I don’t often sing the praises of a cleaning product. However, I’d like to draw readership attention to the virtues of Vanish Gold Carpet Care – yes, the one in the pink and gold plastic bag with those advertisements that have been assaulting our eyeballs to oblivion, this past summer. For years, I had struggled to keep my living/bedroom/hall carpet clean using water and detergent – and with not undesirable results. However, the heat of the past summer dictated a more passive approach to cleaning.
The Vanish process is actually quite simple; vacuum all loose dirt from the carpet. Shake the Vanish dispensing bag and remove the underside tabs to reveal the perforations. Walk across the carpet, sprinkling the powder as evenly as possible. Take a brush and work the powder into the pile. At this point, pet and human hair will rise to the surface, but it is no bother to toss this gunk into a small bag as work progresses – and discard later. This “working in” takes the largest chunk of time, but it is still surprisingly quick, 20 minutes in my instance. Following this, it is a good idea to allow Vanish lie fallow for a little while, as long as it takes to read a magazine story or two and down a cup of coffee, perhaps?
Vacuum the treated areas carefully – and open a window or door to enable the high-octane scent to vanish (sic). It takes another hour or so for the carpet to “dry” completely, and for the five Vanish benefits to manifest fully: to rid the carpet of dirt, odours and pet hairs, and to soften the carpet fibres and to return them to their original freshness. On all counts, Vanish scores well – although the “pet” hairs in question were actually mine. And the carpet does indeed feel softer and look fresher. In short, my carpet is almost restored to its original, pure-wool glistening purity – be aware that mine is a pale, neutral shade – and that a few of the more ingrained patches of soil will require additional treatments. However….
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