Home Cleaning Tips

7 Helpful Carpet Cleaning Tips

Did you know that cleaning experts recommend cleaning your carpets once every six months? Did you know that, if you have a pet, you ought to increase the frequency to once every 4-6 weeks?

When was the last time you cleaned your carpets? Do you even know how to clean them?

If it’s been a while, or if you’re new to the world of carpet cleaning, keep reading. Listed below are 7 carpet cleaning tips from the pros. They will help you make sure your carpets always look as good as new.

Importance of Regular Carpet Cleaning

Before we dive into our carpet cleaning guide, let’s touch on why regular carpet cleaning is so important. Here are some of the most noteworthy benefits you and your family can enjoy when you make it a priority:

Get Rid of Mites and Bacteria

Regular cleaning prevents pests like carpet mites from setting up shop in your home.

What are carpet mites? Also known as dust mites or straw itch mites, they’re tiny bugs that crawl around in your carpet and damage the fibers over time.

Cleaning also helps to prevent bacteria buildup. Think about how much dirt and grime gets tracked into your home each day. If you’re not cleaning regularly, that also creates a lot of opportunities for bacteria to grow and accumulate.

Improve Air Quality

If you have carpet mites crawling around and bacteria building up in the carpets, that’s going to cause some air quality problems over time, isn’t it?

Concentrations of pollutants indoors can be 2-5 times higher than they are outdoors. Because Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors, it makes sense that you ought to try and keep the air inside your house as clean as possible.

Reduce Health Risks

When you improve indoor air quality, you can also reduce both you and your family’s risk of developing certain health problems. For example, you can minimize or prevent asthma and allergy symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and sneezing.

Extend Carpet Lifespan

Keeping your carpet clean helps to extend its lifespan, too. Who wants to spend a ton of money on carpet repairs or replacements? If you make cleaning a priority, you won’t have to worry about this (or budget for it).

Improve Carpet Appearance

Last, but not least, don’t forget the carpet cleaning helps you to improve and maintain the appearance of your carpets. Dirty, dingy carpets can break down the whole look and feel of your home. By cleaning them regularly, you can ensure that the house always looks (and smells) fresh and inviting.

Top 7 Easy Carpet Cleaning Tips

Now, let’s talk about how to clean your carpet. Here are our top 7 tips you can start implementing today:

1. Vacuum Often

No, vacuuming is not the same as carpet cleaning. However, it should still be an important part of your cleaning regimen.

Vacuuming picks up dirt, dust, pet hair, carpet mites, and other potential pollutants. It also freshens up and fluffs your carpet so that it always looks nice and is free from mats and other signs of wear and tear.

2. Address Spills Immediately

If you spill something on the carpet, or if one of your kids spills something, address that spill immediately. The longer you wait, the more likely the stain is to set in. This especially true if the spill is dark in color (fruit juice, wine, etc.).

3. Blot, Don’t Rub

As a general rule, avoid rubbing or scrubbing when you spill something on the carpet or are dealing with a stain. This action presses the stain deeper into the fibers and actually makes it harder to remove. Blotting with a damp cloth or towel, on the other hand, will help you to soak up the spill and lift it out of the carpet fibers.

4. Keep Basic Cleaning Supplies on Hand

Always keep some basic cleaning supplies on hand. That way, if you’re dealing with a spill or another carpet cleaning issue, you’ll be able to address it right away.

Here are some essential supplies that everyone ought to have:

Club soda (does an excellent job of removing beer and wine)
White distilled vinegar (perfect for juice stains)
Dishwashing liquid (great for when you don’t have specialized carpet cleaner on hand)
Ammonia (a cost-effective, all-purpose cleaner that can tackle a variety of stains)
Wet wipes (great for blotting light stains)

Stash these tools in a bin or bucket under the sink so they’re always ready to go when you need them.

5. Let Mud Dry Before Cleaning

Do your kids or pets ever track mud into the house? If they do, here’s a cleaning hack that will make your life a million times easier: Let the mud dry completely before tackling it.

Once the mud has dried, use a stiff brush to brush it away. Then, use a damp cloth to dab away anything left behind.

6. Avoid Wearing Shoes Inside

To prevent stains, dust mite accumulation, and bacteria buildup, avoid wearing shoes inside the house as much as possible. Not only do shoes track in a lot of unwanted dirt and grime (and who knows what else), but they can also push these things deeper into your carpet fibers.

Taking off your shoes when you walk in the door (or putting on shoe covers if you prefer) will reduce your chances of dirtying up your carpets. It will save you from having to deep clean as often, too.

7. Be a Proactive Cleaner

Be sure to arrange regular, deep carpet cleaning as well. Remember, at a minimum, to schedule these cleanings twice a year. You may need to clean more frequently if you have pets or kids who are prone to spilling things, though.