Bonfire Night – Cleaning Mud from Carpets

Bonfire night is a time for friends and family to celebrate the quelling of the notorious gunpowder plot and many of us will enjoy some spectacular fireworks. Of course, most of this means preparation work outdoors and we can always expect the chance of wetter conditions on any November night. With this comes the risk of bringing mud into the home, so here’s what you need to do to get muddy footprints cleaned out of your carpet.

Forget everything you thought you knew about stain removal for this one as you’ll want the mud to dry before attempting to remove it. With other spillages you’ll want to have them removed before they soak in to the fibres. Cleaning wet mud will only make the carpet dirtier, so by allowing the mud to dry you are preventing the stain from getting any larger.

You can speed up the drying process by putting a portable fan over the muddy area. Once the drying process is complete, remove the mud with a vacuum cleaner using the hose attachment. Don’t rush this because then you’ll know you’ve picked up as much dirt as possible.

Even after vacuuming there’s a chance that some of the fibres will still have bits of dirt stuck to them. You’ll need to scrape away as much as you can using a spoon or dust pan and brush. Do your best not to cause any lasting damage to the carpet. Continue scraping until all the dirt has been removed.