The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Your Carpet

Did you know that unclean carpets can impact your home’s air quality? Cleaning your carpets properly can make your home smell good, improve carpet longevity, remove allergens, and more. This guide will help you learn the best way to clean your carpets.

How Often Do I Need to Clean My Carpets?

There are two answers to this question (and we have both).

For surface-level cleanings, such as vacuuming, you should aim for once or twice a week. This number will also be impacted by factors such as if your family has any allergies or if you have pets.

Luckily, professional carpet cleaning doesn’t need to happen nearly as often. It is recommended you have your carpet deep cleaned every 12 to 18 months.

Is There a Best Way to Clean Carpets?

Yes, the best way to keep your carpets clean is to vacuum regularly, spot-clean them following our instructions, and hire a professional carpet cleaning service about once a year.

When it comes to carpet cleaning, it’s that simple. Everyone knows that they need to vacuum, however, the best carpet cleaning methods involve a few extra steps beyond that.

Our Favorite Cleaning Tips

As we said before, thorough carpet cleaning isn’t as simple as vacuuming and calling it a day.

To help make it easier we’ve broken up our tips into a few sections so you can get the work done without breaking a sweat.

Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about a few constants through carpet cleaning.

Start with vacuuming. Your carpets are going to be filled with everything from dust and dirt to hair (human and pets). To give your deep cleaning a great starting spot, always vacuum. Be sure to adjust your settings based on your carpet type for the best results. A shag area rug will hold dirt and debris differently than a shorter piled carpet.
Test your cleaning methods. Modern carpets are designed to be “colorfast,” a fancy way of saying they won’t bleed their color. However, if you have older rugs and carpets or are trying out a new cleaning method, always test it in a hard-to-see or hidden spot. Try moving a chair or couch and testing your cleaning method in a spot that will be covered. Just remember, it will always be easier to stop a cleaning method than it will be to undo one.
Move your furniture first. Even if you’re just vacuuming, you should move your furniture to properly clean your entire floor.

Tips to Remove Carpet Stains

If your carpet is stained, and you don’t have the time to perform a full clean, you can just treat the stain. The most important factor in stain treatment is time. The longer a stain sets, the harder it will be to treat it. Using common ingredients many have in their home; you can put together your own stain remover. Mix 3 tbsp. dish soap, 1 tbsp. vinegar, and 2 cups water.

Apply the stain remover to a cloth and not the carpet. If you over-apply the solution it will sink through the carpet and increased wetness could foster mold growth down the road. Blot the carpet as rubbing can damage your carpet’s piling.
Use a different cloth with room-temperature water to wipe up the cleaner. You won’t want to leave any cleaner behind as it could discolor the carpet if it sits for too long.
Use a third cloth to soak up any remaining water. You can also put paper towels over the area, place a heavy object on top, and let it sit to make sure all the water is fully soaked up.

How to Clean Carpet Without a Machine

If you’re looking to do a deeper clean, renting a steam carpet cleaner is one way to make your carpets look new again. However, for a quicker, easier refresh without a machine, use baking soda.

Here’s how:

Vacuum the area thoroughly to remove all dirt, hair, and physical debris.
Spot clean any stains. If the stain treatment leaves the carpet damp, make sure to fully dry it before moving on to the next step.
Sprinkle baking soda, or you can use carpet cleaning powder. Make sure to spread evenly and completely. Now you wait. The powder needs to sit for at least half an hour, but the longer you let it sit the better. This can be done overnight or first thing in the morning before you leave for work. If you have pets, make sure you keep them out of the room by closing the door or blocking the doorway with chairs. Baking soda in large quantities can be toxic to dogs and cats if ingested.
Run your vacuum again to remove all traces of baking soda. The last step is to make sure that all baking soda is vacuumed up to avoid a grainy feel in your carpet or any accidental pet ingestion.

How to Deep Clean Your Carpets

For deep cleaning, the very first step is to budget time. If you’re using a rented steam cleaner or other similar method, your floors will be wet for a period of time, sometimes as long as 24 hours. Clean starting with the farthest point of your room and work towards the door. If you don’t, you could end up having to walk over your freshly cleaned carpets. Steam cleaning machines usually fuse steam with chemical products to clean your carpets, but you can use vinegar as a natural alternative.

Find Professional Home Cleaning Near Me

Once you’ve given your carpet a much-needed refresh, why not let us give the rest of your home a little TLC? From kitchens to bathrooms, our teams of cleaning experts are on hand to help keep your home fresh and clean.

Get the deep clean your home needs. Request a free estimate online or call (888) 658-0659 today. Satisfaction is guaranteed.