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?
Answer:
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.