Should I Wash My Carpets Myself?

While carpets can make a room feel and look cozy, they can also collect dirt and dust. Unfortunately, almost all carpets tend to get dirty quickly and cannot be thoroughly cleaned by vacuuming alone. If you have carpets in your home, you need to give them a thorough wash at least twice a year. If you have small kids or pets at home, your carpets will require thorough cleaning more often. However, carpet cleaning costs can add up quickly and make a dent in your pocket.

The only solution to this issue is washing carpets at home. Here’s how you can keep your home clean while saving your money:

Brush the Carpet

Getting into the trouble of washing carpets at home with small trash or hair stuck in their fibers is useless. Therefore, you need to begin by brushing them. Brush your carpet fibers in a decided direction to remove whatever trash pieces or hair are stuck in it. Start at one end and brush at least twice in each small area. Brushing the carpet through the width will make it quick and easy to remove trash particles.

Vacuum the Carpet

Once thoroughly brushed, vacuum the carpet to get rid of dust and any remaining trash. Similar to brushing, vacuuming the carpet in one direction ensures better cleaning. Vacuum even inch of the entire carpet at least twice to ensure you removed as much dust as you could.

Prepare the Cleaning Mixture

Take a medium-sized bucket and fill it half with water. Add baking soda and dish soap to this water mix them all using a clean wooden brush. You can also prepare this mixture in a spray bottle, but you can only make a small quantity in a spray bottle at a time, and you will have to prepare it again and again. Preparing it in a large quantity can help you save time. Alternatively, you can skip this step altogether by using a store-bought carpet cleaner.

Clean the Carpet Stains

If there are any stains on your carpet, cleaning them first can ensure thorough cleaning overall. However, some carpet stains can be challenging to remove. You can use special cleaning agents to remove tough or old carpet stains, though fresh carpet stains can be removed through the homemade carpet cleaner. Repurpose old toothbrushes to remove small stains without damaging the nearby fibers.

Brush the Damp Carpet

Depending on your carpet washing needs, you can skip the above step. If you carried out the above step, you should let your carpet get completely dry once you have removed all carpet stains. Either way, dampen the carpet with the store-bought or homemade carpet cleaner and brush on the wet carpet.

Remember that you don’t have to make the carpet completely wet. Carpets take a long time to dry, and the wetter you make it, the longer it will take you to carry out the process of washing carpets at home. Use a little amount of carpet cleaner and build up its quantity as needed. Brush in one direction as earlier.

Rinse the Carpet

This can be a tricky step as you cannot make the carpet wet. However, after brushing the damp carpet, you can spray clean water on it and use a clean towel to soak as much water as possible. If you want to maintain the softness of the carpet fibers, you can add a tablespoon of fabric softener to the spray bottle and shake it to mix it with water. Please don’t add more than a tablespoon, as you may not be able to get it all out. Adding a tablespoon of disinfectant to the spray bottle can also help.

Let the Carpet Dry

Drying a carpet under the sun is the ideal way to dry it. Always check the weather forecast before washing carpets at home so you can dry them under sunlight. Two to three days of direct sunlight should be enough to dry the carpet completely.

Vacuum Dry and Clean Carpet

Once the carpet is dried, bring it back inside the house and vacuum it one last time. Before this last step of carpet cleaning, ensure the vacuum bag is empty and clean. If necessary, clean the vacuum brush so you don’t accidentally make your clean carpet dirty.

It’s better to clean the carpets regularly but gently ensures rather than roughly and occasionally. Another tip that makes carpets last long is to avoid dampening them. Damp carpets can easily become moldy carpets, and there’s no solution for moldy carpets other than throwing them away.

Moreover, moldy carpets can lead to mold growth in other areas of your home too. If you ever end up with a moldy carpet, you should call a restoration service right away. Many restoration services in Naples, such as the 911 Restoration of Naples, provide complete mold removal services for personal and commercial properties.