A natural cowhide leather carpet is an elegant, beautiful, and expensive item to sport in your home. And, as beautiful as these rugs and carpets are, they undergo a lot of wear and tear throughout their lifetime.
The condition of your carpet is put at risk by small accidents that may occur throughout the day. These small spills will create unsightly stains on your leather rug or carpet that may prove difficult to remove if not addressed immediately.
To clean leather rugs and carpets, start by addressing the stains first. Regular stains can be removed with a 9:19 ratio of water and vinegar. Oil stains can be removed using saddle soap or eucalyptus oil. Use a leather-friendly cleaning solution to clean a leather rug or carpet after stains have been treated.
Guide to Clean Leather Rugs and Carpets?
There are different kinds of leather rugs and carpets. Typically, a leather rug is flat-woven or it may also be a shag rug. Then there’s the more luxurious kind. The hair-on-hide rugs. These types of rugs typically have more dimension and texture to them. They can be somewhat more challenging to clean as well.
Leather rugs and carpets offer a home elegance and sophistication, and simply lift the overall appearance of a living space. However, they are subjected to more wear and tear than other leather items in the home and, as such, require special attention. Leather rugs and carpets absorb impurities, dirt, and grime very quickly. Whatever you may have stepped in, whether that be water, dirt, mud, or dust, will eventually land on the surface of the rug or carpet and cause stains.
In addition, there are day-to-day risks of spills that will cause stains, such as coffee, tea, wine, beetroot juice, and other food items that may accidentally find their way onto your expensive carpet.
Cleaning a leather carpet or rug is typically a five-step process. You start by removing any impurities from the surface of the rug before spot-treating the stains. You then proceed to wash the entire carpet and allow it to air dry. And, finally, you condition (depending on the type of rug or carpet) your leather rug or carpet.
Leather is a porous material that quickly absorbs dirt and impurities. It is very durable but also very delicate. You should never use harsh chemicals to clean your carpet or rug. Always opt for a gentle, non-harmful cleaning solution. There are a few home remedies that work very well and there are also a few products designed specifically for leather care. But, most importantly, never put your leather rug or carpet in a washing machine.
Whenever possible, have a professional clean your rug or carpet for you.
Cleaning stains on a leather rug or carpet
Before you start to clean the stains on your leather carpet or rug, you’ll need to take it outside and give it a good shake to remove dirt particles and dust which may be caught on the surface of the rug or carpet. If the leather rug has hair on it, you can use a vacuum to remove any additional dirt particles from the rug. Use the soft bristle brush on the attachment of the vacuum and brush the vacuum in the direction of the hair.
In order to address the stains, you’ll first need to determine what type of stains they are. The type of stain will determine the cleaning method.
How to clean common spills on leather rugs and carpets
A common spill may imply a food item such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, urine, or vomit. These spills can quickly leave stains that are hard to remove if you don’t act quickly. Start by taking a dry towel and dabbing it onto the area where the spill is. Remove as much of the liquid using this method as you can.
You’ll need to apply a cleaning solution to the stain. You have two options here: saddle soap or you could make a cleaning solution with items in your kitchen. Some higher-quality saddle soaps can be wiped on and off the carpet or rug without the need for water. For the home remedy mixture, you can mix equal parts mild soap and water. Remember, the soap should be mild and gentle enough to use on leather. Baby soap usually works very well as it has a neutral PH balance.
Using a soft sponge or damp cloth, wipe the saddle soap or mixture onto the stain. If the carpet has hair on it, wipe in the direction of the hair. You should repeatedly keep rinsing the sponge or cloth in the water mixture to remove dirty soap residue. Continue the process until the stain is completely removed.
The next step is to balance the PH in the leather and remove any odors that may develop over time. Leather has natural oils that bind to water when it comes into contact with water. As the water evaporates when the leather dries, the water pulls the oils out of the leather, causing it to dry out.
A great solution to the PH balance and odor problem is a simple mixture of white vinegar and water. The water and vinegar should be mixed in a 9:19 ratio, or alternatively, 5% vinegar and 95% water. Use a damp cloth and gently wipe the carpet where the stain used to be. Use a dry lint-free cloth to dry the carpet as much as possible. The next step is to allow the carpet to dry. You can do this by air-drying the carpet in a clean dry area with sufficient ventilation. Do not hang the carpet in direct sunlight.
How to clean oil-based spills on leather rugs and carpets
In the event that you accidentally spill oil or oil-based products such as lipstick on the carpet, do not worry, there is a remedy for that as well. Start by removing any excess debris on the surface of the carpet. You can use a flat object such as a knife to pick up any debris, including lipstick, off the surface. Use a dry paper towel if there is still oil on the surface, and dab up as much of the oil as possible.
Using a dry cloth, dap a small amount of Eucalyptus oil on the visible stain. Allow it to sit on the stain for a minute or two before applying saddle soap with a damp fiber cloth. Wipe in the direction of the hair, if the rug or carpet has hair. Continue to clean out the soap residue before wiping the carpet again, until the stain is completely lifted and removed.
Use a dry lint-free cloth to wipe the carpet dry. You will still need to air-dry the carpet. You can do this by lifting the area that had the stain and the sides of the stain by placing a few books stacked on top of each other. This will create ventilation for the carpet or rug.
Cleaning dried stains on your leather carpet or rug
There are stains that are tougher to remove from a leather carpet or rug. Sometimes you don’t always catch the stain on time. It may happen while you are out or when you don’t immediately notice it.
It may also happen that a stain is left for a while, allowing it to become deeply embedded in the carpet. The best approach is to use saddle soap. Use a wet cloth and dab the saddle soap on the stain. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before wiping it off with a clean wet cloth. If this doesn’t do the trick, you may need to apply it again and use a soft bristle brush to gently stroke across the stain. Be very gentle and do not use a lot of pressure.
General carpet cleaning for leather rugs and carpets
Spot-treating your leather rug or carpet isn’t enough. You will need to give the rug or carpet a proper cleaning from time to time. The cleaning schedule will depend on how quickly the carpet or rug gets dirty.
You’ll need to invest in a high-quality leather rug or carpet cleaner.
After you have removed all the stains, you can use a damp cloth to apply the leather shampoo onto the rug or carpet. There’s no need for scrubbing or rubbing. Simply allow the shampoo to sit on the surface for a minute. Then, remove the shampoo with a clean damp cloth. And, finally, allow the rug or carpet to air dry. You may want to avoid putting it under direct sunlight. A room with good ventilation will suffice, provided that the carpet or rug is lifted to allow for airflow.
The hidden places to look for stains on leather carpets
When you remove a stain from a leather carpet or rug, the surface may appear clean. However, in some cases, you may have only removed the surface stain. Lift the rug and look underneath the rug, where the stain was, to make sure that you remove all of it. Sometimes, the stain sinks to the bottom of the rug or carpet and if you don’t check, it will be left there to dry.
If you have a very large carpet in your living space and you have furniture on top of the carpet, be sure to move the furniture out of the way. There may be hidden stains just out of sight, like animal urine.
If the leather is woven into a carpet, check between the spaces where the different parts of leather come together to find any small hidden stains that may be just out of sight.
Ultimately, prevention is better than cure. Incorporate a regular cleaning schedule for your leather rug or carpet to ensure that old stains don’t set and to remove any odor from the carpet as quickly as possible.
