cleaning solvent on a cloth or paper towel and test it on a small hidden area of your carpet. If the test doesn’t leave a mark, blot the stain with it, moving from the outside of the perimeter in to avoid spreading the stain around. Let the stain dry, and see if the oil stain is still there after some time. If it is, repeat the process again a few times until the stain has disappeared. If this still hasn’t worked, contact a carpet cleaning professional.

Common Carpet Cleaning Mistakes

Published September 17, 2016 By Aladdin

Here’s how to avoid making the most common carpet cleaning mistakes – spot cleaning carpets is something that every carpet owner has to do once in awhile. Whether your pet had an accident, or you spilled a glass of red wine, your carpet can sustain quite a proverbial barrage of stains. There’s a great combination of methods that you can use to remove the most common kinds of stains and spills (all of which you can find on our blog) but there’s also tactics that should NEVER EVER be used while you’re cleaning your carpets.

Check out the below tips to learn what any carpet or rug owner should NEVER EVER attempt while trying to get rid of a stain.

Colored Towels

Never use a colored towel to dab or soak up a stain! If you’re using a towel or rag that has color, you are risking the chance of the color bleeding or soaking down onto the carpet fibers – this is a phenomenon called color transfer. Never use a red or dark blue rag on a light colored carpet – this will no doubt stain it seriously – if you want to avoid causing color transfer, use a white cotton towel or white paper towels to do all the dabbing or soaking up that you need to do.

Over the Counter Carpet Cleaners

For the most part, avoid using any products advertised as Carpet Cleaner, whether it’s foam, cleansing liquid, or spray. These products often leave a hard to remove residue inside your carpet which, over time, attracts a bunch of dust and soil, leaving you with a gross brown spot inside an area that once looked clean. These soaps are tailor made to attract soil and dirt, and then get washed away with water – when over the counter cleaners are used, you won’t be able to properly wash away the soap, so it stays on your carpet fibers and continues to attract soil, causing a stain that you can’t remove.

Rubbing

Only blot stains on rugs – never use a rubbing motion to attempt their removal. This is one of the most common carpet or rug cleaning mistakes, since most people simply don’t believe that it really causes damage. Scrubbing stains on carpets simply just spread the stain around, creating a much larger and more diffused mess. Remember to blot the stain – don’t rub it. If you need more pressure when you’re blotting, stand on the blotting material pressing it down – this will help move the spill or stain to the towel you’re cleaning it up with.

Toughest Stains to Remove

Published September 1, 2016 By Aladdin

Many carpet owners understand that the severity of stains vary based on what kind of liquid caused the stain to start with. While dirt and mud can pose one problem, red wine or oil can be a whole different nightmare. Some kinds of stains can be removed with relative ease, while some other kinds of stains require quite a bit more effort, as well as some specialized cleaning tactics. Then there’s the worst kinds of stains – that really do require intervention from a carpet and rug cleaning professional. In this blog entry, I’ll review the 5 worst possible carpet stains – and how to deal with them.

Red Wine Stains

Even if red wine has been proven to contribute to heart health, it certainly won’t help your heart when your carpet becomes immersed in the red liquid. We recommend blotting up fresh wine spills to remove as much liquid as possible, and then using a clean cloth to dab away the stain with a cleaning solution made of a tablespoon of hand safe dishwashing liquid, a tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Make sure to sponge off the carpet with water after using the solution to avoid making it smell like vinegar. If this stain is proving extremely tough, use a mixture of one part handwashing liquid, two parts hydrogen peroxide, and extreme elbow grease – just make sure to test it on a small area of the carpet first to make sure it doesn’t damage or bleach it – and always make sure to wipe it off with a slightly wet cloth after using it.

Pet Related Stains

If your pet follows the call of nature on your carpet or rug, soak up as much of the liquid with newspaper or towels as soon as possible, wash it with cold water, and let it dry. We recommend using a store-bought cleaner or odor neutralizer – however, some stains might require a bit more effort. Don’t use any stain removal tools that add any heat to the carpet, as heat will set the stain in place. If this strategy doesn’t work initially, then re wet the carpet, and spray it with an enzyme cleaner (you can find these at many pet stores) directly on the stain. Let the cleaner soak in overnight, then soak it all up with paper towels. If none of these work, consider using a wet vac.

Blood

We recommend dabbing blood stains with a solution made of two cups of cold water and a tablespoon of hand dishwashing soap. If this doesn’t work, dampen it with a teeny amount of hydrogen peroxide – of course, making sure that it doesn’t stain or bleach your carpet or rug. Leave the hydrogen peroxide on the stain for up to an hour, and dab at it with a cloth – try repeating this as many times as you can. If hydrogen peroxide doesn’t lift up the stain, contact a professional cleaner – the sooner you deal with a blood stain, the better, as it’s much easier to remove before it dries and sets in.

Long Lasting Stains

If you have a stain that’s remained on a carpet or rug since before you can remember, make sure to enlist the efforts of hydrogen peroxide based cleaning products – and if this doesn’t work, a professional wet vac cleaning service. We can’t promise that even these strategies will work on stains that have long established their home on carpets or rugs, but we can say that in these situations, hiring a professional cleaner is the best bet. The only other alternative is to place furniture on top of the stain to hide it.

Bleach

This is the worst possible stain. Put protective rubber gloves on, soak up the bleach stain with a cloth, and then use the cold water and dishwashing liquid solution to dab the stain up from the outside. Bleach will lighten the color of your carpet, so it needs to be diluted, removed, and soaked up as soon as possible if you want to avoid any long lasting damage. So if you see bleach spill on your carpet or rug, spring into action as soon as possible – otherwise, prepare to get used to an oddly colored blotch that you can always cover up with furniture.

How to remove blood from carpet

Published August 3, 2016 By Aladdin

Accidents around the home happen. It’s just a fact of life. If you scratch yourself while cleaning, or your dog accidentally scratches it’s paw, you might leave a bright red trail of blood across the rug. In case this happens, it’s imperative that you act immediately! If you follow the steps that I detail in this blog entry – as soon as possible – your carpet (regardless of it’s material of pile type) will find itself fresh and clean, good as new. Additionally, there’s another very effective method that works fantastically on dried blood stains.

Removing Fresh Blood from Carpets

First Step

The first thing to do, as soon as you notice a stain, is to blot the area with an absorbent paper towel to absorb and remove any excess blood that hasn’t soaked into it. Make sure to BLOT – not to scrub or rub – as doing those things will only spread the stain and make it worse.

Second Step

Place a few drops of mild liquid dish detergent into a bowl or bucket with a few cups of cold water. Make sure to use as cold water as possible, as hot water will only set the stain into the fibers of the carpet, making the discoloration almost impossible to get rid of. Make sure to be somewhat careful and discerning regarding the amount of drops of dish detergent that you mix in! Any soap that remains after cleaning will just attract more dirt, and the blood stain will become a dark spot.

Third Step

Make a white rag or cloth wet with the home-made cleaning solution, and gently use a sponge to apply it to the top of the stain – again NOT rubbing or scrubbing it. Keep wetting the cloth and blotting the stain until all the blood comes up from the carpet. You might need to repeat this step a few times depending on the size or depth of the stain.

Fourth Step

Using a dry section of absorbent cloth or paper towels, blot up all the water from the carpet to allow it to dry as much and as fast as possible. If the stain covers a large area, aiming a fan into the room to circulate the air faster, or using a hair dryer on it’s cool setting could help hasten the drying process. By quickly drying the area, you will reduce any of the chances that blood that got deeply set within the carpet’s pile will come back up and become visible after the surface stain was removed.

Removing Dry Blood Stains from Carpets

Immediately take a stiff, bristly brush to the stained area and brush it firmly to help crumble the stain up, and then vacuum all the remaining particles up. Then, move to the Second Step of the tips for removing fresh stains from carpets detailed above.