Accumulated dust, spills, and dirt are just some things your carpet falls victim to when left uncleaned for a long while. Now, you want to figure out how to clean carpet by hand? Well, it simply needs an excellent ol’ scrub. Cleaning by hand might seem more tempting if you have a pricy carpet that needs special attention. After a good scrub, your carpet will feel good, and you will, too, after such a rewarding workout.
Stick around to learn more about cleaning a dirty carpet by hand.
Why Clean a Dirty Carpet by Hand?
Are you getting bored of the gym and want to get creative with your exercising? Cleaning a carpet by hand will give your arms the best workout!
Calories won’t be the only thing you’ll be cutting down on, but your money. A professional carpet clean can set you back around £80 to £150. Instead of paying that much for a carpet cleaner, you can do it by hand using cleaning tools you probably already have. In other cases, you might only have a few spots to be cleaned rather than the whole carpet. These spots don’t usually require thorough vacuuming and might need regular soap and scrub cleaning.
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How to Clean Carpet by Hand
Before cleaning the dirty carpet, you should understand that undertaking this project will require lots of time and patience. So make sure you’re free for the day. You could even ask for a friend’s help since four hands are better than two. Let’s dive into how to clean that dirty carpet without further ado.
Step #1: Prepare Your Cleaning Tools and Carpet
When it comes to cleaning a dirty carpet, there are several tools you can use. The good news is that you might have all these options lying around. You can use baking soda, dish soap, and vinegar. Your choice should mainly depend on the fabric of your carpet. If you’re unsure about which one to use, you can always do a spot test check to make sure it won’t do any damage. After the cleaning solution is ready, you’ll need your cleaning tools. Grab a bucket, towel, vacuum, carpet brush, and sponge. Once all your items are ready, you’ll want to prepare your working space. That means clearing up the room since the surrounding area will get dirty.
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Step #2: Dry Scrub and Vacuum the Carpet
Your carpet has probably seen several shoes walking all over the street. As a result, the dirt in the carpet is perhaps now dried up into dust that can be hard to remove with a vacuum. Instead, you’ll need to get the carpet brush and scrub the entire carpet dry. You’re loosening all the dust particles stuck in the crevices of your carpet’s pile. Add baking soda around the carpet while dry-scrubbing it for a more abrasive brush. After you’ve detached all that dry dirt, you can vacuum the carpet. You’ll see a noticeable difference, but we’re not done yet.
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Step #3: Wet Clean the Carpet
Now that a large portion of the dust is gone, it’s time to introduce some moisture into the cleaning process. Prepare a bucket of water, your cleaning solution, and a sponge. Mix your dish soap in the bucket of water until you see a bubbly surface. Scrub the carpet from any remaining trapped dirt using a sponge or a soft-bristled carpet brush. You can apply the solution using a spray bottle not to oversaturate the carpet. After you’re satisfied with the results, you can allow the carpet to dry or use paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Try to keep your windows and fan open to allow for proper ventilation.
If you want to dry the carpet faster, you can lay it outside in the sun. The best part about this is that the sunlight will kill any residual bacteria in your carpet.
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Step #4: Make a Final Sweep
Now that the carpet is drying, it might look slightly messy from all the scrubbing. To keep the fibres neat, you can use a carpet grooming brush. It’ll shape things up. While grooming, do a few spot checks to ensure you didn’t miss any dirty splatters.
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How to Clean Dirty Spots on Your Carpet
It happens all the time. You walk with your plate of food and suddenly feel off-balance. And just like in movies, in slow motion, the food spills all over your spotless carpet.
Here’s how to clean the mess rather than sadly stare at your lost meal.
- Prepare a mixture of laundry soap and water.
- Dunk a sponge or brush into the cleaning solution and softly scrub the stain.
- Get a towel to blot the moisture out after the stain is clear.
- Leave the spot to air dry at room temperature.
While this method works effectively for many spills and stains, you can also use various other cleaning solutions. If you’ve got an oily stain, vinegar might be a more suitable option. You can use an ammonia cleaning solution if the stain is too stubborn. The ratio of the mix should be 50 parts water and one part ammonia. Remember to do a spot check since this mixture can cause colour fading.
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To Conclude
Whether you have a carpet to provide added warmth to a room or a comfortable seating arrangement, it’ll always need regular cleaning. How often you clean the carpet can depend on whether you have pets or children. We all know how messy they can get. The cleaning process involves two phases, dry and wet cleaning. You’ll notice a difference in airflow and appearance once you clean the carpet. Even though the cleaning may seem tedious, it’ll be worth it in the end, and you might even pat yourself on the back!
