A lot of us don’t even think about how dirty our carpets might get until it’s too late and they desperately need cleaning. If that’s you, then you might be wondering what you can do to get your carpet clean and free from stains. The good news is, it isn’t as hard as it seems so here’s some tips from the Carpet Team.
Why do you need to clean the carpet?
Our carpets can be home to pet hair, bacteria, debris, dirt and all sorts of carpet stains. This all builds up overtime. Vacuuming the carpet fibres will of course help, but sometimes carpets need a little more than that. Sometimes, to get a clean carpet, you have to do a proper deep clean.
How often should you do carpet cleaning?
As long as you’re vacuuming your carpet on a regular basis, you should be able to get away with only deep cleaning carpets once or twice a year. That is, of course, dependent on how much your carpets get used. For many people, that means it simply isn’t worth getting a carpet cleaning machine, as they can either deep clean their carpet themselves using the following deep clean process, or they can hire a professional carpet cleaner to do the deep cleaning for them which is often the case people want to avoid losing the deposit on an end of tenancy!
Step by step guide to carpet cleaning
When the time comes to deep clean your carpet fibres, here’s how to do it without using a carpet cleaner.
You will need:
- Vacuum cleaner
- Spray bottle
- Commercial carpet cleaning powder or carpet shampoo
- Table salt
- Shaving cream or spot cleaning solution
- Baking soda
- Distilled white vinegar
- Scrub brush
- Songe
- Cloth
- Towel
- Bucket
Step one: prepare the room
Before you can begin to deep clean your carpet, you’ll need to make sure that the room is prepared. This means clearing the room of toys, books, and moveable furniture. As much of the carpet needs to be accessible for carpet cleaning as possible.
Step two: vacuum the carpet
Time to remove as much debris (pet hair, crumbs, dust) as you can using a vacuum cleaner. Try to make sure you cover the entire carpet,this guide from The Sparkle Gang explains how to vacuum a carpet like a professional.
Step three: create a carpet stain solution
By mixing 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1/4 cup of vinegar in a spray bottle you can create a carpet cleaner that will work to treat carpet stains.
Step four: pretreat carpet stains
Using either a DIY carpet cleaner (as listed above, or shaving cream) or a commercial carpet cleaning solution, pretreat any stains on your carpet. Wait for 30 minutes to allow the treatment to soak in. Then blot it away.
You should then spray the spot with vinegar and wipe away any residue.
Step five: mix soap and water in a spray bottle
Create a cleaning solution by mixing 1/8 teaspoon of soap in a spray bottle with water.
Step six: sprinkle baking soda and salt
Cover the carpet in a mixture of baking soda and table salt for a deep clean.
Step seven: spray soapy water over the carpet
Using your DIY concoction of soap and water, spray the carpet and let it sit for a few minutes.
Step eight: use a stiff bristled brush
Brush the carpet with a stiff bristled brush. You should brush it all in one direction, and then all in another direction to get other angles. For a good deep clean, you should try to do the whole carpet and use as many directions as possible to ensure a clean carpet.
Step nine: press a towel into the carpet
To dry the carpet, press a towel into the carpet fibres to soak up any water. You may need to apply pressure for a reasonable amount of time for this.
Step ten: spray the carpet with clean water
Using a spray bottle full of clean water, spray the whole carpet again. This works like rinsing, and will help you to clean your carpet.
Step eleven: press a towel into the carpet again
With a fresh, dry towel, press into the carpet again to soak up the clean water. Once the excess moisture is gone you can leave the carpet to air dry completely.
Cleaning carpet stains with a carpet cleaner
If you do have a carpet cleaner, the process of cleaning your carpet may look a little different. Once the room is adequately prepared, you will need to fill your carpet cleaner with a reputable carpet shampoo or water and solution. Using the machine you can go up and down your carpet in lines, as you would with a vacuum cleaner. Once you’ve gone over it once, let the carpet dry.
Sometimes, after the drying process, the carpet might still look a bit dirty. If that’s the case, go in for a deep clean with your cleaning machine and do the same process again. You will then need to let your clean carpet air dry completely. To help this along, open windows and put fans on, as clean carpet can take a significant amount of time to try.
You’ll then need to dispose of the water in the carpet cleaner. If you use carpet shampoo, you will need to ensure you dispose of it carefully.
Cleaning carpet with a vacuum
There are some powder carpet cleaners that allow you to do a deep cleaning without having to use moisture. Simply vacuum your carpet, pretreat stains if necessary, and then sprinkle the powder on. Leave the powder for around 30 minutes and vacuum it up, and you’re done!
Steam cleaning carpets at home
To steam clean your carpet you will need a steam cleaner. It is generally not recommended if you’re deep cleaning, as steaming does not get very deep into the carpet. However, if you’d like to steam clean your carpet you simply need to follow the instructions on your steamer.