You are likely already well acquainted with the old wives tales, tips and the many tricks on getting your carpet clean by yourself. While it isn’t recommended that carpet cleaning is DIY, it is quite alright to alternate between the do-it-yourself approach and hiring professional cleaning in order to save money. So, no. No judgment at all.
DIY usually comes at the cost of making mistakes that might leave you regretting the decision to do it yourself in the first place, so we’ve prepared a helpful list of mistakes which if you avoid, could save you quite some expense and hassle.
Not Testing the Carpet Cleaner
Cleaning products are generally made with various kinds of fabrics and color types in mind. However, no process is absolutely fool-proof and it is easy to let a few things slip through the cracks. To save yourself the heartache of regret, it is safer to test a product on an inconspicuous area of the carpet for colorfastness – that way you can ensure that the carpet is color safe and the product has no damaging effect on it.
Waiting to Remove a Stain
Allowing a stain set on a carpet before making an attempt to clean it is a terrible mistake because depending on the carpet and type of stain, bleaching can occur and the damage may become irreparable. Tackling a stain straight away gives the carpet the best chance at avoiding permanent damage – and smell, in the cases where this may apply.
Rubbing & Scrubbing
Forcefully rubbing a carpet can cause the stain to go further into the carpet and spread the stain to an even wider area. Your best bet would be to remove excess solids and gently blot the liquid before engaging a carpet cleaner. A sponge and sheer determination is sometimes more excitement than the carpet can handle.
Over-Shampooing
Better too little than too much. When too much cleaning product is used, and the carpet is not adequately rinsed it may result in a build-up of soapy residue that can become particularly difficult to clean out.
Over-Wetting
If too much water soaks into the bottom of the carpet, some backing materials cause the carpet to discolor if they get too wet. The carpets themselves will shrink and tear themselves from the floor; and as if that is not bad enough, you would run the additional risk of mildew problems.
Self Sufficiency
Even hard-core do-it-yourselfers submit to the idea of hiring a professional on occasion – this is particularly because, over-shampooing and over-wetting are both mistakes that are practically inevitable. Not to mention the fact that professional carpet cleaning not only extends the life of the carpeting but also contributes to better air quality, reducing allergies and illness.
DIY usually comes at the cost of making mistakes that might leave you regretting the decision to do it yourself in the first place, so we’ve prepared a helpful list of mistakes which if you avoid, could save you quite some expense and hassle.
Not Testing the Carpet Cleaner
Cleaning products are generally made with various kinds of fabrics and color types in mind. However, no process is absolutely fool-proof and it is easy to let a few things slip through the cracks. To save yourself the heartache of regret, it is safer to test a product on an inconspicuous area of the carpet for colorfastness – that way you can ensure that the carpet is color safe and the product has no damaging effect on it.
Waiting to Remove a Stain
Allowing a stain set on a carpet before making an attempt to clean it is a terrible mistake because depending on the carpet and type of stain, bleaching can occur and the damage may become irreparable. Tackling a stain straight away gives the carpet the best chance at avoiding permanent damage – and smell, in the cases where this may apply.
Rubbing & Scrubbing
Forcefully rubbing a carpet can cause the stain to go further into the carpet and spread the stain to an even wider area. Your best bet would be to remove excess solids and gently blot the liquid before engaging a carpet cleaner. A sponge and sheer determination is sometimes more excitement than the carpet can handle.
Over-Shampooing
Better too little than too much. When too much cleaning product is used, and the carpet is not adequately rinsed it may result in a build-up of soapy residue that can become particularly difficult to clean out.
Over-Wetting
If too much water soaks into the bottom of the carpet, some backing materials cause the carpet to discolor if they get too wet. The carpets themselves will shrink and tear themselves from the floor; and as if that is not bad enough, you would run the additional risk of mildew problems.
Self Sufficiency
Even hard-core do-it-yourselfers submit to the idea of hiring a professional on occasion – this is particularly because, over-shampooing and over-wetting are both mistakes that are practically inevitable. Not to mention the fact that professional carpet cleaning not only extends the life of the carpeting but also contributes to better air quality, reducing allergies and illness.