What Is the Best Way to Clean Carpets in Your Home?

Are you looking to clean the carpets in your home?

A clean carpet is not only important for the appearance of your home, but also for the health of the people who live in it. Allergens, dirt, and dust can cause respiratory problems, so staying on top of a regular cleaning schedule is very important. 

But, cleaning carpets can sometimes be tricky. To properly clean your carpet, you’re going to need to do more than just give it a once over with the vacuum cleaner. 

So, what is the best way to clean carpets?

Check out this guide to find out. 

Vacuum Often 

The key to keeping your carpet clean is to vacuum often. Carpets are like magnets for dust and dirt. And, dust and dirt act like sandpaper on carpet, slowly wearing it down more and more over time. 

In general, you’ll want to vacuum high traffic areas once per week. When vacuum, make sure you take your time and that you use overlapping strokes. In general, it’s best to vacuum your whole floor in a vertical direction and then do the same thing in a horizontal direction. This will help ensure that every part of the fiber has been reached.

Also, make sure you pick the right vacuum to get the job done. When choosing a vacuum, you want to worry less about price points and looks and more about functionality. 

For example, if you have a home filled with shedding pets, then you’ll want to make sure you choose a vacuum that has a hose attachment. 

Also, make sure you take proper care of your vacuum so that it can function properly. Empty the canister frequently, check for clogs in the hose, and change the filter when it starts turning gray. 

With proper care, your vacuum will easily last 5 to 10 years. 

How to Spot Clean Your Carpet

No matter how careful you are, accidents happen. And eventually, your carpet will be the victim of a spilled glass of wine, coffee, or some other staining liquid. 

When you spill something on your carpet, the best thing to do is to act as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the smaller your chances are of removing the stain. 

Here are some spot cleaning methods you should know about for removing stains:

Club Soda 

Blot the stain with club soda and a dry, clean cloth. If this doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, you can add vinegar to the club soda. The solution should consist of 2 parts baking soda, 1 part vinegar, and one part water. 

Spray the solution on the stained area and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Then, take a clean sponge and soak up the solution and the stain. 

Shaving Cream  

Chances are, you already have some shaving cream lying around your home. All you have to do is apply the shaving cream to the stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes. 

Then, blot it with a dry cloth to lift the stain. 

Hydrogen Peroxide 

There are few carpet stains out there that are as obvious as blood. 

Luckily, a small bloodstain doesn’t have to mean that your entire carpet is ruined. 

To remove a bloodstain, loosen up the carpet fibers with a mixture of water and mild detergent. Then, scrape off as much blood from the carpet as you can.

To remove the remainder of the bloodstain, apply hydrogen peroxide. Don’t be surprised when the solution foams, as this is normal. 

Blot the rest away with a dry cloth. 

Removing Gum 

When gum gets stuck in your carpet, you may be tempted to cut the fibers to remove the gum. However, you can easily remove gum without doing any harm to your carpet’s fibers. 

All you need to do is freeze the gum with a couple of ice cubes. Hold the cubes to the fibers for about 30 seconds. Then, once the gum is frozen, use a spoon to lift it from the carpet. 

Note: When removing stains from your carpet, it’s very important that you always blot stains, and never rub them. While blotting soaks up a stain, rubbing it can cause it to soak in even further.

How to Deep Clean Your Carpet 

Now that you know how to remove spots from your carpet, let’s take a look at how to deep clean your carpet. 

When it comes to deep cleaning, you can either steam your carpet or clean it manually. Here’s what you need to know about each method:

Steam Cleaning 

You can either rent or buy a steam cleaner from your local hardware store. 

Steam cleaning works by injecting a cleaning solution deep into the fibers of the carpet through water jet nozzles. The steam cleaning machine then extracts the solution as well as any other dirt and debris from the carpet. 

In general, you should steam clean once every 6 months. 

Manually Cleaning 

If you don’t have access to a steam cleaner, don’t worry, as you can also manually clean your carpet. 

To manually deep clean your carpet, you’ll need a bucket of warm water, a vacuum, and a cleaning tool (toothbrush, brush, or towel). 

Then, here’s what you need to do:

• Vacuum the area you wish to clean
• Sprinkle the area with baking soda
• Gently scrub at your carpet with a dish towel or toothbrush
• Turn on fans to allow your carpet to dry
• Once dry, vacuum the area again

If you don’t want to deal with deep cleaning your carpets on your own, you can hire the best carpet cleaning company to help you out. 

What Is the Best Way to Clean Carpets?: Are You Ready to Clean? 

Now that you have the answer to the question, “What is the best way to clean carpets?”, it’s time to start cleaning. 

After cleaning your carpets, be sure to check back in with our blog for more household cleaning tips and tricks.