Eventually, vacuuming alone won’t cut it for keeping your area rug clean. As stains accumulate as well as dirt and dust mites become deeply rooted into the carpet, you will need to deep clean your area rug to avoid permanent damage. Typically, this is best handled by a professional carpet cleaning company with the experience and equipment necessary to get the job done right. However, you can handle this on your own in some cases.
Carpet Cleaning Company Idaho Falls
From our team at Home Pride Cleaning & Restoration, here is what you need to do to clean an area rug.
Vacuum Each Side Of The Rug
Start by thoroughly vacuuming both sides of the rug. Go over the rug several times and make sure that the vacuum is set to the proper height. This means that the vacuum is not so high that it cannot effectively pull the dirt out of the rug or so low that it can damage the rug fibers. Vacuuming will only get the surface-level dirt and grime out of the rug, but it is a good start.
Apply Shampoo And Wash The Rug
Once the vacuuming is complete, the rug is ready to be washed and shampooed. This should proceed in two main steps:
First, you need to find a shampoo that works for your rug. You can do this by spot-testing different types of shampoos. You can do this by testing different shampoos on a small, innocuous corner of the rug. Then, check to see if the shampoo caused any discoloration or fiber damage before continuing. If not, then you are safe to go ahead with using that specific type of shampoo on your area rug.
Once you know the shampoo that you will use, start washing the rug by hosing it down (you can do this with a simple garden hose). Once the rug is fully soaked, add the shampoo. The next part is the most labor-intensive. You will need to scrub the shampoo deep into the carpet fibers using a sturdy brush with a strong handle.
Rinse The Rug
Finally, leave the shampoo on the rug for as long as the instructions instruct. Then hose the rug down once again to get all the shampoo out.
Dry The Rug
The rug will be good and soaked so the next step is to begin drying it out. Before hanging it out to dry, try wringing out the rug to speed up the drying process. Finally, hang out to dry (ideally somewhere inside) and your rug will be looking good and clean before long.
Vacuum One Last Time
For good measure, vacuum your rug one final time after it has been dried out to remove the final remnants of dirt and grime. After that, you can set back and enjoy your newly cleaned rug!
Area rugs can be a great complement to any room of your home but only if they remain clean and look great. The tips above from our carpet cleaning pros at Home Pride Cleaning & Restoration will help you do just that!