Choosing the best carpet cleaning method can be confusing. In time, spot cleaning just doesn’t seem to work. One day you turn around just to find your carpet is a shade darker compared to when you bought it or else you do a hard work spot cleaning just to expose how filthy the rest of your carpet actually is. The single best way to do carpet cleaning is steaming. 

This method involves using steam to clean the carpet. It is also known as hot water extraction method because it uses very hot water, however the actual temperature varies since professional firms have better means to deliver hotter water compared to home water heaters. This method is very popular because it works effectively. Though dry cleaning uses less water and can combat biological impurities just as steam cleaning in some cases, steam cleaningworks perfectly on stains because it’s hot and hotness boosts cleaning.

Moreover, steam cleaning penetrates better to combat more viruses and germs, especially when the water is hot enough. In addition, dust mites perish when the water is very hot. The other great benefit of steam cleaning is that the hot water assists improve the carpet fibers as well as brings curl and springs back to the fibers. Steam cleaning is the only method known to offer actual deep cleaning and it’s suitable for most carpetsapart from those with special fibers like sisal, wool, silk and other natural fibers and hand-loomed carpets or oriental rugs.

You should first vacuum your carpet thoroughly before steam cleaning it if you want to achieve good results. You should never use carpet cleanersto vacuum your carpet as they are precisely designed to clean and at least somewhat dry carpets, removing dirt as they go. Below are tips on how to vacuum your carpet thoroughly:

1. Remove all books, toys and other items from the floor

2. If possible remove furniture and furnishing from your carpetas this can make your job easier. Professionals usually lift the furniture up the carpet, raising it like that until the carpetdries using chipping and blocking. For your case, you can make use of small pieces of board to raise the furniture well enough such that you can get under it.

3. Go around the base of the fireplace hearth, walls and every edge of the carpet

4. You can make use of crevice attachment to get to the base of heftier and immobile furniture. 

5. Use flooring attachment to vacuum beneath heftier furniture, such as a raised armchair or sofa.

6. Use a standard vacuum set-up to vacuum the carpet gradually in one direction with a back-and-forth motion. After you are through, repeat the process once more on a 90-degree angle. Even though this looks like overkill, vacuuming from every direction make sure that every fiber’s side is cleaned as carpetfibers are essentially twisted.

Though steam cleaning machines can remove a lot of dirt and dust from the carpet, the heat involved may set stains, making it very tough to get rid of them. Hence, you should treat stains first before you steam cleanyour carpet as this will help you avoid finding stains returning to your carpetjust a few days after cleaning it. This is because the process of steam cleaning forces the stain into the carpet pad and after some time the stains become visible. All you need to remove stains from your carpet is white vinegar, salt and borax. Mix ¼ cup of vinegar, ¼ cup of salt and ¼ cup of borax and then smear this mixture to stains or deeply soiled parts of your carpet. Leave the paste on the carpet for some hours until it completely dries and then vacuum it away.

If you were not able to clear all the furniture from the room, you will need to cut squares of aluminum foil or wax paper and slide them underneath the edges of all furniture in the room. This helps safeguard your furniture as well as prevent it from absorbing moisture that may remain after steam cleaning. You should leave the furniture covered until the carpetdries completely, usually about one day.

It is always important to spot-test any cleaning agents you plan to make use of to clean your carpet. It is advisable to pretest in a hidden part of your carpet and in this way you can avoid damaging or making your carpet fade due to using the wrong cleaning product. Many steam cleanersproducers endorse using their specially-formulated cleaning solutions. 

You can use a one step process or two step process to steam clean your carpet. The most important thing to know that many steam cleanersare made to drip water while you are pushing them forward and remove it when you are pulling it back in your direction. Hence, you should pull the steam cleaner very slowly in order to remove large volume of water as when excess water is left behind it can make your carpet padding to become soaked, leading to mildew, mold and awful odors. To avoid this, it is also important to steam clean your carpet when the temperature is warm enough such that you can open the windows, considerably speeding up the drying process. 

If you decide to employ the two-step method, you should try to increase the time between the steps and consider using a fan to make the carpetdry faster. You can consider renting a steam cleaner machine from rental centre or a grocery store as they have additional power. The high rental fees and high prices of cleaning agents, a rental steam cleaner can rapidly strain your home budget, but the results attained can be worthwhile. 

When steam cleaning is done by a professional, the results achieved are great as professionals have very powerful equipment than you can rent or buy and they also have great experience in removing stains. However, it is important to carry out a thorough research before settling on the steam cleaning firm to use for your carpet cleaning so to make sure you get the best.