Steps for Effective and Efficient Carpet Cleaning

Carpets are a welcome addition to any home as it makes the environment cozier and comfortable, adds color, texture, and warmth. Carpets have a number of advantages as flooring material, but spills and daily traffic can make them really dirty. Here are a few steps to help you with your carpet cleaning needs:

Prepare for the Clean

Before you begin cleaning the carpet you have to make sure that you remove all the breakables, items from the tables and other furniture. All small items such as boxes, magazines, shoes, etc. should also be removed in the areas that are to be cleaned. Keep your pets and children away from the area while cleaning the carpet.

Test for Colorfastness

Before applying any cleaner on your carpet you would want to make sure that your carpet does not bleed, fade, or change its color. The colorfastness of your carpet will determine the cleaning method or cleaning products you will choose. You should test your carpet’s colorfastness beforehand using the following steps:

• First find a carpet scrap or an inconspicuous spot, such as carpet inside a closet. Vacuum the carpet.
• Dampen a cloth with the cleaner or stain remover you will use.
• Lay the cloth on the carpet for an hour, and then blot the damp area with a dry white cloth.
• If the cloth is stained with carpet’s color, test another cleaning product until you find one that does not make the carpet sample bleed the color.

Thorough Vacuum

Up to 75% of the dirt in carpets can be simply removed by thorough vacuuming. It is important to remove this dry dirt before any wet cleaning process as it would make the latter more difficult. Vacuuming will also remove any small objects that are in your carpet.

Carpet Cleaning System

You might want to rent or buy a carpet cleaning system to make your life easier. It can be a very good investment especially if you have light colored carpets. There are two types of carpet cleaners:

• Water Extraction Method – Water extraction units, also known as steam cleaners, work by injecting a solution into the carpet pile, and then pulling the dirty solution back into the machine. When using a steam cleaner make sure that you do not get the carpets overly wet. Over-wetting can damage the carpet, cause discoloration, and shrinkage.
• Dry Extraction Method – Other systems use dry extraction. First a dry absorbent compound is spread all over the carpet and then vacuumed with the cleaning machine. Dry extraction machines work better but they are more expensive and the extraction solutions are also expensive.

Hire a Carpet Cleaning Service Carpet cleaning can be a hectic task and if you want to save yourself the trouble you should hire a professional carpet cleaning service. Professionals will have much more powerful equipment than you are likely to buy or rent, and they will promise the removal of the stains.