You have been cooped up inside for months, worried about your food supply, health, and other things. You might have let your house cleaning go amid all these worries. But it should not be so.
The pandemic highlights the need to take proper care of our environment as it directly affects your life. You probably took care to clean high contact surfaces during the coronavirus heat but forgot all about your carpet.
If you are in this category, you need to clean your carpet. Your carpet can store a lot of dirt, allergens, debris, and even virus, if you do not adequately clean it. Now that the pandemic is getting contained, you should get rid of any allergens in your carpet.
The question, however, remains what the best way to clean your carpet is. How do you carry out carpet disinfection? What are the things you need to do to maintain your carpet? In this article, we have discussed the best carpet cleaning practices to keep your carpet safe.
How to Clean your Carpet in the Post-COVID Era?
Cleaning a carpet can be stressful, especially if you decide to do it yourself. You can also end up doing it the wrong way and ruining your carpet. Therefore, it is best to get professionals to do your carpet cleaning. If you want to rid your carpet of all forms of dirt and allergens, these are some of the best cleaning practices.
1. Steam Cleaning (Hot Water Extraction)
Steam cleaning is one of the most effective ways to clean your carpet. It doesn’t use steam as the name implies, though. Steam cleaning uses hot water with a temperature of 150 to 200 Fahrenheit.
The hot water, which has been mixed with detergent or other cleaning solutions, is sprayed on your carpet using high pressure and high-temperature machine. The water helps loosen the particles and dirt on the mat. The dust and particles are then vacuumed with a vacuum cleaner into a holding tank.
This cleaning method is number one on our list because it helps you get rid of 90% of all the dirt and bacteria in your carpet. The hot water enables you to remove any bacteria, mites, fungus, and even viruses on your carpet.
It is best for people with allergies as it removes allergens. You should consult a professional carpet cleaning service for this type of cleaning. Don’t worry; the service is one of the essentials and will be able to reach you. If you live in Geelong, Australia, we are your best bet for affordable, reliable carpet cleaning service.
2. Dry Carpet Cleaning
This cleaning method uses only very little water, hence the name dry cleaning or dry powder cleaning. Your carpet is cleaned by spreading a special absorptive powder made from a detergent, solvent, and a little water with the help of a rotating brush.
This powder is left on the carpet for about 15 minutes. After this, the powder is vacuumed along with the dirt that might have accumulated in the carpet. This method of carpet cleaning is best for office and high-traffic areas that cannot wait for the water to get dry.
You can also use it in your home, but it might not be the best for you if you have breathing difficulties or allergies. The chemicals and detergents used for dry cleaning can be quite intense and require proper ventilation to get rid of the smell. It is also not the best option if you want to disinfect your home.
3. Carpet Shampooing
Carpet shampooing, probably the most popular method used by most people to clean their rugs, uses carpet cleaning shampoo to form foam. The solution pulls the dirt from the carpet and is left to dry. The foam with the dust separates from the carpet.
You can then vacuum the foam from the carpet. There are several types of shampoo in the market, and the wrong type can cause carpet discoloration and make tears more visible.
If your carpet is filthy, professionals will help you rinse out the foam using steam cleaning, which allows you to get stubborn stains out of the rug. Shampooing, combined with the hot water disinfection of steam cleaning, helps ensure that your carpet is both clean and free of bacteria.
The problem with this type of cleaning is that if the foam is not probably extracted, the residue will attract more dust and dirt. There is no ultimate ‘best’ method of cleaning your carpet. It all depends on your needs and the type of carpet that you have.
Therefore, it is advisable to get professionals to clean your rugs. A professional knows how to get rid of several stains and ensure that your carpet comes out clean. You can also get your rug disinfected with a professional service.
How to Disinfect your Carpet?
You could be a person who vacuums as often as possible. However, you only get rid of loose dirt particles when you clean. If you want to disinfect your carpet, you need more than the regular detergents.
Disinfecting your carpet is best done with hot water and chemicals. The process of sanitizing your carpet is carried out with a steam cleaner. These machines can be expensive to rent, and if you don’t use the right chemicals, you can damage your carpet.
Therefore, it is best to employ the services of professionals to clean your carpet. Experts know the right hot water degree and chemicals needed to disinfect your rug or carpet type. However, if you attempt to do your disinfecting yourself (which we do not advise), you can make use of household ingredients with the aid of a steam cleaner.
– White Vinegar
- Mix equal proportions of water and cleaning strength vinegar.
- Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
- Spray it lightly on the carpet.
- Mix four parts of water and vinegar; three parts water, one part vinegar in the steam cleaner.
- Run the steam cleaner over the carpet and let it dry afterward.
– Borax, Cornmeail and Baking Soda
- Make a paste from ½ cup of baking soda, 1 cup of cornmeal, and 1 cup of Borax.
- Spray the mixture over your carpet and rub it in with a soft, clean cloth.
- Leave the mixture overnight.
- Vacuum the powder out of the carpet the next day.
- Use the steam cleaner with vinegar over it.
While these methods can help you reduce the level of bacteria in your carpet, you should contact professionals for proper cleaning and disinfection of your carpet and rugs. It is the only way that you can guarantee that your carpet is safe in this post-COVID era.
How to Maintain your Carpet in the Post Covid Era?
Your carpets are probably getting more use now that you are at home most of the day than when you only came in after work. There is no better time to start a habit of caring for your carpet than now.
As you have learned, your carpet can store dirt and debris that can be harmful to your health. Proper maintenance can help prevent the problem. We have provided a few things that you can start with doing.
- Get an air filter or purifier. The device will help trap and store away the airborne dust in your house, reducing the amount of dust and dirt that gets on your carpeting.
- Trim the claws and nails of your pet to reduce the amount of dirt they drag in and the pulling of threads and filters.
- Invest in screens with smaller mesh to keep dust and debris out of the house.
- Wash the exterior surfaces of your house regularly. Dust and dirt outside your home can eventually get into your house and get on your carpet.
- Clean your furnace filter at least once a year and get professionals to clean your ducts. A dirty pipe will get dust and dirt into your house, and a clogged furnace filter won’t keep the dust in, allowing it to settle on your carpeting.
- Regularly vacuum your carpets. Don’t assume cleaning your rugs will damage it. Excessive dust can make your carpet’s fibers mat down, and lead to wear and tear.
No matter the maintenance you carry out, it doesn’t negate the need for professional cleaning. All the best methods for getting your carpet clean and disinfected requires the expertise of a professional.
Conclusion
Cleaning your carpet in this post-COVID era is essential. You should also ensure your carpets are professionally cleaned as often as possible to get rid of all sorts of dirt and dust..