A Guide to Deep Cleaning Your Carpets

Just about every household in America has a vacuum in the closet that someone in the house uses for everyday carpet cleaning and vacuuming which is necessary to remove loose sand, pet hair, and regular messes that end up on the floor. In order to keep your expensive carpet looking at its best, only vacuuming is not enough. Carpets need thorough deep cleaning on a regular basis. A good deep cleaning method will allow you to get the most life out of your big flooring investment. The more spills, dirt, and other "stuff" that stays on the carpet, the more the carpet wears out, and not everything is removed with a regular Singer or Dirt Devil.

Once a year or year and a half, you should refresh your carpet and extend its life by deep cleaning it. The difference between a carpet that has been only vacuumed and one that has had a deep cleaning is amazing; the carpet will look so clean and smell so fresh; deep cleaning is almost like a miracle for your tired, dirty, stained carpeting.

There are several ways a carpet can be deep cleaned. You can do it yourself, if you want to give that a try, but special equipment is required and the work is difficult and time consuming. You would also need to purchase special carpet shampoo for whatever material your carpet is made of and follow the guidelines your carpet manufacturer recommends for deep cleaning your specific type of carpeting.

Although it is possible to deep clean your carpets yourself, it is probably worth the small investment necessary to have a professional who specializes in deep carpet cleaning come to your home and do it for you. A reputable company can take the worry out of the process and do a difficult job for you, and most deep cleanings are an affordable way to get the most life out of your carpet. A professional cleaning costs much less than having to buy new carpet after all.

When a professional comes to assess your carpet cleaning needs, he will be able to tell what fibers your carpet is comprised of and determine the best way to clean your rug. There are five ways to choose from: 1) absorbent pad; 2) rotary shampooing; 3) steam cleaning (extracting stains and dirt with hot water); 4) dry foam; or 5) dry extraction.

Steam cleaning is probably the most common method of deep cleaning, and either you as the homeowner or a professional can do it. The hassle of buying or renting a steam cleaner, however, makes it much more convenient to hire someone. They will bring all the necessary supplies with them, and usually carpet-cleaning companies will have two people working at once, so the job will be finished quickly. Hot water extraction, or what we commonly call steam cleaning, requires pre cleaning treatment of the carpet with a dirt-loosening solvent. Then, the steam machine injects hot water into the carpet and dirt and stains disappear up the strong suction device that picks up both the water and the nasty stuff that is making your carpet ugly and draining it of its life.

Using the absorbent pad method for deep carpet cleaning is also quite effective, as are all the methods of deep cleaning, but this is one method the homeowner really can't be expected to do. With this type of cleaning, a special machine has absorbent pads attached to spinners that absorb the stains and soil right out of your carpet.

Strong, durable carpets can be cleaned using the dry extraction method. With this type of carpet cleaning, specially made solvents or cleaners are instilled way down into the carpet fibers then, the cleaning agent draws all the dirt and other pollutants to it. Finally, the cleaning solution, stains and soil are removed with suction (vacuum).

Using the dry foam extraction method of deep cleaning is sometimes recommended for natural fiber carpeting such as woolen carpet. Similar to the other ways carpet can be cleaned, the professional carpet-cleaning employee applies a cleaning agent that becomes foam. The foam works to attract and loosen trod-in stains and dirt, and once enough time has passed for all the grime to be loosened, the foam and dirt are vacuumed away.

Rotary shampooing is just what its name implies. A special carpet shampoo is applied to the carpet and with the help of a special machine with powerful spinning brushes, the carpet is cleaned by the combination of the shampoo and the power of the rotating heads on the deep cleaning machine.

A professional can help you decide which the best option for your carpet is, and how often a deep cleaning should be done based on your lifestyle; obviously, if you have pets and or young children, your carpet would benefit by more frequent deep cleaning in addition to your regular weekly vacuuming. The best way to deep clean the carpet can be determined by the material out of which your carpet is made and the recommendations of the carpet manufacturer. Regardless of the method, regularly deep cleaning your carpets is important and will help your carpet last longer and look better.