Most Common Carpet Cleaning Mistakes

Struggling to keep your carpet fresh and clean? Long to get rid of those stains and soiled areas? Cleaning your carpet is possible, but it’s important that you do it correctly. Incorrectly cleaning your carpet can lead to serious problems, and there are quite a few mistakes that should be avoided. Below, we’ll discuss the five most common carpet cleaning mistakes and why you need to avoid them.

OVER-WETTING YOUR CARPET

While shampooing your carpet can help to eliminate dirt, debris and even stains, it can also be detrimental to the health of your carpet and even present health threats to you and your family. Over-wetting is a significant problem. When too much water is applied to the carpet, the vacuum is unable to pull all of it up. This can leave moisture behind at the base of the carpet fibers, and it can also soak through the backing and into the padding underneath. Left untreated, this can lead to mildew and even mold growth.

SCRUBBING TOO MUCH/TOO HARD

What’s your first reaction when you realize there’s a new stain on your carpet? Chances are good that you break out the cleaning solution and a scrub brush, and then get to work. The problem is that scrubbing too much can cause serious damage to the fibers of your carpet. Rather than scrubbing a stain out, you should blot it gently. If it cannot be removed by blotting, professional cleaning can solve the issue.

USING THE WRONG CLEANER

While cleaners formulated specifically for use on carpet can help get out tough stains and dirt, some homeowners use general household cleaners. This is never advisable, as many cleaners contain harsh bleach. Not only will bleach result in permanent discoloration of your carpet, but in high concentrations it can cause damage to the carpet itself.

TRYING TO USE POWDERS TO CLEAN SPILLS

Deodorizing powders are designed to help keep your carpets smelling fresh and clean. They are not designed for cleaning up spills. However, many homeowners apply deodorizing powders to spills in an attempt to clean them up. This creates a caky mess that builds up in the fiber of the carpet. Most professionals don’t really recommend deodorizing carpet powders be used at all, though, because of their tendency to build up around fibers.

OVER CLEANING

While we all want our carpets to be as clean and fresh as possible, there is such a thing as over cleaning. If you shampoo your carpets weekly, it will result in moisture build up within the carpet and the padding. It can also lead to significant premature wear and possibly discoloration of the carpet.

There you have them – five of the most common carpet cleaning mistakes. When in doubt, turn to professional cleaners to help you keep those carpets looking great throughout the year.