Cleaning Carpets With Easy DIY Methods: Best Methods Reviewed

Cleaning carpets with easy DIY methods include all the processes that are executed at home using different home supplies. Such as- cleaning carpets with baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, borax, detergent, liquid dish soap and, so on.  

Introduction:

Installing carpets on the floors add an aesthetic feeling inside every home. Carpets create a cozy and warm environment at cold winter season. People love to sit on a carpeted floor near the fireplace with a cup of tea or coffee while there is biting cold outside. You will enjoy such cold sitting on your carpet in front of the fireplace if your carpets are clean and well sanitized. On the other hand, dirty carpets create bad odors and unhygienic living condition at home. As we use them as floor mats on both indoor and outdoor floors of our houses, they needed to be cleaned on a regular basis which is a part of our household hygiene.

Cleaning carpets and rugs is a tricky job for most DIYers. DIY carpet cleaning is different in many ways from a professional cleaning service. Because professional carpet cleaning requires heavy machineries and commercial cleansing products. On the other hand, you can clean your carpets easily with simple home supplies at cheap cost by following our methods.

Most of the time people find it hard, time consuming and frustrating to clean carpets from both indoor and outdoor floors. But in this article we got you covered. So, don’t worry and follow our methods and you will be able to clean your carpets like a pro without creating a single mess.

Usually people deep clean (shampoo or, steam clean) their carpets once in a six months that’s means twice a year.

Learn about carpet cleaning with ‘alldiysolutions.com’ and apply which methods and tools are best for cleaning or, deep-cleaning your carpets.

7 Benefits Of Cleaning Carpets:

After a proper cleaning, carpets look fresh and smell better. Also, cleaning improves the air quality and the internal environment of your home. Cleaned carpets provide a healthy environment for everybody inside home. If any member of your family suffers from respiratory problems then you must vacuum your carpets on a regular basis (more than 3 times a week).

Here we listed down the 7 basic benefits of regular vacuuming and cleaning of carpets.

1. Eliminates the trapped pollutants from carpets
2. Prevents infestations of dust mites and bedbugs
3. Prevents fungus, mold and mildew growth on the carpet
4. Maintains a healthier living condition
5. Improves air quality
6. Improves Look and extends self life    
7. Removes Carpet Stains

When To Clean Carpets:

After a long time use, your carpets will look dull and dirty. Because carpet fibers easily trap dirt, dust and organic debris rapidly each day. This creates bad odors, unhealthy and irritating living environment. Also, sudden accidents like urination (both human and pet urine), pet faecal matters, spill of liquid products (oil, grease, paints, organic juices, milk) etc. occur on the carpets. In such situations, you must clean or, deep clean your carpets.

Usually people deep clean (shampooing or, steam cleaning) their carpets once in a six months that’s means twice a year.

If you experience these following signs on your carpets then you must deep clean your carpets.

Signs For Cleaning Or, Deep Cleaning Carpets:

• Visible stains with residues
• Visible discoloration
• Persistent bad smells
• Heavy accidental spills
• Accidental blood spills
• Bed bugs and dust mites infestation
• Allergens and pathogens causing health hazards

Why Deep Cleaning Carpets:

Without proper cleaning, trapped organic filths and dust sit on the deep carpet fibers and allow growing different pathogens, bacteria, molds and allergens. These harmful microbes and allergen cause many skin and respiratory diseases. That’s why you have to deep clean your carpets and rugs when it is time. It will help to regain the clean healthy condition. Our recommendation is at least once a year, you have to deep clean (shampooing or, steam cleaning) your carpets properly.  

Carpet Deep Cleaning Methods:

There are two most followed process of carpet deep cleaning. Such as- steam cleaning and shampooing carpets.

Machines That Are Used For Deep-Cleaning Carpets:

To deep-clean carpets you can use these following two machines. Such as-

1. Steam cleaners: Steam cleaners use hot water steams to loosen up the dirt and other deposits on the carpets or rugs. They blast out steams on the carpet then vacuum the debris and store them into a tank along with the filthy water. Also they’re lighter than traditional carpet shampooers.

Tip: Read the user manual first and know if you can clean your carpets with this machine. Because all steam cleaners are not made for carpet cleaning.

2. Carpet shampooers: Traditional carpet shampooers use a solution of hot water and a carpet-cleanser. These machines generate a foam with the cleanser products first and then scrub it on the carpet surface with built in brushes to loosen the filths and dirt. A built in vacuum  system sucks, clean and deposit all the filthy residues, shampoo and the remaining water into a tank. 

Now we recommend following our methods for deep cleaning your carpets. For this you can read and explore these two articles-

1. How to steam clean your carpets at home?
2. How to deep clean carpets using traditional shampooers?

Demerits Of Dirty Carpet:

• Cause respiratory problems (Asthma)
• Poor air quality inside home
• Create unpleasant bad smells
• Trap allergens and pollutants
• cause skin rashes
• Feels weird
• Create unhealthy living condition
• Looks dull and dirty
• Fall of aesthetic morale inside home.

Top Reasons To Clean Carpets By Yourself (DIY Carpet Cleaning)

• Can be executed at home
• Time saving
• Cost effective
• Can be done with home supplies
• Don’t need any expensive commercial cleaning agents
• Saves the labor cost
• Don’t need to carry it to a cleaning service

DIY Methods Of Carpet Cleaning

Cleaning Urine From Carpet Using Water Only:

Cleaning urine from carpets with only water and without any machine is effective for fresh urine stains. If you don’t want any permanent urine stains in your carpets and rugs then you have to clean it immediately while it is fresh. Also, you don’t need any machine to execute the process. You can do it with your hands wearing rubber gloves. All you need is to follow our simple steps with some home supplies like paper towels, spraying bottle, water and heat drier. If needed, you can apply some vinegar with the water to remove the bad smells caused by urination. Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean human urine from carpet using water only?’

Cleaning Carpets With Vinegar:

Vinegar is really good for treating old stains, sanitizing and naturally deodorizing your carpets. For old and stubbornly set urine stains on the carpet, only water is not enough to clean up the mess specially the germs and odors. Don’t worry thinking about another new method, because the cleaning process with vinegar is same as water but the advantage is, vinegar can break down the dried salts for deep absorption and kill the harmful microbes.

In case of deep cleaning, vinegar is not that effective, especially while shampooing carpets. Also a concentrated vinegar solution may damage the color and carpet fibers rather than cleaning them.

You can execute the whole process with home supplies. Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean human urine from carpet with vinegar?’

Cleaning Carpets With Baking Soda:

Baking soda is an excellent cleaning agent because of its powerful alkalinity. To remove bad smells of human or pet urine, baking soda is the best household remedy. It can permanently remove the odors from the rugs and carpets. But the process of cleaning carpet with baking soda is lengthy. That’s why you need to start cleaning at early night time and let the baking soda sit overnight after applying on the carpet. You can execute the whole process with home supplies.

If you use a combined solution of baking soda and acid on your carpets, you will get more effective and better result. Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean urine from carpet with baking soda?’

Cleaning Carpets With Borax:

Borax is the salt of boric acid available in the market at an affordable price. Borax can be an effective home supply for DIYers to clean their carpets. Usually it is not considered for carpet deep cleaning. But it is really effective for treating fresh spills, removing stains and bad smells from carpets.

Also, borax is a stronger cleaner than baking soda. Because its alkalinity is stronger than baking soda (P^H of borax is 9.5 & P^H of baking soda is 8). Such strong alkalinity made borax an effective and appropriate cleaning agent in certain situations. On the other hand, usually borax is considered as a harsher cleaning agent for carpets and rugs.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean carpet with borax?’

Cleaning Carpets With Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) is a very common pale blue chemical available in almost every pharmacy and super shop. It performs oxidation reaction with organic matters and breaks them to loosen condition. That’s why it is known as a good cleaning agent. While cleaning carpets with Hydrogen peroxide, it comes in contact with organic matters like dirt, blood, urine etc. and breaks them down into oxygen and water for easy removal. Also, its oxidative characteristics can kill bacteria and other pathogens and sanitize your carpets.

The recommended peroxide percentage for household cleanings is 3% and 6% H₂O₂. It is cheaper compare to other commercial carpet cleaning products. Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean carpets with hydrogen peroxide?’

Cleaning Glued Down Carpets From Both Indoor & Outdoor Floors:

Indoor and outdoor carpets are manufactured differently to fulfill certain purposes. Indoor carpets collect less dust and filths than outdoor carpets. But after a long time both indoor and outdoor carpets get seriously dirty. In that case, we can use glued down carpets longer than non-glued down carpets without cleaning them. Because glued down carpets collect comparatively less dust and moist than non-glued down carpets. But after a certain period of time, both of them should be cleaned properly for hygiene maintenance and feel a sense of freshness.  

Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean glued down carpets from both indoor & outdoor floors?’

Dry Cleaning Carpets At Home:

Carpet dry cleaning refers to use of different types of machines having special features to clean carpets with advance organic or chemical based cleaning agents. These machines and cleanser products enable us with very low moisture or no moisture carpet cleaning process. Dry cleaning of carpets can effectively remove stains, filths, dust, oil, grease, harmful microbes, carpet bugs etc. and bring back the fresh and healthy condition. Dry cleaning through a steaming machine is really effective to maintain hygiene with carpets inside home. Clean carpets are visually pleasing, healthy and last for a long time. 

Check out the complete article on ‘5 easy steps: how to dry clean carpets at home?’

Dry Cleaning Carpets At Home : The Encapsulation Method:

Carpet dry cleaning is done with different types of machines having unique features to clean carpets with advance organic or chemical based cleaning products. These machines and cleanser products can execute very low moisture or, no moisture carpet cleaning process.

Over the last decade carpet cleaning machines, methods and cleaning agents have evolved and altered a lot with the help of modern technology. Modern technology has made those carpet cleaning methods easier. For example, encapsulation carpet cleaning is more effective, easier, time saving and most importantly cost-effective method compared to many old water based carpet cleaning processes. 

Check out the complete article on how to dry clean carpets at home : the encapsulation method.

Shampooing Carpets At Home:

Shampooing carpet is really effective especially when it is time to deep clean them. Generally, carpets look dull after a long time of use because they easily trap dirt, dust, grease, and allergens daily and create bad odors and irritating living condition at home. In such situation you need to shampoo your carpets to bring back the fresh and hygienic condition. Generally, it is good to shampoo the carpets at least once or twice a year. This method is also cost effective.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to shampoo carpets at home?’

Steam Cleaning Carpets At Home:

Steam cleaning of carpets is considered as the most effective deep cleaning method to remove stubbornly trapped dirt and filths in the carpet fibers and bring back the good appearance. Also, you don’t need to use any chemical based cleaning agent. This method is executed through a steaming machine filled with your regular home supplies like detergent or, shampoo. Choose a good day with dry sunny weather so that you can keep the windows open while cleaning and let the carpets dry automatically. On the other hand, latest steam cleaners have smart features like using optimum amount of water to ensure your carpets don’t get over saturated and dry quickly. 

Also, steaming is an easier and quicker process (while executing and drying) compared to shampooing carpets. So, we recommend steaming your carpets over shampooing though both are cost-effective methods.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to steam clean your carpets at home?’

Removing Gums From Carpet:

If there is gum on your carpet then you have to apply ice on the gum stain. Completely freeze the gum with ice and gently peel it out from the carpet. Use a butter knife if necessary to scrape it off. If the gum cracks or breaks while peeling then don’t worry about it. Just use the ice again on it and scrap it off fully. Finally, apply some detergent or, vinegar on the spot and rub it until the stain is removed.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to remove gums from carpet?’

Remove Wax From Carpet:

You can remove wax through two methods. Such as-

By using ice:

Removing wax from carpet using ice is completely same as removing gum with ice.

By using hot iron:

You can also remove wax from carpets using a hot iron. First, scrap off the larger wax pieces with a butter knife then place a slightly wet (dampened) white towel on the spot. Run a hot iron over the towel carefully and do it for 10 to 15 seconds. The towel will absorb/blot the melted wax and clean the spot. Repeat the process if necessary. Finally, apply some detergent or, vinegar solution on the spot and rub it until the stain is completely removed.

Checkout the complete article on ‘how to remove wax from carpet?’

Cleaning Red Wine Stains From Carpet:

Accidental spill of red wine on the carpets happens. In such cases, the problem is, most of the drinks have natural or food grade colors. And these colored drinks will definitely leave a stain on your carpets if it is not cleaned properly.

For example, if there is spillage of red wine on your carpet then start cleaning while it is fresh, otherwise it will leave a stubborn reddish stain on your carpet. Use paper towels to blot the wine as much as possible. Repeat it (blotting) if necessary. Then use some salt (NaCl) to cover the wet spot so that it can soak up rest of the wine stain. Leave it that way for the whole night and then scoop away the salt with a spoon. Then vacuum the spot properly to clean up the remaining salt and other dirt.

We have brought you 5 easiest DIY methods cleaning red wine stains from carpets. You can choose any method from them depending on the supplies you have and condition of the stain (fresh or, old). Checkout the complete article on ‘how to clean red wine stains from carpet?‘

Cleaning Blood Stains From Carpet:

Blood stains are really stubborn and smelly if they become old. That’s why it is better to clean up blood stains as soon as possible.

Blood is a thicker jelly like liquid. So, never rub or, try to blot the fresh blood stains with towels/paper towels at the first place. Spray cold water on it to dilute the blood jell. Then blot up the blood stain with paper towels. Repeat the process with only cold water several times until the stain is completely gone

In case of dried and old blood stains, use a carpet brush to loosen up the dried blood by gently brushing the fibers and then vacuum the spot. Then you can apply Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) on the stain to completely remove it. Or, you can use a simple water & salt (1:0.5) solution to treat the old blood stains.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to clean blood stains from carpet?’ 

Removing Coffee And Tea Stains From Carpet:

Accidental spill of coffee, tea and other drinks on the carpets happens and leaves stains. But the acidic character of tea and coffee makes it difficult to remove such stains. In case of fresh stains, first blot the extractable liquid as much as you can by using paper towels or a piece of dry white cloth.

Now make a 2:1 solution of hydrogen peroxide and clear liquid dish soap (meaning- add 2 tablespoons of H₂O₂ with 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap). Then carefully apply the solution on the stains through a soft-bristled brush and wait for 10 minutes.

After this, use cold water to rinse the stains. Do not over saturate the carpets. Now blot dry the spot. If necessary, repeat the process to completely remove the stains.

Check out the complete article on ‘how to remove coffee and tea stains from carpet?’

Cleaning Nail Polish Stains From Carpet:

Home supplies like window cleaner, rubbing alcohol, hairspray and other non-acetone dye-free stain removers can be used to remove nail polish stains. Because they have the ability to break down and dissolve nail polish. But in your dark colored carpets you should not use non-acetone dye-free stain remover to avoid color damage.

First, blot the stain with paper towels to remove the excess nail polish. Then apply your preferred stain remover by a piece of cloth or white paper towels and carefully dab the stain until the nail polish fades away. After this clean the spot with the help of liquid soap and warm water solution. Soak up the moisture or, water by paper towels as much as you can.

Finally, air dry the spot and you’re done with cleaning nail polish stains from your carpets.

Check out the complete article with DIY solutions on ‘how to clean nail polish stains from carpet?’

Removing Paints From Carpet:

While painting walls, ceilings, upholsteries etc. inside our home there are high chances of spillage of paints on the carpets which should be cleaned immediately.  

There are different types of paints available in the market. Removal of paint stains from carpets depends on what type of paint you are using. Usually people use oil and water based paints for coloring houses. For both water and oil based paints use a mild solution of clear liquid dish soap and warm water to clean them. 

Check out the complete article on ‘how to remove paints from carpet?‘   

Cleaning Carpets With Salt:

To remove pesky red wine stains from carpets, salt’ can be the best homemade remedy for DIYers. Its better you start cleaning the red wine stain immediately while it is fresh. To begin with, use some paper towels to blot up as much wine as possible. Then apply sufficient regular salt (NaCl) on the stain and leave it for the night or, until it turns into reddish color. Now vacuum the spot properly to clean up the salt and other dirt. Repeat the process if necessary until the stain is gone.

For dried up red wine stains, try a solution of water and vinegar (1:0.5) solution to soak up the spot first. Then blot up the moisture using paper towels and repeat the whole process with salt as it is briefed above.

Checkout the complete article on ‘how to clean red wine stains from carpet?‘

Cleaning Carpets With Lemon Juice:

A little raw lemon juice can remove stains from fabrics and carpets with its vinegar like chemical characters. For old and stubborn stains, make a solution with raw lemon juice, water and liquid dish soap maintaining a suitable ratio (1:1:1). Lemon juice may discolor your colorful carpets and other fabrics with its bleaching capability. That’s why it is good to use on pale grey colored carpets. Now, you can shampoo your carpet stains with this solution using a brush or, scrubber by your hands.

Check out this article on ‘how to shampoo carpets without a shampooer?’ or, ‘how to shampoo carpets by hands?’ 

Issues During Or, After Carpet Cleaning With DIY Solutions:

Cleaning carpets and rugs is tough to most people. Also, DIY carpet cleaning is different from professional cleaning services. It requires skills and patience. Without patience and proper knowledge you may damage the carpet in many ways. Also you may face several issues during or after cleaning the carpets. Such as wicking, color damage, mildew like smells etc.

That’s why most people find it hard, time consuming and frustrating to clean carpets from both indoor and outdoor floors. But we got you covered with such issues and brought you the solutions.

Cost Effective Methods Of Carpet Cleaning For DIYers:

Any carpet cleaning method, that is executed by yourself at home will be considered as cost-effective carpet cleaning method. Because, in DIY carpet cleaning, you will use home supplies to complete the process. This saves money more than half of a commercial cleaning.   

Among all the methods of carpet cleaning we have enlisted the simple and cost-effective ones bellow-

• Cleaning carpets with baking soda
• Cleaning carpets with vinegar
• Cleaning carpets with hydrogen peroxide
• Cleaning carpets using lemon juice
• Cleaning carpets with water
• Cleaning carpets with borax
• Cleaning carpets using salt
• Steam cleaning carpets at home
• Shampooing carpets at home

Methods That Don’t Require Any Commercial Cleaning Agent

You can clean carpets without using any cleaning agent if you follow some traditional ways. There are some carpet cleaning processes that don’t require any commercial cleaning products. You can clean them with simple home supplies, such as salt, water, lemon juice etc. Also baking soda, dish soap, detergent and vinegar will be considered as home supplies if you avoid using commercial carpet cleaning products.

Commercial cleaning products are manufactured in factories only for cleaning carpets. Also these products are manufactured based on specific carpet cleaning machine. That means, all commercial cleaning agents will not work well with every device. This is really a problem for DIYers. In such cases, don’t worry, because we got you covered with some mostly practiced traditional carpet cleaning methods.  

We have enlisted some carpet cleaning methods that don’t require any cleaning agent. They are considered as traditional DIY carpet cleaning processes. Such as-

• Cleaning carpets with salt
• Cleaning carpets using water only (fresh stains)
• Cleaning carpets using lemon juice
• Cleaning carpets with baking soda
• Shampooing carpets with liquid dish soap or, detergent

Methods That Don’t Require Any Cleaning Machine

Pre-treating stains before deep cleaning carpets are mostly done separately with hands. If you only work on some specific stains (fresh or, old) then you have to give enough time for cleaning. There are some methods that don’t need any carpet cleaning device. You can simply execute those methods wearing rubber gloves. Such as-

• Cleaning carpets with salt
• Cleaning carpets using water only (fresh stains)
• Cleaning carpets using lemon juice
• Cleaning carpets with baking soda
• Cleaning carpets with borax
• Treating old urine stains with vinegar

For these above processes you will be needed the following arrangements-

• Rubber gloves
• Towels/Paper towels/Wet napkins/sponge 
• Water
• White vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Baking soda
• Borax
• Regular salt (NaCl)
• Spray bottles

Collect all the supplies and tools needed and follow our methods. In that case, we recommend you never going for a deep clean of your carpets without a cleaning device. Otherwise it will be foolish and frustrating. 

Best Carpet Shampoo:

You have to choose a cleanser product that is applicable with the shampooer on your hand. Because, all cleaning agents may not work well with every device. That’s why the carpet-cleaning machine manufacturer companies also produce specific cleaning agents for a specific machine. This combination of device and shampoo will provide you with best carpet cleaning experience.

So, we can say that the best’ carpet shampoo is the one which comes with the machine from the same company.

Also, cleaning agents that contain vegetable oil based detergents are mostly used for shampooing heavily dirty, soiled, and greasy carpets. For example, Citra-fresh is one of the best cleanser products for deep cleaning or, shampooing all kinds of carpets including carpets with silk and woolen fiber. These kind of commercial cleaning products are biodegradable and available with a reasonable price. 

However, some commercial cleanser products have great customer reviews such as OxiClean, Nature’s Miracle etc.

Handling Old And Stubborn Stains:

For removing old and stubborn carpet stains, you have to follow specific methods with specific tools and cleanser depending on what caused the stains. These methods are highly applied for pre-treating old stains before deep cleaning carpets.

Before deep cleaning your carpets, it’s important to treat old and stubborn stains. Then vacuum the entire carpet surface to remove the loose dirt, debris and hair. Now your carpet is ready for a good deep clean. Here are some stains types, which should be pre-treat before deep cleaning.  

• Coffee and tea stains: Treat it with white vinegar and water solution.
• Red wine stains: Use regular salt (NaCl) to pre-treat red wine stains from carpets.
• Pet urine stains: Treat it with white vinegar and water solution.
• Grease and oil stains: baking soda
• Ink stains: Apply rubbing alcohol for pre-treating old ink stains.
• Blood stains: Cold water and Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) is effective for removing blood stains from carpets.
• Paints: Use a mild solution of clear liquid dish soap and warm water to clean both oil and water based paints.

Checkout the complete article on ‘how to remove old and stubborn urine stains from carpets?‘

Best DIY Cleaning Products For Carpet:

Vinegar is the most used natural carpet cleaner and deodorizer adopted by many DIYers and recommended by many professionals.

Baking Soda is considered as a good DIY cleaning agent because of its mild alkalinity. That’s why baking soda can easily loosen up and dissolve dirt and grease in water for an effective cleaning.

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) performs oxidation reaction with organic matters and breaks them to loosen condition. That’s why it is known as a good DIY cleaning agent. Its oxidative characteristics can kill bacteria and other pathogens and sanitize your carpets.

White tooth paste is a good baking soda substitute cleaning carpets (white toothpaste contains some baking soda anyway). Toothpaste has abrasive crystal in it which makes itself a great cleaning solution for removing stains and odors from carpets. Also white toothpaste is used for whitening different glass and crystal made upholstery.

Dry cleaning solvents for carpets and rugs are petroleum-based chemicals that are capable of dissolving dirt, stains, oil, grease etc. without water. Commercially many dry cleaning agents are available in the market such as ‘Capture Absorbent Carpet & Rug Dry Cleaning Powder.’

On the other hand, all the ‘Encapsulants’ are technically dry cleaning agents. 

There more than dozens of commercial carpet cleaning products are available in the market. They are highly effective at cleaning and sanitizing carpets. But the issue with them is, they are expensive and need specific machines to apply on the carpets to clean.   

Cleaning products for carpets can be home supplies or commercial cleaning agents. Best examples are for you in the table-

Best Homemade Carpet Cleaning Agents:

• Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) is the best homemade carpet stain remover among white vinegar, salt, liquid dish soap and detergent. It is really effective for cleaning old, stubborn and ground-in stains. You can combine it with liquid dish soap for better result.
• Salt can minimize longer drying time while cleaning a carpet. Because salt works as an absorbent (like baking soda) which absorbs the liquid from pee stains or a soaked carpet.
• Baking soda is a good for cleaning dirty carpets with mild alkaline character.
• Vinegar is best for treating old stains, disinfesting and naturally deodorizing smelly carpets.
• Club soda is good for removing red wine and juice stains. It works well on fresh spills.
• Liquid dish soap is mostly used in shampooing carpets and fresh stains.
• Detergent is mostly used in shampooing carpets. Gives better result if used in a combination with vinegar.  
• Cornstarch, Ice cubes, shaving cream are also good substitute carpet cleaners.
• Tooth paste is a good substitute for baking soda. It contains abrasive crystals, fluorides and deodorizing agents. 
• Lemon juice is good for removing both fresh and old stains from carpets. Also, deodorizes the carpets naturally.

Sanitizing Or, Disinfecting Carpets:

Dirty carpet looks dull, feels weird and smells bad. Also, make the air quality and internal environment poor of your home. Long term deposited organic filths and dust sit in the deep carpet fibers and allow growing different pathogens, bacteria, molds and allergens which cause many skin and respiratory diseases. That’s why you have to disinfect your carpets and rugs regularly to regain the healthy environment.

Steam cleaning the entire carpet is considered as the most effective cleaning and disinfecting process. Also, Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide are good disinfectants for carpets.

Before starting the disinfecting process you have to vacuum up the entire carpet to remove the loose debris and hair. Also, you have to pre-treat the stains and then start the sanitizing process.

For DIY carpet disinfecting processes you will be needed the following supplies-

1. Vinegar: It is a cost-effective and natural way of carpet disinfecting
2. Hydrogen Peroxide: H₂O₂ is a great disinfectant for dirty carpets
3. Steaming Machine: Best and most effective way of carpet sanitization  

Tips & Tricks For Easy DIY Carpet Cleaning:

Tips And Strategies For Keeping Your Carpet Looking Fresh

Regular cleaning of carpets extends their lifetime and keeps up healthy and fresh living environment inside our home. There are many ways to keep your carpet clean and bright looking. All you need is to follow our maintenance strategy-

• Deep cleaning carpets (steam cleaning or, shampooing) once or twice a year is really necessary and the best way to bring back the fresh and shiny condition of the carpets.
• Take immediate actions or, cleanup fresh pee stains and faecal matters of your pets.
• Check your machineries or carpet cleaners on a regular basis if they are functioning properly.
• Check and clean the vacuum so that it can suck up maximum dirt, dust, and water according to its capability.
• Vacuum your carpets on a regular basis (once or twice a week) so that less dust and dirt are trapped on the carpets.
• HVAC filters should be cleaned or changed to ensure better trapping of dust.
• Use doormats at the entrance door and leave your shoes on the shoe racks. Make sure no one step on and walk around on the carpets with their shoes on coming from outdoor.
• Use separate shoes or slippers inside home and also request your guests to leave the shoes at the shoe rack each time the visit.

Tips & Warnings On Carpet Dry Cleaning

DIYers may face some obstacles while dry cleaning their carpets first time. So, we (alldiysolutions.com team) have came up with the following solutions and tips-

• Scrap away the soil or mud, wax and gums like solid and semisolid substances from the carpet fibers before the execution of the dry cleaning process.
• Always vacuum and brush the entire carpet to remove the loose hair and dusts before the main process.
• Also, treat the old and tough stains separately before you start the cleaning method.

Precautions To Maintain While Cleaning Carpets

• Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂), Acetone stain remover or paint thinner and commercial carpet cleaners etc. can be applied on paint stains. But we suggest you to test the cleanser product before applying it on the carpet. You can easily test it on a smaller section of the carpet. There are high chances of color damage with Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂), if it is applied on dark colored carpets. We recommend using H₂O₂ on light colored carpets.
• Oil-based paints create and emit harmful fumes which may cause serious health hazard. But you can easily mitigate this problem. All you need is to maintain well ventilation in the room while cleaning. Using a fan make the ventilation more effective.
• Baking soda should not be used in any kind of surface with deep grooves or cracks. Because a white and dusty residue is left behind after it dries which is then deposited on those grooves or, cracks.
• To clean pet hair from carpets, rugs and other furniture on a regular basis, choose a vacuum cleaner which have tangle-resistant brushes and also designed for homes with pets.
• If your vacuum is not working properly then it will be a mess even after cleaning your carpets properly. Because the last step of cleaning with baking soda, salt, borax, enacapsulants is to vacuum up everything from the carpets.

Removing Bad Smells Or, Deodorizing Carpets Naturally

Dirty carpets emit bad smells due to accumulated dirt and organic debris. Don’t get upset about this loss of morale inside your home. We brought you some easy and cost-effective ways to solve this problem. These cleaning methods are executed with homemade natural ingredients. These ingredients will clean and deodorize your carpets naturally at home.

• Baking soda: Baking soda is the top recommendation by professionals for removing bad smells and deodorizing carpets. Check out this article on ‘how to clean carpets with baking soda?’

• Essential oils: Some essential oils are highly effective for removing unpleasant odors from carpets. Such as- few drops of peppermint or, lavender oil is enough to deodorize your carpets if mixed with the cleaning solution.

• Lemon juice and baking soda: Combined solution of baking soda and lemon juice is a powerful carpet deodorizer. This solution can eliminate old and unpleasant smells from your carpets. Check out this article on ‘how to clean carpets with lemon juice and baking soda solution?’
• Vinegar and water: Cleaning carpets with vinegar and water (1:1) solution is the best way to make your carpets smell good naturally. Vinegar can break down the dried salts for deep absorption and eliminate the harmful microbes and odors. Check out this article on ‘how to clean carpets with vinegar and water solution?

Health Hazards Of Combining Household Chemicals While Cleaning Carpets

DIYers are highly self-encouraged to prepare their own carpet cleaning solutions with commonly used home supply or, household cleaning agents (eg: vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon, etc. ). Though these homemade solutions are effective at cleaning and sanitizing carpets, sometimes accidental health hazard occurs if we don’t know about the chemical properties of those cleaning agents. Because, the mixing of different chemicals may create and emit toxic fumes or produce corrosive products. That’s why all DIYers must know about the chemicals and their pattern of reactions and the risk factors while combining them together before execute them. Some examples are as follows-  

• Never mix bleaching powder with vinegar. Because this combination will produce toxic Chlorine gas which will lead you to breathing problems, coughing, burning eyes, watery eyes. Bleach + Vinegar = Chlorine gas
• Never mix bleach with ammonia. Because this will produce Chloramine which will cause chest pain and breathing problems. Bleach + Ammonia = Chloramine
• Don’t mix bleach with rubbing alcohol because it will produce highly toxic Chloroform. Bleach + Rubbing alcohol = Chloroform
• Don’t mix Hydrogen peroxide with Vinegar because this combination will produce peroxyacetic acid which is a highly corrosive product.

We recommend reading the user manual and cautioning labels of each product before use. Always keep them in a safe place which is away from children, pets and sunlight.

Most Effective DIY Carpet Cleaning Method:

You have to decide and choose a carpet cleaning method based on the volume of the mess and the type of carpet fiber. For example, both steaming and shampooing are deep cleaning methods for carpets. But steaming is easier and quicker than shampooing carpets.

So, we recommend steaming your carpets over shampooing as the most effective DIY carpet cleaning method.

Reasons:

• Steam cleaning of carpets effectively removes stubbornly trapped dirt, dust and pollutants from the deep carpet fibers.
• You don’t need any additional chemical either. You can execute this method at home with simple home supplies like detergent, shampoo, liquid dish soap, vinegar etc. All you need is managing a carpet steaming machine.
• Steam cleaning the entire carpet is considered as the most effective disinfecting process.
• Prevents dust mite and bed bug infestation. Also, inhibit the growth of molds and different pathogens which lower the health risks.
• Eliminate unpleasant odors from carpets and improves the air quality insides home.
• Latest steam machines have smart features like using optimum amount of water to ensure your carpets don’t get over saturated and dry quickly.

 Get the complete article on ‘ how to steam clean your carpets at home?’

Final Touch:

DIY Solutions Team of alldiysolutions.com recommends vacuuming your carpets routinely. Carpets should be patiently vacuumed twice a week to maintain dust and allergen free environment inside home. To gain the above benefits of cleaning carpets, we recommend deep cleaning your carpets (shampooing or, steam cleaning) at least twice a year.

So, we believe that people who find it tricky and gross and don’t know ‘how to clean carpets at home?’ is no more a bigger problem. In fact, it was never been that hard if people have already followed any carpet cleaning process described above.

References:

1. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/4374F (Microsporum canis)
2. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/44H96 (Mucor plumbeus)