A carpet can be a beautiful part of a home, but after some time it can start to look and feel dirty, and you may wonder what is the best way to keep it clean, using green techniques. Carpets can get especially dirty, because people and animals are always walking on them, tracking dirt in and spilling food or other materials. You can do a carpet cleaning yourself, using green techniques, but often it is best to hire professional carpet cleaning services to get the carpet completely clean.
If you have ever removed an old carpet, you can understand that pounds of dirt and dust get trapped under the carpet over its life. There are ways you can help keep your carpet clean and make it last longer, even using earth-friendly techniques.
Green Cleaning
Green cleaning means using products that are not harmful to you, your family, or the planet. Our main recommended products to use for carpet cleaning include white vinegar, borax, baking soda, salt, hot water, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide. These materials are great cleaning products that you can keep around your house and use as needed.
Green cleaning is not only better for your health and the planet, but it can also save you money. The products we have recommended are cheaper than most cleaning products. You can also buy a pre-made green carpet cleaner, but a DIY carpet cleaner can be just as effective.
Carpet Cleaning Solution DIY
For a great carpet cleaning solution DIY, all you must do is mix a quarter cup salt, quarter cup vinegar, and a quarter cup of borax (you can adjust the quantity you need, just make sure they are equal parts). Then you rub the solution gently into a stubborn stain and let it dry completely. The next step is to vacuum away the dried-up solution and your stain will be gone.
Vacuum
The first step to deep cleaning and maintaining your carpet is to vacuum often. If you wait too long to vacuum, dirt and stains will work their way down into the carpet to a point where they will never come out.
When you are starting your green carpet cleaning, you first want to vacuum the heck out of your carpet, go over it three or four times in different directions to make sure that you get everything you can out of it.
Steam Cleaning
A really effective way that you can get your carpet looking almost new again is to rent or buy a carpet steam cleaner. It may seem intimidating to use this big machine, but you can do it if you follow all of the instructions.
A steam cleaner will put steam into your carpet, which can loosen up all the dirt and debris that is stuck inside of it. Then the machine sucks up the moisture and any debris that came loose.
The steam cleaner will often recommend that you use some sort of chemical cleaning solution on your carpet, but that is not necessary and could leave harmful chemicals in your carpet. It is best just to add a little bit of baking soda and borax into the machine with maybe some essential oils to make it smell better. Also, just plain old water is strong enough to clean your carpet.
Steam cleaners are available to rent in many home improvement stores or equipment rental stores. They will come with a set of instructions and you may be able to ask the person who rents it to you how to operate it.
Furniture Moving
You want to make sure to move all furniture off of the carpet so that you can clean every part of the carpet. After you steam clean, the carpet may be wet for a few hours to a whole day, and you need to wait for it to completely dry to move the furniture back in.
If the drying is taking too long, you may need to use fans or heaters to get all the moisture out more rapidly. If the moisture stays in the carpet too long, it can start to grow mildew or mold, and then you will have a lot of problems getting rid of it.
Why Carpet Cleaning is Important
It is important to keep your carpet clean because the dirt and debris that will get stuck in a carpet can become a hospitable place for bacteria and fungus, which could cause bad odors, degrade the carpet or make you sick.
Regular carpet cleaning, using green products, will keep your home looking beautiful and healthy for you, your family, and guests. It may seem like a huge hassle to deep clean your carpet every year, but it really pays off and you should consider making it a part of your cleaning routine.
Mistakes of Carpet Cleaning
Carpets can be a bit delicate, and people can often ruin them when trying to clean them. A common mistake is rubbing on the carpet too hard. Doing this can damage the carpet fibers and ruin them. Be sure to be gentle when scrubbing your carpet.
Another common mistake is that people will get the carpet too wet. You don’t really want any water to get down into the carpet padding, as this will be even harder to get dry and could make bigger problems. Be sure to use as little moisture as possible when attempting a DIY carpet cleaning.
When to Call the Pros
If this all seems like too much work or too difficult, you can always hire professional carpet cleaners that will do the job quickly and safely. They will move all the furniture and have all the right tools to get the job done correctly. If you have regular carpet cleaning done, your carpet can last for many years more than if you don’t have it cleaned professionally.
Professional carpet cleaners are evolving to use only green products in their services, so you can just ask if they do so or request that they do. Professional carpet cleaners with the right training will do a much better job than you can, and you can spend the time relaxing or working on other important things.
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