How to Deep Clean Carpet: The Complete Homeowner’s Guide.

Carpets, why do we have them?

Carpets, So many households believe carpets are more hassle than they are worth. They’re expensive to buy, expensive to have laid and then expensive to maintain. This is what so many of you believe, however so many of us still have carpets laid why is that? Why do we pay all that money to have a carpet laid even though we believe they won’t last?

 It’s simple really, Carpets offer Warmth, Comfort and they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. They give this a home feeling and lets not forget about that beautiful new carpet smell. So we have them laid we enjoy their soft fibres between our toes, we invite guests round to enjoy the carpet with us and then before we know it there’s a spill here where sam dropped her red wine and a tear there from where the dog has pulled up the corner and that new carpet smell has been replaced by a musky scent. We now sit here and don’t find it as pleasing to look at anymore. The welcome comments have dissipated and no one compliments how nice the flooring looks anymore. Carpets require constant care and without regular cleaning they can go down a steep downward spiral into looking and smelling old and dirty. Not only do they start to look shabby they will start to harbour all kinds of bacteria and harmful microbes that can cause allergies to flare up or asthma sufferers to become wheezy from dust particles that are whirled up every time someone walks on the fibres. All of this as well as stinky odors from old football socks left in the corner or from that time the dog went out in the rain then came in and shook off in the hall. 

Fret not though, as we’re here to help you understand the best way to care for your carpets and maximise your carpets lifespan. You don’t have to worry about that red wine stain anymore. So let’s get started in helping you understand just how long your carpets can last looking and smelling as if they were laid yesterday. 

Rule number : Cleaning your carpets, Why is it important? 

It’s not only dirt that you can see that is threatening your carpets overall health. Every time you come home you’ll be amazed at the amount of dust and pollen you bring in with you. These two can be an absolute nightmare for anyone that suffers with allergies. Causing a threat to you, your family and anyone else that enters your home. As  you may already be aware, dust and pollen can cause many respiratory issues. These include Sneezing, Wheezing and coughing all causing shortness of breath and discomfort. Not only this but you’ll also find bugs and parasites that aren’t visible to your human eye, these bugs and parasites include mites that will gradually eat away at your carpets fibers, left untreated you may end up with bald patches or visible thinning of the carpets fibers. 

The build up of dirt and dust will clog the fibres binding them together, this will restrict the airflow through the fibres and that’s what will contribute to the musky smell that we associate with old carpets. Because it’s such a gradual build up the residents that live in the property are unlikely to smell the musky scent after some time, however it is your guests that will notice the unpleasant smell before you do. Embarrassing, we know that’s why we want to help. 

If left for a prolonged period of time all these issues will seep through the carpet and start clinging onto the carpets underlay too. This is where cleaning the carpets becomes a much bigger job as we wouldn’t pull up the carpets to clean the underlay. It is best to ensure that we don’t get to that level of decay in the first place to eliminate the risk of needing to replace the entire carpet. Now this is all based on homes without the presence of our fully little friends. Dogs, Cats, Bunnies, even birds. Our four legged friends are constantly in and out and unlike us they cannot take off their shoes to help minimise the risks of dirt being brought in. And birds, yes birds. Although they usually live in a cage and do not go in and out of the home often or if they accumulate a lot of dust in their feathers. Dust attracts dust mites and dust mites are not a parasite you want living in your carpets. 

What are dust mites? 

House dust mites are very closely related to spiders and ticks, consisting of 8 hairy legs, no eyes, a mouth-like part at the front of its body and a tough translucent shell. Due to their small size of 0.2-0.3mm in length and the fact that they have a translucent shell they are not visible by the naked eye. A dust mite typically lives for between 65-100 days giving them more than enough time to multiply. Females lay eggs in small groups and there is no specialist testing needed to detect dust mites. If you have humans or pets living in the property you can bet your bottom dollar you have dust mites.

How long should my carpet last?

The average lifespan for a carpet in a home that contains Children or pets we would say you should at least get 2-3 years minimum from your carpets. This is with regular vacuuming and maintenance. A medium grade nylon carpet could even give you between 3-15 years if maintained correctly, this would include regular daily vacuuming (at least 2 times per week) but daily is highly recommended especially if pets and children live in the home, in this case 2 times per day is recommended. Many things can cause a carpet to deteriorate at a faster rate, friction, spillages, high exposure to sunlight. All of these can cause balding, colour fade and staining. When staining is dealt with quickly there is less likely for lasting damage. Closing curtains when possible will limit exposure to direct sunlight and lessen the chances of colour fade and walking on the carpet correctly, No shoes and without dragging your feet helps with friction causing less wear on the fibres.

How often should I clean my carpets?

Vacuuming is a very important part of the carpet’s cleaning process, as mentioned before vacuuming is where you should start. This removes loose debris and dust spores keeping your home healthy. Then we recommend cleaning your carpets as quickly as possible if a spillage has occured.The less time the spillage spends in the fibers the easier and quicker the spillage will be able to be cleaned up. If a stain is left for a long period of time the spill has time to soak into the deeper fibres of the carpet making it a lot harder to just wipe up. Specialist cleaning solutions may then be needed to help lift the spillage out of the fibres. As for a whole area clean, every 6-18 months using a carpet steam cleaner. These can be hired from many stores or can be purchased if preferred. There are a wide variety of machines and cleaning solutions so always do your research before hiring or buying one. Otherwise hiring a professional to do the steam cleaning for you can eliminate the worry of getting the wrong machine or solutions. Professional steam cleaning technicians will provide everything needed to get your carpets back to a new state and will use only the best cleaning products to achieve the best results possible. 

So to recap, households with children and or pets should receive a steam cleaning at least every 6 months, households that dont and dont receive high foot traffic could go 12 months before needing steam cleaning again. Simply if you notice the carpets getting grubby around the entranceway you can bet it’s time for a professional steam cleaning. 

Households with any of the following will need to be cleaned ,more frequently:

• Young children or pets
• Allergies 
• Frequent muddy and soiled shoes 
• High pollinated areas (woodlands, countryside) 
• Dusty regions (heavy smog)
• Smokers
• Plants inside the home

Now you have a better understanding on how to maintain your carpets you should be able to get the most out of them and have a long lasting clean, fresh carpet for longer. This will enable you to get the most use out of the carpet before needing to completely replace it. In our next Part 2 of How to Deep Clean Carpet: The Complete Homeowner’s Guide, we will explain how to remove specific staining safety and efficiently yourselves.

Welcome back to how to clean your carpet, the complete homeowners guide. In this part we will be looking at staining and how to treat certain stains correctly, commonly used cleaning methods for the do it yourself carpets cleaning and the cleaning chemicals that have been tried and not recommended for cleaning carpets. So let’s get straight to it, let’s take a look at these commonly spilled liquids that I bet almost every household has encountered at least once in their lives. 

Stain removal and how to do it safely.   

Red Wine:

• Using a dry cloth soaks up as much of the wine as possible, it’s vital to do this as soon as the spillage has happened, Blot DO NOT rub the spillage this will cause spreading and you will end up with a bigger surface area to clean. The more you can blot up the easier it’s going to be to remove the stain. 
• Pour cold water onto the stain, this may seem like the wrong move to make but it will help dilute whatever is left on the carpets fibres. 
• Using a new clean dry cloth begins blotting the area again until you cannot soak up any more. 
• Next using a mixture of one part baking soda and three parts water mixed until they are in a paste like form, apply this mixture to the stained area. 
• Leave the mixture on the area until the paste is completely dry. 
• Vacuum the area ensuring to remove all the dry paste. 
• Once this has been completed if a slight stain is still visible you can then treat using a Carpet stain remover, without the worry of spreading the stain further. 

Milk:

• Using a dry clean cloth of paper towel, soak up as much of the spilt milk as possible. ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk’ we can get it cleaned up in no time. 
• Mix two cups of warm water with one tablespoon of washing up liquid in a small bowl. 
• Using a small clean cloth dampen in the mixture. 
• Take the cloth and blot the stained area until the stain no longer is visible. 
• Sprinkle some cornstarch over the affected area and leave to sit for approximately 60 minutes. 
• Once the area is completely dry, vacuum the cornstarch and the stain should have completely disappeared. 

Vomit:

• Use a clean dry cloth or paper towel to soak up as much of the vomit as possible, removing as many chunks of food as possible, again this is very important to start this process as soon as possible after the soiling has occurred. 
• Using regular salt or baking powder sprinkle a generous amount on the soiled area and leave to sit for approximately 15-20 minutes, this will lift any moisture from the deeper fibres of the carpet. 
• Vacuum the salt/ baking powder from the carpet after leaving for the recommended amount of time.  
• Now the area is ready to be treated using a good quality carpet cleaner. Ensure that the cleaning product you select is suitable for your type of carpet. 
• While treating with the cleaning product blot using a damp clean cloth, DO NOT rub this will just push any remaining vomit into the deeper fibres of the carpet. 
• Once treated leave the area to fully dry overnight, opening windows where possible to help remove the smell in the air. 
• If you have a steam carpet cleaner you will not need to open the windows as the high temperatures and products used will eliminate germs and bacteria, the two factors that create the horrible odors in the first place. 

Urine:

• Use a clean dry cloth to soak up as much of the urine as possible, remember DO NOT rub blot the area to remove, not penetrate deeper into the carpets fibres. 
• Mix up a solution of ½ cup warm water and ½ cup of vinegar. 
• Pour this onto the affected area, don’t worry about soaking the stain this is what we want. Let thai mixture sit on the carpet for approximately 10-15 minutes. 
• Using more clean dry towels blot the area dry. 
• Sprinkle baking powder or salt onto the area. 
• Next mix up a solution of ¾ cups of peroxide and 1 tablespoon of washing up liquid, stir the mixture then carefully pour onto the sprinkled baking powder / salt. 
• Wearing protective gloves (washing up rubber gloves) massage the solution gently into the carpets fibers. 
• Leave the area to completely dry, be sure to place a sign or something so people know not to walk over the area. 
• Once the area is completely dry you can vacuum the salt/ baking powder up leaving the area stain free and odor free. 

Cooking oil:

• Using dry paper towels boot up as much cooking oils as possible, ensure to keep doing this step until there is no more cooking oil transferring onto the paper towel. 
• Apply a small amount of alcohol rub onto a clean cloth and dab it knot the stained area. Again DO NOT rub as this will cause the oil to spread onto a wider surface, giving you even more to clean. 
• Create a mixture of ¼ cup of water and ¼ teaspoon of washing up liquid. We recommend using a washing up liquid that’s trusted and has high success in removing grease. It should also NOT include bleach as this will discolor your carpet. 
• Apply your well mixed mixture to the cooking oil stain using a clean sponge working from the outer edge into the middle.
• Using a small amount of water start to rinse the soap suds out by blotting the area, simultaneously blotting using a dry clean paper towel to minimize soaking. 
• Add a paper towel onto the affected area and leave to soak up as much moisture that is left as possible. 
• Leave the area to fully dry before walking on. 

So these are the more common spills and stains that you may encounter on a  day to day basis. Next we will look at some of the less frequent spillages that could occur in your home. 

Fresh Blood:

• Firstly, always wear protective gloves when cleaning up blood as it is classed as a health hazard. 
• Add clean water to the stained area, this will appear to spread the stain further, however you need to dilute the stain before being able to fully remove it. While adding the water, dab the stain using a wet clean cloth. 
• Rinse the area once as much has been dabbed up as possible with more clean water.
• Blot the area using dry clean towels and leave some paper towels over the area to soak up as much moisture as possible. 
• Once fully dry you can vacuum to fluff up the carpet fibers again. 
• Always dispose of the soiled paper towels and clothes correctly, i.e. in a tied carrier bag before throwing them into the bin. 

Dried Blood:

• Using a steel or hard bristle brush, brush the stained areas to loosen as much of the dried matter as possible. Vacuum up any loose debris this may cause. 
• Mix one teaspoon of ammonia or washing up liquid with two cups of cold water. 
• Soak a clean cloth or sponge into the mixture and blot onto the remaining stain until the stain disappears. 
• Leave the area to completely dry, if once dry the stain is still present add some hydrogen peroxide to the area and place a paper towel over the top. 
• Place something heavy on top of the paper towel so that it has contact with the wet solution allowing it to soak up the substance over time. 
• Leave to soak up and fully dry then vacuum the area once dry to fluff up the fibres. 

Acrylic Paint:

• Start by scraping as much of the wet paint off the carpet using a putty knife. Always attend to a spill as quickly as possible so it doesn’t have time to soak into the carpets’ deep fibres. 
• Once the paint starts to dry out, scrape away the dry flakes of paint using a steel or hard bristled brush. 
• Soak the area using alcohol isopropyl concentrate and blot onto the stain using a clean dry cloth. Leave this to sit for 20/30 minutes. It should help loosen the paint particles. 
• Once the time is up blot the stain using clean cloths removing as much paint as possible. Always blot DO NOT rub and scrub as this could damage the carpets fibres. 
• Using a steam cleaning machine would be most efficient at this point to help deeply moisten the fibres of the carpet and help break up and remove any remaining paint particles. 
•  Apply some glycerin to a clean cloth and blot up remaining paint. Repeat this step until the stain has been completely lifted. 
• Leave the area to completely dry for approximately 3- 4 hours then finally vacuum to fluff up the fibers again. 

Now moving on we will mention two of the commonly used household items for cleaning the carpets yourself, these ingredients can usually be found in your kitchens or under the sink. 

1.Baking Soda- this is an all time favorite in most households simply because it’s an excellent remedy for so many cleaning problems. It helps deodorize fabrics and fibres and also has great absorbency meaning that it can soak up moisture quickly. Great for oily and non-oily spills, and it’s so easy to use as you just sprinkle it onto the stain and leave overnight without the worry of causing further damage. Knowing that once the baking soda has become crusty and dry it is ready to be vacuumed up. 

2. White Vinegar- this is just as sought after at baking soda, for different reasons. Vinegar has great antibacterial properties meaning it is not only great for removing stains but also for removing bacteria and killing germs. Vinegar can be mixed with baking soda to create a great cleaning product. Always dilute vinegar with water so as not to cause staining or discoloration. The first go may not be fully successful however you can complete the cleaning process as many times as necessary when using vinegar. 

These next products should not be used unless as a last resort for cleaning your carpets, they have been tried and mostly have failed however sometimes they are successful so we advise only as a last resort to reach for these cleaning products:

1. Borax- although when paired with baking soda or vinegar it can create a great cleaning product however it can cause and pose health risks this is why we recommend using borax sparingly when cleaning. 

2. Ammonia- Again ammonia can be a great cleaning product and many shop brought cleaning products contain ammonia. Ammonia is highly alkaline making it a corrosive liquid, it can cause discolouration to carpets and should never be used on wool or natural carpets. It can also cause headaches and respiratory issues when inhaled so always take correct precautions if using ammonia. 

3. Hydrogen Peroxide-  although this product is becoming increasingly popular on the market it can cause discolouration to carports if used incorrectly. Completing a test area before using is highly recommended. Hydrogen peroxide always needs to be dilute and should never be used in more than 3% concentrate. Always ventilate the room that is being cleaned also. 

Kiril Natov

Kiril is the CEO of Premium Clean, a family-run company he founded in 2009. With 15 years of professional cleaning experience, he specializes in carpet repair, redyeing services, and carpet and upholstery cleaning. His company continues to grow.