Carpets add a glimpse of timeless beauty to your home. However, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, they often endure a lot, from muddy footprints to unsightly stains, compelling you to prioritize cleaning them above anything else.
Cleaning and maintaining the sheen of your carpet requires proper cleaning techniques. However, with so much false information freely available on the internet, one is bound to follow and employ the wrong cleaning practices, resulting in significant carpet damage.
Hence, to prevent your carpet from becoming a victim of such a mishap, we have brought this comprehensive blog for you, where you’ll discover certain dos and don’ts of DIY carpet cleaning so that you can clean your carpet like a trained pro and protect it for years that exceed your expectations.
Do’s Of DIY Carpet Cleaning
Vacuum Once Every Week
It is generally seen that most homeowners consider vacuuming their carpets once a month, or worse, once every two months, unaware of the threat fibers face due to this inadequate frequency. Dirt, dust, and other contaminants are abrasive particles that are renowned when it comes to brittle fibers.
To allow them to lurk beneath the carpet for days or months is like letting the fibers deteriorate way faster. So make sure to vacuum the carpet more often than you do. In simple words, at least twice a week.
Ensure Thorough Vacuuming
Vacuuming can help you clean the carpet but doesn’t necessarily guarantee complete allergen removal, as some pollutants like dust mites, pollen, or pet dander, at times, cling beneath the fibers too firmly to remove at once.
Therefore, try taking multiple passes from different directions while vacuuming the carpet (at least 2-3 times) to increase the likelihood of capturing these trapped particles to their core and ensuring a healthy, allergen-free atmosphere prevails in your home.
Tackle The Stains ASAP
Spills are one of the most common carpet-related problems, occurring in almost every home. But the good thing is that spills don’t pose a threat to your carpet if only they are not allowed to sit for hours.
Allowing the stains to sit for extended periods narrows down your chance to tackle them completely later, as the more you delay, the more they permeate beneath the fibers, only to discolor a tiny patch of your carpet. Henceforth, ensure tackling the stains as early as you can before they turn into a permanent burden.
Pre-treat The Stains
Tackling the stains becomes much easier when they’ve been pre-treated prior. Pre-treatment of the stains (despite not being given enough heed by several homeowners) helps break down the stain-causing molecules in the first place, helping you tackle them completely later.
However, before using the pre-treatment solutions, make sure to read the care label carefully and apply them correctly, as they, just like commercial-grade solutions, come in various types and have differing procedures to apply.
Employ The Right Cleaning Tools
Always invest in safe-to-use tools when cleaning the carpet. Appropriate tools lessen the risk of damaging your carpet, as using the wrong ones can lead to ultimate deterioration.
Let’s take an example of plastic knives. Use plastic knives to scrape solid stains from the carpet (like candles or dried chocolate) instead of steel knives, as they are much harder and sharper, which can lead to accidental cuts or tears in carpet fibers. This can cause lasting damage to the carpet, compromising its appearance and durability.
Some other examples include steel wool, an extremely abrasive tool that severely damages the fibers, leaving permanent scratches and tears, or hard-bristle brushes that can fray and distort carpet fibers, resulting in an uneven appearance and potential weakening of the carpet’s structure.
Allow The Carpet To Dry Thoroughly
Once the carpet has been cleaned, try avoiding as much foot traffic on it as you can. This is because carpets typically take at least 6-7 hours to dry completely. Walking on a damp carpet can grind dirt, dust, and other impurities deeper into the fibers or leave unsightly foot marks.
Don’ts Of DIY Carpet Cleaning
Never Use A Substandard Vacuum Cleaner
Regular carpet vacuuming is crucial, but so is the use of a high-quality vacuum cleaner. Poor or substandard vacuum cleaners, obviously, are not an investment worth sacrificing your time and efforts to clean the carpets, as they can yield little-to-no results, leading to disappointments in the end.
Avoid Scrubbing The Stains At All Costs
It’s natural to believe that the harder you scrub a stain, the better your chances of removing it. However, this is not true. Scrubbing can actually cause the fibers to brittle, discolor, or distort, let alone clean the stain.
So, instead of scrubbing, employ gentle blotting techniques. Blotting is one of the most effective ways to soak up and remove stains without damaging the fibers.
Refrain From Using Harsh Chemicals
‘Stronger solutions tend to eliminate stains to their core’. This is what you might possibly think, but unbeknownst to you, in reality, this doesn’t actually work that way.
Stronger or harsher solutions can break down the fibers over time or may leave behind residues that can attract dirt, making your cleaning efforts go all in vain. A classic example is bleach, known for its discoloration properties, yet considered by several homeowners a solution worth a choice to use. But that is something you must avoid.
In addition to deteriorating fibers, harsh chemicals irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, especially for those with allergies or asthma. Fumes from these cleaners can linger in the air, posing a continued health risk.
Make Sure Not To Over-Wet The Carpet
Even the best cleaning chemicals, when used frequently, can be harmful to your carpets. That logic also applies to water. Water is necessary for stain removal, but too much water might ruin your carpets.
Too much water application lengthens the drying period, increasing the risk of moisturization and eventually paving the way for mold growth or fiber shrinkage. Therefore, to prevent carpet shrinkage or any risk of fungal growth, use an appropriate amount of water.
Don’t Vacuum The Carpet After Steam Cleaning
Each carpet cleaning method requires a varied length of time, in terms of drying phase. In general, after steam cleaning, the carpet needs at least 6 hours to properly dry before it can be used again.
However, in the long for instant results after steam cleaning, homemakers usually end up vacuuming the carpet hastily, forgetting that this is generally discouraged. Steam cleaning leaves carpets damp, therefore vacuuming a wet carpet may be useless.
The most simple reason is that a vacuum is designed for dry debris, not for removing water. Vacuuming a damp carpet can cause water to enter the vacuum’s electrical components, leading to malfunctions, damage, or even safety risks like electrical shocks.
Moreover, wet carpet fibers are more fragile and can be easily stretched or damaged by a vacuum’s mechanical action, leading to permanent damage to the carpet’s pile or texture.
Wrapping Words!
Carpets are the unsung heroes of our home, helping improve the overall appeal of our space. But bearing the brunt of constant foot traffic, spills, and dirt accumulation on a daily basis, it often turns dank and gives your home a creepy look, ultimately compelling to clean it.
Cleaning the carpet the right way doesn’t necessarily require experience or professional training, as all you need to know is certain Dos and Don’ts of DIY carpet cleaning and obtain the results you want.
Author Bio
Bhavin Kundalia is a Computer Science Engineer; Currently working at a Branding Marketing Agency as a Content Marketing Strategist. A passionate writer, blogger, and content marketer. He primarily focuses on writing blogs on digital marketing and carpet cleaning niches. He enjoys going on long bike rides in his free time.
