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Your carpets are disgusting. They just are, because people live in your house. I’m not talking about spills and stains, which may be part of your problem. I’m talking about gross disgusting dust, because despite what you may think: dust is not just on your furniture and baseboards.
There is Dust on Your Floor!
Dust contains:
- plant pollen
- human and animal hairs
- human skin cells
- textile fibers
- paper fibers
- minerals from soil
Wherever there is dust, there are dust mites. There is some link between asthma and dust mites, which are usually found in the floor, especially carpet.
         (source)
Regularly washing your carpets will keep them bright and shiny new looking!
Step 1 – Vacuum
The first step of carpet cleaning is vacuuming. This should be done regularly. Without animals, once a week should be frequent enough, with small touch-ups in main areas when needed.
I use this vacuum because it has a “max” function that is scary-powerful and a HEPA filter good for allergies!
Before you clean your carpets with wet soap, give them a good vacuum! It will save you lots of work.
Step 2 –Â Use Your Home Carpet Cleaner
The Solution:
You can mix your own cleaning solution or use the packaged stuff. My mix is definitely the least expensive! This mixture will go into the soap compartment of whichever carpet cleaner you use.
- 1 gallon water
- 1 Tablespoon Basic H2
- 1 scoop Nature Bright
Choose a Carpet Cleaner:
There are a few options out there. I’ve had this carpet cleaner for more than 5 years and it is still going strong. (It is still one of the best rated on Amazon.)Â
Rent or choose a carpet cleaner of your choice, but you’ll need something to wash the carpets with soap.
Cleaning How To:
Before you use the carpet cleaner, remove any light objects you can pick off the floor. These directions are specific to the Carpet Cleaner above, but a lot will be similar for whatever carpet cleaner you use.
Top Bucket:
You put the soap in the small soap compartment of the cleaner and then clean water in the big compartment.
Bottom Bucket:
Leave the bottom bucket empty: it will fill up with the dirty water! Below is the dirty water from ONE vehicle carpet.
Easy Operating:
After the solution and water are in place, select the cleaning mode and then simply press the wash-trigger while you move the carpet cleaner around. The trigger is what puts the soap down. While it is just ON, it will just be in the sucking-water-out-of-the-carpet mode.
Tips:
- Go slow enough to thoroughly clean, but do not leave it in one spot pulling the trigger too long or that place will become very wet.
- Go over it a second time without pressing the wash-trigger so the carpet will dry faster.
Befores & Afters:
When my Sister-in-Law visited, I tried the carpet cleaner on a carpet from her van while she was cleaning it out. It made a huge difference! Also, this tiny carpet produced the dirty water in the picture above!
When we moved in to our Texan home last fall, I cleaned all the carpets before any furniture was moved in.
The 3 Girls Room (where they sleep):
The 3 Girls Clubhouse (where they keep desks/books/hobby stuff):
The Power to Do-It-Yourself:
It is so nice being able to clean my carpets any time I want. I’ve saved a lot of money over the years doing my own DIY Carpet Cleaning. Plus, I don’t have to live in fear of kids messes and accidents – they happen and IÂ can clean it myself.
Do you clean your own carpets? Will you try now?
From my home to yours,
Mary
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
Yes! We also clean our own carpets. With kids and pets I can’t imagine how we’d clean up the spills and uhhh, results from sickness. We own a Bissell similar to yours, with the same concept – one bucket for clean water, one for dirty – rather than the bladder types we’d previously owned. LOVE IT. Just remember to clean out the buckets when you’re done (you can probably leave the clean water one if you’re going to use it again soon) and RINSE/WASH THE HOSE, especially if you are cleaning up a rather gross mess, not to be too specific but flu-related. With some messes, you gotta clean the cleaner, too. Ha.
Good tip – “clean the cleaner!” Thank you!
What do you use for darker pet stains that don’t come up with the carpet cleaner?
I don’t have any pets, so I’m not sure. I do know that the nature bright/ Basic H2 combo has gotten out some pretty nasty vomit stains. 🙂
Sometimes the carpet cleaning gets so easy that, you don`t need a professional to that especially in this expensive labor time. I think these DIY tips can be done by any person no matter if they are experienced
or not. These tips will target any type of cleaning or any type of stain your carpet has .
Thanks, Judith!
How do you handle a room with furniture already in it?
Also, how long do you have to stay off the carpet for it to dry?
Does that particular cleaner work on carpeted stairs? Are there any differences for cleaning carpeted stairs?
If the room has furniture in it, remove anything small enough to move like chairs, ottomans, etc. Then, just clean around it. That’s what professionals do.
Yes, this cleaner works on stairs if you use the hand attachment that comes with it. Of course, anything you do on stairs is going to be a bit awkward.
As far as dry time, I’d try to give it as long as you can, like let it dry overnight if it isn’t a bedroom (maybe add a fan for good measure), or all day long if it is a bedroom. Dry times will vary depending on how good you are going over the area to suck the water back up. If you do a good job with that, it will take way less time to dry. Do let it dry 100% because moist water will attract even more dirt while you walk on it until it dries!!!
Where do we buy Basic H and brightner?
You can buy it on my Shaklee website. It is a direct sales company, so you need to know a distributor. You may have a friend that is sells it, or I am happy to be your distributor. Either way, you should try it, because it is good stuff! http://maryjohanson.myshaklee.com/us/en/
How long will it take the carpet to dry after having it cleaned?
It depends how much you go over it to suck the extra water up, but a few hours to a day I’d think.