How to Deep Clean Your Carpet at Home

Ever thought about the role played by carpets in our domestic surroundings? Well, apart from being just floor coverings, carpets are the foundation of our living spaces. They provide comfort and warmth while we walk around at home. However, things like daily traffic, pets walking around, and accidental spills can render your carpets dirty. Such incidents can also make your carpets lose their luster. Imagine the spills and smells emanating from your carpets, which can be quite horrific to think of. These things become too much to bear, don’t they? Well, that makes the knowledge to deep clean your carpet at home really important.

In this article, you will explore various methods and techniques to deep clean your carpet. You will also learn about various strategies to maintain proper cleanliness and hygiene of your carpets on a regular basis.

Table of Contents

Deep Clean Your Carpet in a Strategic Manner

There’s nothing that puts off your mood more than an unclean carpet at your home. At the same time, cleaning your carpet can be quite an uphill challenge. Then again, you have got to clean your carpet, isn’t that right?

Well, before you learn how to get your carpets cleaned at home, here’s a list of tools and equipment, along with the necessary materials you will require:

Tools/Equipment:

Soft-bristle brush
Vacuum cleaner (preferably a wet and dry vacuum with significant suction power)
Sponge or clean white cloth
Spray bottle

Materials:

Distilled white vinegar
Salt
Mild carpet shampoo/cleaner
Baking soda
Warm water

Instructions to Deep Clean Your Carpet

Like any other item in your home, carpets also require different levels of care. Regular cleaning will help you maintain the carpet’s appearance and remove surface dirt. Similarly, deep cleaning helps you remove stubborn stains and dirt deeply ingrained inside your carpet.

You can consider regular cleaning as a weekly skincare routine and deep cleaning as a monthly spa treatment. Both are extremely important for your carpet’s health and longevity. Now, you’ll learn how to effectively do both types of cleaning.

Regular Carpet Cleaning

Regular carpet cleaning is crucial to maintaining your rug’s aesthetics. It also helps you ensure it remains free from minor stains and dirt present at the surface level. Here’s how you can get your carpets cleaned on a regular basis:

Regular Vacuuming: You should vacuum your carpet at least on a weekly basis to get rid of dirt, dust, and pet hair. If you have pets or kids at home, you should vacuum your carpet frequently. Always use a high-performance vacuum cleaner that effectively picks up dirt from the surface.
Change Directions While Using Vacuum: During carpet vacuuming, change your directions occasionally to lift carpet fibers and ensure a thoroughly clean carpet,
Pay Attention to High-Traffic Areas: Areas like living rooms or hallways usually have increased foot traffic. This makes it important for you to focus more on these areas.
Act Fast on Stains: The faster you address a spill, the better. Blot the stain with a clean white cloth, which will absorb as much spill as possible. Also, avoid rubbing while blotting the stain.
Utilize Mild Cleaners: If your carpet has more stains, you can use a mixture of warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Dab this solution on the stain and blot using clean cloth for better results.
Rinse and Dry: After cleaning the carpet, press the stained area against something clean several times with a damp cloth to rinse out any soap residue. Afterwards, pat dries the carpet with a clean towel.

One thing you should keep in mind is that regular maintenance helps you avoid dirt buildup. It also makes deep cleaning sessions more effective and less frequent.

Tips to Deep Clean Your Carpet at Home

As every human being goes for a spa treatment, deep cleaning is the same for carpets. It goes deeper to eliminate the hidden dirt. Most importantly, it brings back the cozy feeling you want from your carpet. Here’s how you can get started:

Clean the Carpet with Distilled White Vinegar: White vinegar is known to be a versatile domestic item that can wonderfully work on your carpet. It has some natural cleaning properties that can deal with most stains and refresh the appearance of your carpet. Firstly, you should vacuum the carpet and check the spots on it. By vacuuming the carpet, you get to remove surface-level dirt. Pre-treat visible stains with a mixture of water and white vinegar in equal ratios. Then, let the mixture sit for a few minutes before proceeding further.
Mix Water with Vinegar: Mix a solution of distilled white vinegar and warm water in equal rations, as mentioned above, in a bucket. However, you should avoid using excessive amounts of vinegar as it can leave an emanating smell that will leave you irritated for a long time. Always conduct a patch test on a less focused area before using any solution on your carpet.
Apply the Solution on the Carpet: Dampen a sponge or white cloth with the vinegar solution and start blotting the carpet. Avoid oversaturating, as it may end up dampening the carpet instead of getting it wet. Afterwards, allow the solution to sit for 5-10 minutes. Use a dry, clean cloth to blot away the solution.
Let the Carpet Dry and Breathe: You can use a fan or open windows to expedite the drying process. For that, you should ensure the carpet is completely dry before walking on it.

How to Use Baking Soda and Salt While Cleaning Carpets?

Here’s a dynamic blend in the form of baking soda and salt. This combination can effectively deodorize your carpet while ensuring its cleanliness. Here’s how you can clean your carpet with this blend:

Pre-Clean and Address Stubborn Spots: Vacuum your carpet to remove the surface-level dirt on it. If there is any stubborn mark present on it, make a paste with baking soda and minimal water to apply on the stain.
Sprinkle and Spray the Solution: Sprinkle the baking soda and salt mixture at an even level on your carpet. Lightly spray some water onto the area. After that, scrub the carpet in a gentle manner with a soft-bristle brush.
Wipe the Carpet and Let it Dry: After scrubbing your carpet, wipe away any residue left over it with a clean cloth. Then, allow the carpet to dry completely. After getting it dry, vacuum the carpet to get rid of the remaining salt or baking soda.

This is how baking soda and salt work on your carpet, refurbishing it effectively and enhancing its lifespan further.

Things to Consider While Deep Cleaning Your Carpet

Before you embark on cleaning your carpet, you need to be aware of various things to avoid damaging the carpet. These aspects include:

The Type of Carpet and Its Fiber: It is extremely important to understand the difference between cleaning a wool carpet and a carpet made of synthetic nylon or triexta (a fiber partially made of corn sugar). Methods vary while cleaning different types of carpets. However, they can ensure the best outcomes without damaging the carpet’s core fabric.
Avoid Frequent Deep Cleaning of Your Carpet: Frequently cleaning your carpet deeply can reduce its lifespan. It will result in damage to the fibers. That’s why it is better to clean your carpet annually. However, you can also consider factors like spills, stains, or foot traffic while deciding on the intervals for deep cleaning your carpet.
Be Cautious While Using Colored Towels: When you wipe your carpet with a colored cloth, it may end up transferring its color to your carpet. Before using such a cloth, test it over an inconspicuous area before using it in a bigger area. Also, as previously mentioned, it is preferred to use a clean white cloth or paper towel, which will avoid the carpet getting discolored.
Refrain From Using Soapy Mixtures: Excessive amounts of soap in a carpet cleaning solution can end up doing more damage than you think. It will make your carpet attractive and trap more dirt after you finish up with the cleaning task.
Avoid Using Excessive Water: Excessive amounts of water in the carpet cleaning process can make your carpet wetter than required. It also increases the chances of potential growth. This is particularly essential for different types of carpets, such as wool. Such carpets can get easily damaged by carpets.
Consider the Water’s Temperature: It is important to have the water under a manageable temperature while mixing it with your cleaning solution. It is important because heat may end up damaging your carpet’s fabric.
Practice Caution While Using Cleaning Solutions: Strong chemical cleaners can end up discoloring your carpet if used too liberally. It can also damage particular types of carpets. That’s why you need to attempt a test patch over an unsuspecting area before applying the cleaners on your entire carpet.
Avoid Using Bleach: Using bleach and other general cleaning solutions without any supervision can result in significant damage to your carpets. It is important to have knowledge and guidance to use products that are specifically developed for carpets while cleaning your floors. You should also consider reading their instruction manual before using such cleaning solutions.
Avoid Rubbing or Scrubbing Too Hard: Scrubbing or rubbing your carpet too harshly can end up damaging its fibers, which further gets worn out over time. Be gentle with your carpets and blot from the outside to prevent the spread of stains over a wider area.

How Can You Ensure That Your Carpet is Protected and Maintained?

Apart from cleaning your carpet, you need to ensure it is properly protected and maintained. Carpet care and maintenance are essential to keep it useful for a long time. Here are some essential things you can do, as given below:

Place doormats at every entrance. These doormats will trap dirt and encourage visitors to scrape off any excess dirt to prevent it from being trapped inside your carpets.
Use area rugs and doormats in areas with heavy traffic. This will help you lower the wear and tear on your carpets and ensure zero presence of dirt on them.
Place pads and furniture coasters on heavy furniture to avoid indentations and damage to the carpet and its fibers.
Move furniture periodically to avoid uneven wear and tear on your carpets.
Refrain from exposing your carpets to direct sunlight as it may cause discoloration or fading.
Get your carpets cleaned by professionals once a year. It will ensure deep cleaning and revitalization of your carpets.

Key Considerations to Deep Clean Your Carpet

While cleaning your carpet, you need to ensure that the carpet doesn’t suffer due to any impact on any of your family members (pets and children). You should also consider any allergic impact on your loved ones during the carpet cleaning process.

If you’ve got pets, remove them from the cleaning area and use cleaning products that are easy to use around animals. Also, ensure that any cleaning product you use is non-toxic and safe for children in your household. Or else, you need to ensure that your children or pet have zero contact with the carpet until the product you use over it gets cleaned off.

Furthermore, if you have a family member with certain allergies or sensitivity, choose hypoallergenic carpet cleaning solutions.

To Summarize

Cleaning your carpets can be a humongous task, especially when you start deep cleaning them. However, you can use the above-mentioned tips, which will help you get your carpets cleaned and extend their lifespan in the best way possible. This way, you will be able to get your carpets cleaned deep inside and ensure their usability throughout the years to come.