Knowing how to clean your carpets effectively is essential for anyone who has carpets in their home.

Whether the carpet is throughout the house or only in bedrooms, keeping them clean will not only prolong their life but also keep your home free of accumulating dust, allergens, and mould. 

Keeping your carpets clean involves frequent vacuuming and periodic deeper cleanings. 

Carpets tend to take a lot of abuse daily. Be it from shoes, children, or pets to various spills, hence requiring constant care to remain in good shape, and enjoy longevity. 

Below are some actionable carpet cleaning steps and tips to help make the chore easier and more efficient.

How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?

Knowing how often to clean your carpets is crucial to prevent overcleaning and prolong their lifespan.

Wall-to-wall carpets and specific area rugs need vacuuming at least once a week to remove general dust buildup. However, if you have kids or are a pet parent, you should vacuum high traffic areas at least three times a week or as needed. 

Also, any kind of stains and spills should be treated and cleaned as soon as possible to avoid long term effects. 

Even as you do your best to vacuum your carpet as often as possible, it’s advisable to get professional carpet cleaning services at least once or twice a year to give your carpets a deep clean, reduce allergens, increase carpet longevity and give your home a bright and fresh feel. 

How To Go About Routine Carpet Cleaning

Remove the dirt and dust

Dirt and dust will make your carpet seem dull and even smelly. And if left there for long, they can wear out the carpet’s fibres and backing. 

Invest in a vacuum with a strong suction vacuum to remove dirt and dust as regularly as possible. If you don’t have a vacuum, consider using a broom or any other carpet sweeper. 

For best results:

• Move the furniture and any other thing from the carpet
• Adjust the vacuum settings to ensure you achieve the best suction
• Slowly vacuum your carpet, focusing more on high traffic areas, until you’re completely satisfied with the results.
• Get a lint roller and use it to clean up any excess pet hair or crumbs
• If you’re a pet parent, use a rubber-edged squeegee over your carpet to collect any excess hair

PRO TIP: During your monthly cleaning session, generously sprinkle some baking powder on the carpet, and let it sit for 1-2 hours or more, before vacuuming it. This will leave your carpet smelling fresh and looking so bright.

How to Spot Clean your Carpet for Stains

The best time to treat any type of carpet stain is as quickly as you notice it. 

For instance, if you notice a liquid spill, reach out to your paper towel or cloth, and blot the moisture away. Ensure the cloth is white or colour-fast to ensure you don’t get dye from your cloth into your carpets.

When dealing with solid stains such as mud or food droppings, avoid rubbing them and instead use something like a dull knife or any solid card to lift them away. 

Afterwards, use a mixture of vinegar, dish soap and water in a spray bottle to spray the area, let it soak for around 10 minutes before blotting with a dry clean towel. 

When and How Often Should You Get Professional Carpet Cleaning?

As mentioned earlier, it is recommended to hire a professional carpet cleaner for your home at least once or twice a year for a deep carpet cleaning.

However, you can always call on a professional carpet cleaner more often or whenever you find yourself dealing with stubborn stains and need help to remove them.

Also, any deep-seated dirt needs an expert to help remove it to ensure no damage is done to the carpet fibres.

Remember, carpet cleaning professionals use proper equipment and products for a thorough and high-quality job. 

How To Maintain a Clean Carpet After Professional Cleaning?

After you have invested in a professional carpet cleaning, you need to work on keeping it looking good and maintaining that high-quality cleaning. But how?

Directly after the carpet cleaning, ensure it’s completely dry before walking on it again. 

Avoid walking barefoot on it, especially after applying oils or moisturiser on your feet to avoid the oily residues from attracting dust and even looking dirty.

Ensure you clean stains and spills immediately by blotting. The longer they stay, the harder it would be to remove. 

Vacuum your carpet regularly, even when it appears clean to get rid of dirt and dust. 

Here are additional tips on maintaining clean carpets after a professional carpet cleaning.

It’s That Easy!

We hope the above tips and insights help you learn how to clean carpets. Feel free to get in touch with Myer Carpet Cleaning for any further advice or book a carpet cleaning or steam cleaning service.