How To Get Better Results with Do-it-Yourself Carpet Cleaning

Cleaning everything properly can be hard work, but as I mentioned in our previous post (Carpet Cleaning – Making the Right Choice), it certainly will pay off in many ways!

If you’re committed to the savings and the work, let’s go over some prep work and other things you’ll need to be aware of when planning do it yourself carpet cleaning.

• First, the obvious. You’ll want to thoroughly vacuum your rooms beforehand. It’s important to remember that steam cleaning your carpets is most effective when your floors are already free of dirt and grime.
• Take your time, be thorough, and move furniture around to get the harder to reach areas. You won’t win prizes just for nice vacuum lines in your carpet, and this isn’t a race. Just be sure it’s good and clean.
• When you go to pick up your carpet cleaner, make absolutely sure (and I can’t stress this enough) that you read and follow the instructions exactly. Failure to thoroughly read your cleaning machine instructions can not only damage the machine (for which you are responsible) but can permanently damage your carpets. Some people seem to think that adding “just a bit higher concentration” of cleaning fluids will make it even better. Not a good idea. The concentration of solution is already worked out for you, be sure to follow it and you’ll be fine.
• Be sure to move slow and take your time. You don’t want to rush this process, or you’ll have wasted your time. Keep in mind that you’ll be able to see the “tracks” you’re making so you can be diligent about covering every inch. And you can be firm, so don’t be afraid to apply some pressure.
• The next step? Getting that water out of your carpet. Go over the floors a second time with the suction vacuum only. Go slow and apply some pressure to insure your rug cleaner is flush with the carpet and getting the maximum effect of the extractor. If you go too fast, you’ll make the mistake of not getting as much water out of the carpet as you could, leaving you worse than before.

“But my carpets are really dirty!” That’s fine, you’ll still be okay. Just don’t add more cleaner! You can clean the same area again, but using extra cleaning solution is a rookie mistake that can cause costly damage to on your flooring.

Cleaner Homes ... Cleaner Carpets: The Importance of Drying time

One of the signs of an amateur carpet cleaning company or of doing it yourself (I hear about it all too often) is that you or your carpet cleaning service calls the job done before doing everything possible to extract as much moisture as possible and insure that the carpet is dry before normal use.

An over-wet carpet can lead to severe problems! But they are avoidable as long as you take some simple steps. For that, you’ll need fans if you have them. Anything you can do to help get air flowing and removing moisture from the room is good, so be sure to get fans ahead of time so they're ready when you need them, and open the windows as long as it's not raining out.

So you did it, and I’ll bet they look great, right? It wasn’t so hard right? (Maybe just time consuming.)