Steam cleaning is just another advanced way to clean all stubborn dust and debris from your carpets. With proper timing and instruments, you can efficiently deal with the dust that’s stuck deep inside the carpets. But how to deep clean carpet with steam cleaner?
Start when the foot traffic is low and move all the furniture to make space. Then clean the baseboards and other dust manually. Use a vacuum cleaner twice to suck up the dry and loose dust. After that, deal with the stubborn spots. Fill the steam cleaner container and start steaming the carpet. Finally, give it enough time to dry.
Most people prefer steam cleaning their carpets once a year to eliminate all the stubborn dust and smells. You should also learn the detailed procedure of deep cleaning the mats for a dust-free living room in your house.
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Why Steam Clean Your Carpet?
People prefer to use a steam cleaner for deep cleaning the carpets because it’s a highly effective method.
The cost of the steam cleaner and vacuum cleaner is pretty similar. Most importantly, it can remove bacteria, fungi, viruses, allergens, and other disease-causing microorganisms along with the inground stains and dust.
Steam cleaning gives your carpet a new look and helps it stay fresh. You will feel comfortable around a fresh-looking rug too. It also increases the longevity of your carpets and adds value to your house.
As it removes the allergens, you can breathe fresh air at your home. Even your family members will be at less risk of allergic reactions because of dust or other bacteria.
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How To Deep Clean Your Carpets?
As you have learned how important it is to use a steam cleaner, you should also learn how to use it for deep cleaning. The process involves some chemicals and hot water. So, it would be better to wear a face mask and gloves while using a deep clean steam cleaner.
Here’s a basic breakdown of the entire process:
Step 1: Move All the Furniture & Make Space
The term “deep cleaning” is used here. So, you have to remove all the extra furniture, toys, tables, chairs, papers and others. Make the room empty if possible. It’s because any interruption during cleaning will hamper your task. You also can’t clean the sharp corners and hard-to-reach areas otherwise.
If the furniture is too heavy, use alternate options to move them. Place some wax paper, plastic films, or wood blocks around the legs and cover the furniture and avoid exposure to moisture.
If it’s impossible to transfer them, place them aside and clean the exposed area. And then clean the remaining space after moving the furniture back to their place.
Step 2: Clean the Baseboards and Others
As you run steam cleaning, you should also knock off the dust from the baseboards. Otherwise, the remaining dust won’t let the carpets become clean for a long time, even after completing the whole procedure.
You can use some rags to clean the loose dust from every corner. If it’s not possible to reach them, use a long-handled duster. You can also remove as much dust from the ceilings.
And the dust cleaning should be done before the steam cleaning.
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Step 3: Vacuum Time
An ordinary vacuum cleaner can pull up all the loose dust particles from the carpet and deep down from its fiber.
Your deep cleaning steam cleaner can dissolve and remove carpet stains. But it’s not effective against the solid particles hidden inside the carpet fibers. Thus, go slowly in a single direction of the floor to collect as many solid particles as you can.
Then, do the same in the opposite direction to ensure that you grab that debris that escaped the first time. Use a nozzle to reach tricky corners and hidden spots between furniture.
Using the vacuum cleaner also increases the effectiveness of steam cleaning.
Step 4: Remove the Stubborn Spots
If you start steam cleaning right after the vacuum, you will make a mistake. That’s because steam cleaners can’t remove stubborn spots from deep inside the carpet. It would be best to remove them by hand before steaming.
There are many carpet stain removers in the market. Use them with a clean cloth to remove the stains. Apply an excess amount of the remover over the stained areas to sink the colors properly. After that, leave it for a couple of minutes. Then blot the area with a clean piece of rag.
Don’t rub too hard, or the stains will go further deep into the fibers and become permanent!
Step 5: Fill the Steam Cleaner
Now it’s time to assemble your steam cleaner. At first, you have to fill the water tank with the necessary chemicals. There are some options of which chemical you want to use in the water tank.
Fill the water tank with hot water. But make sure the water isn’t boiling. Otherwise, boiling water can damage the carpet fibers. They can get shrunk because of excess heat. The ideal temperature of the hot water should be 212-degree Fahrenheit. At this temperature, no microorganism can survive.
Don’t take too much water in the tank or overfill it. You have to mix the soap or carpet cleaner in it. Sometimes manufacturers recommend special cleaning solutions to use with hot water. The amount of soap required should be mentioned in the user manual.
You can also use a vinegar solution in the steam cleaner. The mixing ratio of hot water with vinegar should be 1:1.
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Step 6: Start Steaming the Carpet
When you start to steam the carpet, you need to go step-wise. Maintain the following sequence to get a faster operating time.
Start With the Corners
At first, start with the entrance corners of the room. If you have more than one door in the room, choose anyone, to begin with.
Put the steamer head close to the corners while pulling backward. And don’t walk on those areas that you have just cleaned.
Push Or Pull
When you spread the hot water over the carpet, the steamer sucks the dirty water immediately. There are two directions for that. If the steamer pushes the water, it will pull it back and suck it up.
But some machines can only push the hot water or suck the dirty water. Follow the instructions before using the device.
Walk-In the Long Lines
The cleaning process will be most effective while using long passes from one end of the wall to another. You need to pass over the same line to ensure that no soapy water or foam is left behind.
Don’t use it as your vacuum. Avoid going for short, forth strokes, or back. Always overlap the new areas with the old ones slightly to avoid uncleaned carpet areas.
Take It Slowly
Steam cleaning isn’t a method to finish in a rush. In fact, they work slower than vacuum cleaners. So, make sure you give about 2 seconds at least at every step in the line.
Though it will take plenty of time, you will get much more effective results. But if you go faster or try to clean hastily, some dirt or stains or soapy water may leave behind. It will cause growth to mold and mildew in the future.
Step 7: Let the Carpet Dry
As you are done steam cleaning your carpet, you have to give it enough time to dry. Typically, the drying process needs about 6 to 8 hours.
But if you don’t want to wait for that long, you use some accessories to dry your carpets. Use ceiling or table fans, shop vacs, and dehumidifiers to quickly dry the carpets.
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What If Spots and Smells Are Left?
Some touch spots may not get off, and foul smells may still lurk around, even after you’ve followed all the standard steps of steam cleaning. You can use baking soda for that. Cover the stained area with excess baking soda and let it be for 24 hours.
If the stains or smell remains, use the vinegar solution with water or rubbing alcohol.
Some Pro-Tips Regarding Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning a carpet is pretty simple and straightforward. Still, there are some pro-tips you can follow to get the best performance out of your cleaning endeavor. Here are a few pointers:
- Use the steam head gently over the carpet.
- Even if your carpet is too thick, don’t force it excessively. Repeat the same areas when you don’t get the result. Too much force can damage the carpet fiber.
- Always avoid shampoos and detergents to mix with the hot water and spray over the carpet. It will degrade the fibers.
- Don’t steam clean more than necessary. Steam cleaning once a year is enough. Some even suggest steam cleaning every two years.
Bottom Line
Deep cleaning with a steam cleaner gives the carpets a new look. The process may take time, but it’s worth it when it increases the beauty of the house.
Hopefully, you have now learned how to deep clean carpet with steam cleaner in detail. Always keep your home clean and dust-free to breathe in fresh air!
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