The Ultimate Guide To Deep Cleaning Your Carpets
Carpets add warmth and comfort to your home, but they also absorb a lot of dirt, debris, and allergens. Regular vacuuming is essential for maintenance, but deep cleaning is necessary to extend the life of your carpet and ensure it looks its best.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about deep cleaning your carpets, from the reasons why it’s important to the different methods you can use, and tips for keeping your carpets fresh between deep cleans.
Why Deep Clean Your Carpets?
- Allergen Reduction: Carpets can trap allergens like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites, which can exacerbate allergies and respiratory issues. Deep cleaning helps remove these allergens, improving indoor air quality.
- Stain Removal: Accidental spills and stains can be superficially cleaned, but deeper stains need thorough cleaning to avoid permanent damage.
- Odour Elimination: Over time, carpets can start to smell due to absorbed odours from pets, spills, and general wear. Deep cleaning neutralizes these odours, leaving your carpet smelling fresh.
- Extends Carpet Life: Regular deep cleaning prevents the build up of gritty particles that can wear down carpet fibres, thereby extending your carpet’s life.
Pre-Clean Preparation
- Clear the Area: Move furniture and other items off the carpet to ensure every inch gets cleaned.
- Vacuum Thoroughly: Vacuuming your carpet before a deep clean removes surface dirt and debris, making the cleaning process more effective.
- Treat Stains: Pre-treat any visible stains with a carpet stain remover. This will make it easier to clean these areas later.
Choose Your Deep Cleaning Method
There are several methods you can use to deep clean your carpet, each with its own advantages:
1. Hot Water Extraction (Steam Cleaning)
- Procedure: This method involves injecting hot water and detergent into the carpet under high pressure and then immediately extracting it along with dislodged and dissolved dirt.
- Best For: General deep cleaning and removing deep-seated dirt and allergens.
- Frequency: Once every 12 to 18 months.
2. Dry Cleaning
- Procedure: Dry cleaning involves the use of specialized machines that use very low moisture systems or dry compounds.
- Best For: Areas that need a quick clean with minimal drying time.
- Frequency: As needed, based on the foot traffic and location.
3. Bonnet Cleaning
- Procedure: This method uses a motorized machine with a spinning pad that has been dipped in cleaning solution to absorb dirt from the carpet surface.
- Best For: Light surface cleaning; not recommended for deep cleaning as it mainly cleans the top part of the carpet.
4. Shampooing
- Procedure: Shampooing involves applying a foamy chemical and scrubbing it into the carpet with a brush machine. The residue and dirt are then vacuumed up.
- Best For: Heavily soiled carpets that need a vigorous cleaning.
- Frequency: Occasionally, as overuse can leave residues that may attract more dirt.
5. By Hand
- Procedure: Cleaning carpets by hand is a manual method that involves scrubbing the carpet with a brush and a suitable cleaning solution. Start by vacuuming thoroughly, then mix a carpet cleaning solution according to the manufacturer’s recommendations or use a homemade mixture of mild detergent and water. Apply the solution to the carpet with a brush, scrubbing gently to work it into the fibres without damaging them. After scrubbing, blot the excess moisture with clean towels and rinse the carpet with clean water if necessary.
- Best For: Small areas, delicate carpets, or spots where more attention to detail is required. It’s also a useful method for people who prefer not to use mechanical devices or for those cleaning older, more fragile carpets.
- Frequency: This method can be used as needed, especially for spot cleaning or when dealing with sensitive materials that might not withstand heavier equipment.
DIY Deep Cleaning Tips
If you prefer to deep clean your carpets yourself, here are some tips:
- Choose the Right Cleaner: Rent or buy a high-quality carpet cleaner that suits the type of carpet you have.
- Follow Instructions: Use the cleaning solution recommended for your machine, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid over-wetting the carpet.
- Test First: Always test the cleaning solution on a small, inconspicuous area of the carpet to ensure it doesn’t cause discoloration.
Post-Cleaning Care
- Allow to Dry Completely: Ensure your carpet is completely dry before replacing furniture to prevent mould and mildew growth.
- Ventilation: Open windows and use fans to speed up the drying process.
- Regular Maintenance: Vacuum at least once a week, and promptly treat stains to keep your carpet in the best condition.
Conclusion
Time To Replace Your Flooring?
There’s only so much a deep clean can do. If you’re suddenly learning about this 10 years into owning a carpet then it might be best to have a fresh start and replace your old flooring. 10 years is the usual full lifespan of carpet flooring, so there’s no shame in putting new carpets in your home.
Did you know that Easipay Carpets has Pay Weekly Flooring Plans that suit anyone’s home and budget? We can say this for certain because we have a huge selection over a range of flooring types, and you can pick any you want for as little as £10 per week! We don’t charge interest and we don’t do credit checks. We do however fit free underlay with any carpets or laminate flooring, as well as carpet grippers and trim for under doors!
Just enquire with the button below and we’ll set you up with a free home visit and quote!
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About The Author
Matt
Matt is a master at gathering relevant information and rolling it into a ball of digestibility. Fuelled by caffeine and metal bands, you'll usually find him in the office either writing blog posts with verification from our most experienced flooring fitters, creating new ad designs, working on our social media and website or finding ways to improve our customer's whole experience with us. Matt is part of the background force that keeps the Pay Weekly side of Easipay Carpets growing.
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