Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
How does one clean najasa (both visible and invisible) off carpets, mattresses, and other bulky objects that are difficult to wash completely?
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate,
It is not sufficient to sprinkle water in such a case. However, removing filth (najasa), whether wet or dry, from such objects is not very difficult, inshaAllah:
There are two stages:
1. Minimizing the filth.
It is best to minimize the filth (najasa) by wiping away its traces, using a moist cloth, for example.
2. Removing the filth
a) Determine the affected area.
b) Then, pour water over that area.
c) Soak up the water with a cloth, until the area is no longer dripping wet.
d) Do this three times, in total, soaking up with a non-filthy cloth (or side of a cloth) each time.
After this, the area has been rendered pure (tahir), as long as no trace of the filth remains.
[As discussed by Shurunbulali in Maraqi al-Falah, and Ibn Abidin in Radd al-Muhtar, and elsewhere]
Note that what some books mean by dried,’ as other texts (such as Ibn Abidin’s Radd al-Muhtar) explain is, no longer dripping.’
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani,
Amman, Jordan.