You can use all the carpet cleaning tips in the world, and guess what? You still probably can’t get your carpet as clean on your own as a professional carpet cleaner can. On the other hand, who needs perfection? The tips here will help you get that carpet clean enough.
Heat helps! Above 118 degrees fahrenheit, every 18 degrees higher changes chemical reactivity by 100%. Hot water extraction cleaning is done between 150 and 200 degrees. Is that too technical? The point is not only that hot water extraction, or “steam cleaning” is far superior to “dry cleaning,” but that if you do it yourself, use heat!
Actually, there are three inter-related factors at work when you clean carpet. Heat, Dwell Time, and Agitation. To some extent, if you can’t maximise one of them, you can make up for it with the others. In other words, if you can’t get the cleaning solution hot enough, let it “dwell” a bit longer in the carpet, and scrub harder.
Secret Carpet Cleaning Tips
Detergent attracts dirt. This is why it’s important to rinse out any cleaning solution thoroughly. This is another reason why hot water extraction gets carpet cleaner than the “dry” methods. The bottom line is that you need to rinse well when you clean carpet.
One way to clean stains is with the use of a shop-vac. No, you can’t just suck out the stain, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck out the solution each time. This is a more effective method than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won’t have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times using paper towels or cloth.
Another little secret of the carpet cleaners is putting rugs outside and inside the front door. They can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. This isn’t just about less vacuuming, though. Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. The damaged carpet stains more easily then, and it’s harder to remove the stains. An even better practice is to take off your shoes in the house.
Ready to clean? Vacuum first. Then, if you use one of those portable machines, at least get the water as hot as you can. Dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. You can at least lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings, by using these carpet cleaning tips.
Rugs in front of the doors def. help. My hubby has a bad habit of wearing his shoes on the carpet. It drives me crazy because it brings so much dirt in!
My husband and 3 sons are the worlds worst at tracking in mud! I keep 2 rugs on the porch and one inside the front door :/
I didn’t realize heat was so important when cleaning carpet. Thanks for the tips!
We have one of those Bissell hot water cleaners. Only problem is that our vacuum is horrible. I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet. My husband is very allergic and we have three animals!?
Thanks for the great tips! I have a bunch of throw rugs in the den and they get dirty quick when my husband comes in from work, and need cleaning!
With a 4 year old, it is difficult to keep carpet clean. We only have carpet in the bedrooms now. Great tips.
We have 3 cats. One of them is 17 years old and well, let’s just say his bladder isn’t as good as it used to be. Ugh. We have an older home and older carpets and definitely need to replace them but in the meantime cleaning them is routine. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
These are some really great tips. Thanks for sharing. I need to do some spring cleaning soon.
Great tips! Like a lot of the commenters we have animals and small children so keeping carpets clean feels like an uphill battle. These are great tips!
After winter, my carpets are always awful….so right now….you get the picture! I do have a steam cleaner and love it. It’s just a matter of actually doing it! I didn’t know detergent attracts dirt. Interesting!
Cleaning your carpet regularly is quite necessary to maintain the beauty of your carpet and increase the life of your carpet. Vacuuming is nowadays very popular way to keep carpet fresh and new.
I own a professional carpet cleaning business and think your tips are great! Professional cleaning is very much needed, but keeping your carpet clean in-between those visits are what everyone wants to know.
Another key I would like to add is to make sure you don’t saturate your carpet and with any cleaning, allow it to dry completely.