Carpet cleaning made easy

Posted by SharonEvans on May 15th, 2013

Carpet cleaning is something most people hate doing but statistical data says that 42% of all residential carpet users clean their own carpets. There is nothing wrong with cleaning carpets by adopting DIY methods. However, ensure that you know what you are doing so that you don't end up damaging your carpet.

As far as carpet manufacturers are concerned they don't recommend that people clean their own carpets. Professional carpet cleaning is what they want carpet owners to opt for. But hiring a professional every other day is not really possible. There is a cost associated with it and it is not so inexpensive that you can get professional cleaning done every week. If you can do the regular basic cleaning as per the cleaning recommendations of the manufacturers then all you need is once a year professional cleaning.

There are three popular ways of DIY cleaning carpets and they are very effective.

The first way is to use the hot water extraction process. In this process detergent is first sprayed on the carpet using a sprayer. A garden sprayer can be used for this purpose. The detergent should be left on the carpet for about 5 to 10 minutes. Now the detergent needs to be agitated with a pile filter so that the soil becomes loose. Now the detergent needs to be rinsed with a hot water extraction machine. The soil mixed with the detergent also gets removed along with the detergent. There are two points to note in this process. The detergent shouldn't be left on the carpet for long because it can lead to re-soiling. The carpet needs to be dried within eight hours or it may develop mould.

The second way is to use a dry powder. This method is useful for regular cleaning but not if someone wants to clean a carpet that hasn't been cleaned for ages. You get these carpet cleaning powders that are packed with detergents. The powder is sprayed on the carpet and the soil particles get attached to it. Now the powder is agitated and removed with a vacuum. The attached soil particles also get removed.

The third way is to use dry foam. Special cleaning foam is available across stores and this is applied to the carpet using a brush. After sometime the foam needs to be vacuumed off. This method works similarly to the dry powder method although the powder method is more effective.

You can keep your carpet clean using any of these three ways but once a year professional carpet cleaning is still recommended. This is because these ways of cleaning carpets still leave soil and bacteria and other unwanted stuff that you don't want inside your home. When a professional carpet cleaner does the cleaning all these can be removed.

DIY carpet cleaning keeps your carpet clean and in proper condition. This means more longevity and more savings. But forget the money once a year and get professional cleaning done. This is the best course of action.

Professional carpet cleaning required once a year. As for basic carpet cleaning you can do it yourself.