How to steam clean carpet
- Vacuum first. Before you begin your steam clean, move your furniture out of the way and give your carpet a good vacuum, using the vacuum cleaner you already have ...
- Spot spray. Before you get started, find any stains and give them a good spot spray with your stain remover. ...
- Apply your de-foamer. ...
- Add some tap water. ...
- Start your steam clean. ...
Full Answer
What is the best steam carpet cleaner?
Best Commercial Steam Cleaner in 2021—Summary. Steam cleaning is simple when you have the right powerful cleaning tools and can cut down dreaded cleaning time by half. The top choice for its versatility, handheld capability, and tool variety, is the Bissell Power steamer ( $129.99, Amazon ).
What is the best steam cleaner?
Best Overall: BISSELL Powerfresh Slim Steam Mop Best Value: PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner Best For Hardwood Floors: Shark S5003D Genius Steam Mop Best For Tile Floors: Bissell PowerFresh Deluxe 1806 Best For Laminate Floors: LIGHT 'N' EASY Multi-Functional ...
What is the best way to clean carpets professionally?
What is the best way to clean carpets professionally? The best method of cleaning carpets is usually steam cleaning, which removes over 90% of dirt and bacteria from carpeting. Dry cleaning carpeting is also effective for ensuring carpets are ready for foot traffic as quickly as possible.
What is the best homemade carpet cleaning solution?
Best DIY carpet cleaning solutions Vinegar carpet cleaner White vinegar is the superhero of stain removal and it’s one of the best natural carpet cleaners around.
Can I steam clean my own carpet?
Some people would hire the necessary equipment, while others would pay the professionals to do the job. Now, however, most people steam clean their own carpets.
What is the best homemade carpet cleaning solution?
Baking soda and vinegar is one of the best mixtures for spot-treating messes on a carpet. ... Using a mixture of salt and water can clean recent stains made from spilling wine or dropping food.More items...•
How do you steam clean a dirty carpet?
Start steaming! Start in the far corner of the room (farthest from your water source) and work backwards so you're never walking on the wet carpet. Go slowly. Steam cleaners are slower than vacuums, so walk slowly, about one step every two seconds.
How do you make homemade steam cleaner solution?
I mix it ahead of time and label it, so I know what it is under the sink.2 cups vinegar.1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide.2 Tbsp Clear Dish Soap.
Can I make my own carpet shampoo for machine?
DIY carpet cleaner (for machines): 1/4 C vinegar + 4 Tbsp dish soap + 4 Tbsp fabric softener + 1/4 C hydrogen peroxide. Stir gently, then add mixture to an almost full gallon of very warm water. Then slowly add warm water to top it off. Gently tip the jug back & forth to mix (avoid suds and bubbles).
What can I use instead of carpet cleaning solution?
These are some of the best—and simplest, in terms of ingredients used—non-toxic solutions for cleaning your carpet naturally.Steam Vapor. ... Water + Vinegar + Salt. ... Baking Soda + Vinegar + Water. ... Salt + Borax + Vinegar. ... Baking Soda + Cornstarch + Cornmeal + Borax.
What happens to the dirt when you steam clean?
How Steam Cleaners Work. Water is heated past the boiling point and forced out as pressurized steam through a nozzle, brush, or other attachment. The vapor loosens dirt and kills dust mites, mold, staph, and other allergens and harmful bacteria. No suction is required, since the high-heat moisture dries quickly.
What is the difference between steam cleaning and shampooing carpet?
Shampooing a carpet involves using a detergent while steam cleaning uses hot water vapor and steam mop to break down dirt. When you steam clean your carpet, the drying time is about 48 hours while shampooing needs longer drying times. Cleaning using shampoo requires you to have a shampooing machine.
How do you clean a carpet with vinegar and steam?
All you have to do is pour white vinegar into the steam cleaner where you'd usually pour the cleaning solution, and then run the machine as normal. Once the carpet is dry, your room will smell just as good as if you'd used harsh carpet cleaning chemicals. No rinsing is necessary after you're done with the job!
Can I use laundry detergent in my steam cleaner?
The steam-cleaning solution that goes into these units can be costly, and often when you have a cleaning job to complete, you do not have the solution on hand. Instead, use laundry detergent. Laundry detergent is designed to clean fabrics and works perfectly with a steam cleaner.
Can you sprinkle OxiClean powder on carpet?
OxiClean can be mixed into your regular carpet cleaning solution in order to perfect the entire floor at once for a uniform appearance. If you think your carpet is already pretty clean, however, I would just take out the spots and not go to so much trouble.
Can you use vinegar and water in a steam cleaner?
To kill offensive odors present in your carpet, upholstery, and other furnishings quickly, fill your steam cleaner's solution reservoir with a 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar and the remainder with hot water. Do not add a soup solution. The vinegar and hot water solution will neutralize the odor and remove it.
Steps to Prepare the Carpet for Cleaning
Steam cleaning your carpet is the perfect way to finish deep cleaning or spring cleaning your home. It does require some preparation, though, so plan to set aside roughly an hour for each room.
How Often Should You Deep Clean Carpet?
At a minimum, you should steam clean your carpeting once a year. Late Spring is a good time since the weather is usually warm enough to open windows to speed the drying process.
Vacuum the Carpet First
Before you begin the steam cleaning process, the first step to take is vacuuming. This removes as many dirt and dust particles from your floor as possible before the actual heavy lifting takes place.
How to Steam Clean Carpet
One of the drawbacks to using a steam cleaner is how expensive the products are. Rather than spending all your money on professional carpet cleaning products, use laundry detergent. You don’t even have to use that much to get your money’s worth out of the cleaning.
Steam Cleaning Carpets with Vinegar
If your carpet has stains, treat those with a little bit of white vinegar. While using the cleaner as a spot treatment first is a great way to get coffee and tea stains out of carpet, adding it directly to the steam cleaning machine is just as effective.
The Easy Way to Steam Clean Carpet Yourself
One key factor concerning steam cleaning that often gets overlooked is the fact that you don’t always need to use a carpet cleaner. Similar to how a steam mop operates without chemicals, and still does a fantastic job on your floors, steam cleaning without added products provides a green alternative to treating your rugs and carpeting.
DIY Steam Clean Carpet Recipe
The very best way to clean carpets at home is by using a blend of Borax and vinegar to clean stains. This cleaning method works best when applied directly to the surface first, rather than placing it in the steam cleaner itself. The mixture forms a thick paste that would clog the filter and tubes over time if used in the machine.
Remove Tough Stains with Peroxide Combo
Another example of a homemade carpet cleaning solution for steam cleaner involves using hydrogen peroxide and fabric softener to remove particularly challenging stains. This strategy works best in areas with an increased amount of foot traffic that sees more dirt and debris than other parts of the house.
Enzyme Cleaner for Pet Messes
No matter how diligent of a pet parent you are, sometimes our furry friends have a little accident. It may be difficult to remove these stains and odors with regular cleaners unless you use an enzymatic cleaner to get the job done.
How to Remove Loose Dirt and Dust
Without a vacuum, you can still clean a rug with a stiff-bristled broom and a dustpan. This is an especially easy method of cleaning if you have a low-pile carpet. If you’re cleaning thicker, high-piled or shag carpets, be prepared with a little patience and sharp eye, because it’s easier for dirt to become embedded in the fibers.
How to Disinfect a Carpet
Refresh and disinfect the fibers of your carpet without renting a steam cleaner with the help of a simple homemade solution and a scrub brush. In a bowl or small bucket, mix one part white vinegar with three parts water. Dip the bristles of the scrub brush into the solution and rub them into the carpet.
How to Spot Clean
Spot cleaning is perhaps the most important carpet maintenance that can be done without a machine.
How to Remove Pet Fur
Get in the habit of using a lint brush to remove pet fur from your carpets to help keep them tidy between deep cleanings. Use the brush in areas where there’s visible build-up, and also focus on areas where your pet lays most often. (The furs are likely to be more embedded.) Brush and groom your pet more frequently to help keep your carpets clean.
How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?
To keep your carpet looking and performing well for as long as possible, manufacturers recommend having your carpet cleaned at minimum every 12–18 months, depending on the amount of traffic in your home. In fact, such frequent cleaning is a condition of many warranties —be sure to carefully read your warranty information.
Nylon Carpet
While regular cleaning is important for all types of carpet, it is especially true in the case of nylon carpeting. Nylon contains a hydrogen molecule. This is the primary source of nylon's resiliency.
Hot Water Extraction and So-Called "Steam Cleaning"
The method of carpet cleaning recommended by most carpet manufacturers is hot water extraction, which is more commonly (though slightly incorrectly) known as steam cleaning. In the hot water extraction method, hot water is essentially sprayed on the carpet and then sucked back into the machine, along with any dirt that was on the carpet.
Professional Carpet Steam Cleaning
Professional cleaners may use either a truck-mounted unit or a portable machine. The portable machine has obvious benefits, such as being able to be used in apartment and condo buildings in units that would otherwise be beyond the reach of a truck-mounted unit's hose.
DIY Carpet Steam Cleaning
There is an abundance of do-it-yourself (DIY) steam cleaning machines available for either rent or purchase. With so many different machines on the market, it can lead you to wonder if you should skip calling in the professionals and just tackle the job yourself.
Risks of DIY
Generally, DIY machines do not heat the water to the same high temperature as professional machines, which results in less effective cleaning. In addition, these machines are not as powerful as the ones professionals use, which means that they are not able to extract as much of the water (and therefore dirt) from the carpet.
Cost-Saving Concerns
If you are concerned about the cost of having a professional come to clean your carpets, consider having only the "traffic areas" cleaned. This means that your big pieces of furniture, like the sofa, bed, etc., are left in place and the cleaner simply goes around them.
How to Make a DIY Carpet Cleaning Solution
If you’re sick of spending your hard-earned money on commercial carpet cleaners, or are looking to find more environmentally friendly ways to clean your carpets, we put together several excellent DIY carpet cleaning solution recipes that you can make from the comfort of your home with everyday chemical-free ingredients.
Commercial Carpet Cleaner Solutions
If you don’t want to make your own DIY cleaner, here the best carpet cleaning solution that you can buy online.
How to Best Clean Your Carpet Manually
The carpet in your home should be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis to help it continue to look great and for it to last longer. Along with vacuuming your carpet on a weekly basis, it needs to be deep cleaned several times a year to remove ground in dirt and stains.
Ingredients
To make your homemade carpet cleaner, you'll need just a few ingredients you likely have in your bathroom and kitchen. Gather together:
Instructions
Mix the white vinegar and baking soda to form a paste. Work the paste into the carpet stain with an old toothbrush, or something similar. Allow the paste to dry, and then vacuum up the baking soda. The stain should be gone.
Why This Works and Benefits
The acetic acid in vinegar dissolves stains and also neutralizes odors—just what you need to clean carpets. There are also many benefits to using a homemade carpet cleaner and cleaning solution. In addition to being inexpensive compared to store-bought products, they:
Tips and Warnings
Always do a spot test in an inconspicuous area before applying any carpet cleaner to a large area. Some rugs may bleed when you wet them, so it's important to test colorfastness—even if you're using a store-bought product.
Carpet Deodorizer and Other Cleaning Recipes
If you just need to freshen up your carpet, you can quickly make a homemade carpet deodorizer. It's great for neutralizing pet odors. Or, create a simple air freshener that you can use on your carpets.
