Everything you Need to Know About Carpet Cleaning, Maintenance, and Carpet Care
Nothing makes a home more homely than a snug carpet or rug on the floor. Since the beginning of time, humans have incorporated floor covers in their homes. Not only do they provide warmth but they can add to the overall aesthetic of the interior design. Since these floor covers have to take a lot of stomping, trotting, pacing, and walking on a daily basis, you can’t neglect taking good care of them. If you’re not a cleaning professional, then you might consider carpet care as a pretty easy job. Factually, there’s a lot more to carpet cleaning, washing, and care than meets the eye. In this article we will fill you in on all the ins and outs about these techniques.
WHY SHOULD I CLEAN MY CARPET?
The most obvious reason is the fact that it is dirty. On the floor you will find loads of left-over food, debris, dust, and dirt from the outside world. Even if you have a no-shoe household, your carpets remain the gathering point for everything that is gross.
Here are a few other reasons why carpet cleaning is necessary:
- Ensures longevity and durability
- Removes stains
- Maintain air quality inside the home
- Keeps physical appearance shiny and new
- Removes a variety of dust mites, bacteria, and bugs
- Makes future maintenance easier
Read this to find out how clean (or dirty) your carpet actually is.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLEANING METHODS
There’s a wide variety of mat, rug, and carpet cleaning methods. Some you can do yourself while others need help from expert professionals.
Steam Cleaning: This kind of cleaning uses a hot water extraction method to get rid of dirt build up and stains. The technique is quite straight-forward. A special machine sprays heated water onto an area while it creates a kind of vacuum.
Simultaneously, heat from the steam dislodges dirt while the vacuum sucks it up. Depending on the composition of your carpet’s fibers, you can add cleaning solutions for better results.
Pre-conditioning: Just like you would with dirty sweaters and blankets, you can pre-conditioning your rugs to loosen up stains and spots. Once the conditioning solution has done its job, you can easily remove it with the steam cleaning method.
Use the following pre-conditioning solutions for different fiber types:
- Synthetic Fibers – An alkaline solution
- Woolen Fibers – A mild acidic and diluted acetic acid solutions
Drying and Extracting: When you resort to steaming or basic washing, you’ll leave your floor covers damp and wet. Vacuuming isn’t enough to remove all the water from the fibers. The process of drying and extracting is necessary to make sure all the dampness is gone.
Professionals use a combination of fans, dehumidifiers, and air circulation to make sure carpets are dry. Skipping this skip will result in water mark stains and even mold growth.
Dry Cleaning: Many of us send our clothes (usually coats, blankets, and woolen attire) to the dry cleaners. This is to avoid dampness and the occurrence of water marks or moldy smells. The dry method isn’t completely dry, but rather drier than other methods.
Professionals use a few different techniques when it comes to dry washing that includes: Very low moisture systems that aren’t as effective on extremely filthy carpets; Encapsulation that uses chemistry to bind debris molecules together; Dry foaming that is great for fabrics that are sensitive to liquids; and Compounding that attracts debris and dissolves it to be vacuumed later.
Basic Wash and Rinse: Alternatively, you can use a simple carpet shampoo and rinse method. Using a simple wash-head to spray shampoo water onto the carpet and scrubber to wash. Then rinse by using clean water that sprays from the wash-head and vacuum to dry.
This method isn’t as effective on thick carpets with compounded dirt particles, but is great for light cleaning.
MAINTENANCE TIPS
When you take good care of your carpets, then your home will look and smell great. Especially, if you’ve invested in an expensive rug, then you have to take measures in maintaining it.
Here are a few tips you can follow:
No-Shoe Zone: Having a no-shoe home is popular in certain cultures, this is a great habit to keep outside dirt from entering your home. Take off your shoes when you walk over your carpets.
This will avoid the spread of messy tracks. Rather opt for wearing soft slippers, socks or even barefoot.
Baking Soda: A hidden function for this baking aid, is helping your carpets smell fresh. Sprinkle only a little bit of baking soda onto your rugs before vacuuming and you’ll see the difference.
Vacuum: Vacuuming isn’t one of the most fun activities, but it’s vital to the longevity of your carpeting. When you vacuum regularly, you’ll be able to remove soil and dirt before it gets lodged into the fibers. This will make cleaning much easier later on. If you have animals, a pet vacuum cleaner can be a great addition to the house.
Make sure that you keep your vacuum machine clean too. Replace the filter regularly and empty the bags. This will ensure that your vacuum is always functioning at a maximum level.
Deep Wash: Call a professional cleaner at least once or twice a year. Having them deeply clean your carpeting will ensure a longer lifespan.
Act Fast: Don’t leave food stains until later the week. Once a bottle of wine has fallen onto the fibers, you have to act fast and clean it straight away. Never scrub a stain as it will only work it further into the fibers, rather dab and blot.
Just as you would look after the walls, roof, and tiles of your home, you have to look after your soft flooring. Regularly vacuuming and washing your carpets will not only ensure its lifespan, but also add onto your family’s health.
Extracting bacteria, dirt, grime, dust, and debris from your carpets while adapting to a no-shoe home, will keep your rugs looking sparkling clean and fresh.
