Your carpets can get quite messy. If you have children and dogs running in and out all day, it can be a natural harbour for dirt and bacteria. The unspoken rule is that you should clean your carpets at least once per year. Most people try to do it without the help of a professional, and they get lackluster results. Have you ever had an epic carpet cleaning failure? To ensure that your carpets are properly sanitized, and you have no lingering residue or other issues, here are seven things to avoid.
Getting a Steam Cleaner from The Grocery Store
One of the biggest things we hear from our customers is that they wasted money using a carpet cleaner from a grocery store. First, a carpet cleaning company has professional equipment that costs thousands of dollars. Do you honestly think a machine that is under $300 is going to do the same job?
Many people don’t even try a carpet cleaning company before they rip up their rugs. They use these store rentals and assume their carpet is ruined. The truth is that many of the stains that you think are permanent, we can get out. It’s all about the technique and the equipment. While these machines have their place, they are abused, banged around, and people don’t use qualified chemicals. All of this means it’s not going to clean as it should.
Using Bleach or Other Harsh Chemicals
Why do people think that they can pour pure bleach into the cleaning water and get spectacular results cleaning their carpets? Bleach is a harsh chemical that can do all sorts of damage to a machine and the rug. You may think your carpet is white, or cream and bleaching won’t hurt it, but it can leave splotches that are discolored. The smell of that much bleach going through all your carpets can be harmful to your lungs, and it’s not a soap. While it’s going to disinfect the rugs, but it’s not going to clean them.
Using Store Bought Cleaners and Skipping Carpet Cleaning Solutions
If you were to take a poll of what people use to clean their carpets, most of them would say whatever cleaner they have in their cabinet. Sure, a pine-scented cleanser smells great, but it’s not made for a carpet machine. Carpet cleaning solutions are prepared for these machines, and they don’t create a lot of suds. They won’t damage the internal parts of the device, and they have stain lifters not found in your average general detergent.
Over Wetting the Carpets
If you have a dog or cat that has used the restroom on the carpets, you may try to saturate those areas to get all the stains out. You need to use a process called hot water extraction. You can’t rent these types of machines at the grocery store either. This machine gets down deep into the carpet and can pull those stains out. If you keep going over the same spot time and again, you are only going to cause the rug to be so saturated that it won’t dry promptly. If that moisture sits for a few days, it can cause the carpet to mold or mildew. Once you have mold that sets up deep in the backing of the rug, there is nothing anyone can do to fix it.
Using Too Much Shampoo
Some people think that if one-fourth of a cup of detergent is good, then one whole cup of soap is even better. While that may be true in some things, it indeed is not true when cleaning carpets. Have you ever tried to clean up a stain using dishwashing liquid and the more you scrub, the more suds appear? Now, imagine doing that in your entire home. Using too much solution can leave a film on the carpet that is nearly impossible to get out. It will settle into the fibers of your rugs and attract dirt rather than help wash it away.
Not Properly Rinsing the Soap Off
Are you one of those people that hold your finger on the soap trigger the entire time you are cleaning the rugs? Well, did you know that after you do a soap and scrub pass, you need to go back over it and rinse it away? Many people go over the carpet once and get the soap down deep in the fibers, but they forget that they need to go over it again to rinse it. These cheap carpet cleaners don’t do a great job of picking up all the water that it put down. If you put down three tubs of water and only picked up one, then it tells you that you have excess water down in your rugs.
Putting Furniture Back on Wet Carpeting
Finally, the biggest mistake that people make is they move the furniture around to shampoo one spot and then move it right back. The legs of couches and chairs have paint, stains, and other materials that will dye the carpets. Have you ever seen rust spots on a rug? It’s caused by the legs of a piece of furniture that sat too long. Some of the stains can be removed, while others will become a fixture in the carpeting. Professionals use blocks and other tricks to keep the furniture legs off the rugs until they dry.
As you can see, it’s effortless to mess up your carpets while trying to clean them. Your rugs are a considerable investment into the comfort of your home. Why settle for a grocery store cleaner when you can have them done right? Sure, it’s going to cost a little bit more to have a professional treat them, but you get the guarantee that it’s done right. You don’t have access to the equipment that a professional cleaning company does, and using the dry method, the carpets are dry in no time. Carpestology Carpet Cleaning wants to get your rugs sparkling clean. When you want them done right, call the best in the business.
