The one mistake you're making when cleaning muddy footprints
With the weather being as wet and miserable as it is, mud is a common stain to find in the hallway. As we fight our way past the front door and shake out the umbrella behind us, we forget to check our shoes and inadvertently tread wet mud over our carpets and hard floors.
But before you reach for the carpet cleaner, or your vacuum, you should know that there’s a common mistake that people make when tackling this kind of stain. In fact, there’s several. Here’s what not to do.
1. Do not remove wet mud from carpet
As tempting as it is to remove the mud as soon as possible - don’t do it. If you’re dealing with wet mud on carpet, you will only embed the stain and spread it around, making it that much more difficult to remove.
For hard floors, it's generally better to remove the mud as soon as possible, particularly if it's a porous surface. Otherwise, the moisture can stain. If your hard floor is sealed, you can potentially wait for the mud to dry before you collect it (which would be easier), but it depends on how susceptible it is to moisture - and if you're willing to take the risk!
For carpet, all you need to do is wait for the mud to dry. It sounds frustrating, but it’s worth it. As soon as the mud has dried and turned into a solid, it will come away from the surface that much easier. The same rule goes for when you get mud on your clothes, you just wait for it to dry then brush it away. Just remember to watch no one treads in it while it dries!
2. Do not vacuum once dry
Your first instinct may be to reach for the vacuum, but you shouldn’t do this. The pressure and motion of the vacuum will press the dirt further into the carpet fibres. Even on your hard floors, if a stone gets trapped under the frame of the floor head, you could leave scratches behind as you drag it along, or you could ricochet the dirt across your floors in the process, making the task more time consuming.
Vacuuming up sharp stones isn’t going to be good news for your vacuum either. It could damage internal components and cause blockages.
It’s much safer and easier to sweep away dried dirt using a dustpan and brush. You only need minimal pressure and a light sweeping action to collect it.
3. Do not use a carpet cleaner (at first)
While chemical cleaners are effective for the toughest of stains, it’s generally overkill when it comes to muddy carpets. All you need is a few drops of washing up liquid combined with cool water. Dab this on your carpet (testing on a hidden spot first), then blot with damp paper towels to remove, repeating if necessary. Dab dry to speed up the drying process.
If there’s a stain which you just can’t shift, a proprietary carpet cleaner like Dr. Beckmann’s Carpet Stain Remover can help as a last resort. Or a spot cleaning machine can come to the rescue too.
4. Do not put your shoes back on until the soles are clean
It might sound like common sense, but it’s easily done. Don’t put your shoes back on indoors if the soles are still covered in mud (even if dried). You’ll just create another mess for yourself and go straight back to square one again.
If you need to store wet muddy shoes in the home, place them on a tray (newspaper can work just as well) near the door to remind yourself that they’re still muddy. A boot scraper such as JobSite’s Boot Scraper is ideal to have if you regularly deal with muddy foot ware.
Once the mud’s dry, you can knock the soles of the shoes together outside to dislodge it. Alternatively, you can clean them at home if they really need it. You can brush off any dried mud with an old toothbrush and then rinse them clean. If you need to clean the uppers, check out our guide on how to clean white trainers.
5. Do not walk around your home in your shoes
Likewise, you must avoid walking around your home while wearing your shoes, even if you think they’re pretty clean. Whether you need to quickly grab something you’ve forgotten, or switch off a final light, you should always take your shoes off first.
If you don’t, you’re treading dirt throughout your home, which will take its toll on your carpets and your hard floors. If a stone is embedded in your sole, you could easily scratch your hard floors as you walk around too.
Vileda Dust Pan & Brush Set
Ecover Camomile & Clementine Washing Up Liquid
Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover
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