This may be a controversial opinion, but vacuuming is one of my favourite household tasks. While emptying and cleaning the vacuum itself has less appeal, the actual hoovering delivers genuine satisfaction and serves as the perfect final touch to a newly organised room.
It’s a good thing I don’t mind the chore as it requires doing frequently — in truth, almost daily. The living room is one of the most heavily used areas in any home, meaning my cherished faux Persian rug from IKEA has withstood a lot of wear and tear throughout the years. I recently decided it had been long enough since I’d properly cleaned it, as opposed to merely running the vacuum over it and calling it done.
I thoroughly enjoy spending hours watching rug cleaning videos on social media, and I know I’m not alone in this. While my carpet wasn’t nearly as filthy as those shown in such clips, it certainly needed a good clean. So I opted to trial two popular carpet cleaning products to see which genuinely produced superior results – with surprising results.
Zoflora is one of my preferred cleaning brands, so I popped into my local Savers to see whether they carried any carpet cleaning items. Luckily I found the Carpet Fresh and Care Foam in the Mountain Air scent, which was priced at roughly £3.49.
As usual, I wanted to offer a fair comparison by trialling a natural option, so I picked up a trusty box of baking soda. This can be purchased from most supermarkets and usually costs approximately 65p.
I put two very different carpet cleaning products to the test (Image: Nicola Roy)
Cleaning my carpet with Zoflora
Firstly, let’s discuss the Zoflora carpet cleaning foam. I decided to trial this first as I was aware it would take less time than the baking soda approach, and I was keen to discover how well it would perform.
The method is simple – just spray a decent quantity from about 50cm distance from your carpet, then massage it in using a cloth or sponge, concentrating especially on any particularly grubby or marked areas.
The benefit of having a rug with a complex design and darker shades is that any spills are rarely noticeable. There were no substantial marks or blemishes on the rug, so I was merely aiming to give it something of a refresh.
Foaming carpet cleaners are so satisfying (Image: Nicola Roy)
The spray created a pleasingly thick foam, which I allowed to rest for around 10 minutes. The scent was nice and fresh, and sticking to the guidance, I took a cloth and rubbed the carpet vigorously to ensure the foam truly penetrated all of the fibres.
It looked fine afterwards, though it certainly still required hoovering, as all I had really accomplished was shifting the crumbs and hair about rather than properly removing them. The scent was unquestionably the highlight, and I expected it would remain for quite some time given how potent Zoflora disinfectant is.
Sadly, it faded fast, although after I’d vacuumed the carpet still looked refreshed. The label states there’s no requirement to vacuum following the application, but that certainly wasn’t what I experienced.
The baking soda hack was messier but worth it (Image: Nicola Roy)
Cleaning my carpet with baking soda
Next was the baking soda test. Having enjoyed nothing but positive results with numerous baking soda cleaning methods lately, I was keen to discover how well it would perform on my carpet.
The procedure couldn’t have been simpler. Just scatter some baking soda over the carpet and allow it to work its magic. I let it sit for approximately an hour, taking care not to walk on the carpet or leave baking soda footprints around the house.
It was slightly messier than the carpet foam, yet in the end, I discovered myself preferring this method.
Firstly, stating the obvious: baking soda costs less than a branded carpet-cleaning solution. Buy a large bag and you’ll never see it wasted, as it’s so handy for numerous cleaning jobs throughout the home.
It was also simpler to apply than the foam, despite requiring more time. After I’d let it rest on the carpet, I simply vacuumed it away – there was no requirement to scrub with a cloth as the Zoflora technique required.
Regarding the smell, it’s true that Zoflora had a more pleasant scent initially, but after around 30 minutes, that fresh smell had vanished, so I wouldn’t say it’s worth it. While baking soda may not actively soften carpet fibres as Zoflora suggests — something I didn’t particularly notice either way — it does serve as a highly efficient and safe way of neutralising unpleasant odours.
The vacuum left absolutely no trace of the baking soda behind, resulting in a spotless rug, and on that basis alone, this method is highly recommended.