Carpet-Cleaning Secrets From the Pros
Blot Stains, Don’t Rub Them
When a stain or spill first occurs, resist the urge to immediately start scrubbing. That’ll only drive the stain down into the carpet. Instead, gently dab stains with a cleaning solution and a clean cloth, paper towel, or sponge.
The Club Soda Process
First, pour club soda onto a clean cloth and blot the stain. If the stain appears lighter, repeat with more club soda. If that doesn’t work, mix a one-to-one ratio of white vinegar and water, and pour it into a handheld spray bottle. “Spray the solution onto the stained area, then wait 10 or 15 minutes for it to soak in. Next, press a clean, dry sponge down onto the saturated area to soak up the cleaning solution and the diluted stain, too,” says Tarbox. Repeat this process, if necessary, until the entire stain is gone.
Try Shaving Cream
Tarbox says the best carpet cleaner for general stains is—believe it or not—ordinary shaving cream. “It will remove just about every type of stain. Apply the shaving cream directly to the stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes,” Tarbox says. Once the shaving cream has set, blot it up with a dry white cloth.
Freeze-Dried Gum
Here’s an all-too-familiar scenario: You step in chewing gum out on the street, but don’t realize it until you track that gross, sticky mess into the house and onto your carpeting. The trick to removing gum from carpeting can be found in your freezer
Dish Soap Cuts Grease
Greasy spills are some of the most difficult to remove from carpeting, but again, the secret is to use the proper product and technique: Place a few drops of grease cutting dish soap, such as Dawn, into a cup of warm water. Gently mix the solution to dissolve the soap
How to Clean Carpet: Cleaning Tips for Long Lasting Carpet
Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. When you walk across a dirty carpet, you grind sharp dirt particles against the yarn, making tiny nicks in the fibers. All that fuzz mixed in with the dirt in your vacuum cleaner bags is your beautiful carpet headed out the door one bag at a time. When dirt scratches the fibers, it dulls the sheen, which is why high-traffic areas appear duller than the rest of the carpet. Over time, grinding dirt wears away the fibers too, which mats them down and makes them stain more easily. Follow these how to clean carpet tips to keep your carpet as dirt-free as possible.
Vacuum often
To protect your carpet, vacuum entrance areas and high-traffic areas twice a week and the rest of the carpeting at least weekly. Oily soils attract oily soils, and frequent vacuuming will reduce soil buildup
Start with a clean bag or filter
A dirty bag, dirt cup or filter can cut a vacuum’s suction power in half. The main reason bagless vacuums stop working is that the filters aren’t changed often enough. Replace or wash (if possible) the filters on bagless vacuums every three months. Replace vacuum bags when they’re three-quarters full
Vacuum at the right speed
Vacuum slowly enough to get out as much dirt as possible. Make one quick pass over low-traffic areas and two slow passes over high-traffic areas. Two slow passes removes ground-in dirt more effectively than several fast passes
Use walk-off mats
Use walk-off mats inside and out to keep dirt off the carpeting. Coarse-textured mats outside your doors remove soil and will make a how to clean carpet project easier. Water-absorbent mats inside prevent wet shoes on the carpeting.
Tips on Choosing the Best Carpet Cleaning Service
Less is NOT Necessarily More
It’s common to look for the most affordable option when choosing any sort of cleaning service. However attractive saving a few Euro might seem, going for the least expensive option for your carpet’s maintenance might actually do more damage than good.
Know the Process
No two cleaning services are identical, and that means that you’ll want to know how each company that you’ve shortlisted for the job goes about their business. Some companies might use stronger detergents, while others might use gentler products that are safer for your carpets and for the environment too
Do a Competitive Analysis
This tip is simple: do your research. This entails everything from talking to friends and family, checking review sites and asking for recommendations on social media. Some of the best services are found through word of mouth, so do the research and leverage your network for trustworthy recommendations.
Ask About Additional Services
Ask as many questions as you possibly can before hiring a carpet cleaning company. You want to know exactly what you’re getting with no hidden surprises.
Keep it Local if Possible
A local carpet cleaning company with a vested interest in your community will likely be a good choice for many reasons. As local companies provide services for local residents, it is in their best interest to offer a high quality service at affordable costs to ensure customer retention.
Things to Look for When Choosing a Carpet Cleaning Company
Over the years, we’ve had countless phone calls from people panicking and upset after receiving a service from a carpet cleaning company that didn’t produce the results that they promised. It’s always frustrating for us to hear that another local carpet cleaner has taken the money of a customer that trusted them with their property, only to then leave them back at square one, out of pocket and stressed.
Are they professionally trained through the IICRC or NCCA?
Don’t feel embarrassed to ask. If they’re trained professionally, they’ll be more than happy to show you their certificates
Are they insured?
This one is important. Find out if the carpet cleaner is insured and if they have Treatment Risk as part of their cover. If not, they’re not covered to service your property and you should look elsewhere for a carpet cleaner
Do they have past testimonials?
If the company has testimonials and reviews from past clients, it’s worth taking a look. Most good companies will have a Facebook page, Google Business page or website where you can find reviews to look at.
What equipment do they use?
A professional carpet cleaning service requires professional carpet cleaning equipment. Look on their website for pictures of large, shopping trolley-sizes machinery. A lightweight machine that can be easily carried is not going to be enough for a thorough clean.
Tips for Choosing a Carpet Cleaning Company
When was the last time a service person visited your home? Was this person on time? Careful? Was pricing clear up front or were there surprise costs in the final bill? How did you feel about the results of the work? Was your home treated with respect? In the end, were you left with a bigger mess to clean up than when you started? Carpet cleaning is like any in-home service. The experience can be positive, or it can be a headache all around. Some cleaners make carpet problems worse. In those cases, customers end up paying twice. They pay for the original service and they pay for a more trustworthy carpet cleaner to fix the damage. But what if you could avoid the hassle and make the best choice the first time around?
Make a short list of local carpet cleaning companies.
It only takes a little “home-work” on the front end to save you time, Ask friends about their cleaning experiences. Call local carpet retailers and ask who they recommend. Then search carpet cleaning companies on the internet. However, be wary of the first results that come up on a search. These are ads paid for by the business to put their listing at the top of the page. In short, first doesn’t mean best. Click on each company’s website. Is it professional and easy to navigate? Does it provide helpful information? More specifically, is the carpet cleaning company you are considering a franchise or a local business? Is it a member of the Better Business Bureau? What testimonials are you finding online
Call and ask each company “Are you licensed & insured?”
The only acceptable answer is “yes.” Admittedly, it is rare for a professional company to make mistakes. Still, should there be a mishap while on your property, the cleaners can set things right if they are licensed and insured. So ask to see proof of insurance because a trustworthy company has nothing to hide.
Ask if their technicians are certified in carpet cleaning.
Want to know a secret? The average employment span for a technician in the carpet cleaning field is around 6 months. Obviously, that’s not much time to learn all the ins and outs of the profession. It takes training to understand the cleaning needs of all carpet types and conditions. A reliable company makes sure their employees are fully certified. On the whole, the most respected carpet cleaning certifications are awarded by the IICRC, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. When companies are dedicated to the ongoing education of their teams, they tend to keep their technicians for several years. Clearly, those are the folks you want in your home.
Ask what cleaning methods they use.
The carpet cleaning industry includes a variety of methods. However, the big-name carpet manufacturers like Stainmaster, Mohawk, Shaw and Couristan prefer hot water extraction. The primary alternative to hot water is a dry chemical cleaning. This can be harsh on carpet fibers. What’s more, dry chemical substances can leave behind a sticky residue. Extraction, in contrast, uses a milder detergent. Plus, this method flushes out both the detergent and the dirt buried deep in the fibers at the same time. Done correctly, extraction does not leave any residue and it does not over-wet the carpet. So ask the cleaning company to talk you through their process. Their website should provide this information too.