How to Steam Clean Carpets

Carpets are not confined to a particular country or culture. They are popular across the globe for their ability to adorn the house. However, carpets are prone to get dirty and require proper care and maintenance. Spilled drinks and food items cause stains and smears on the carpet surface. Moreover, dust and other tiny substances get adhered to carpet fibers on a daily basis, not only leading to dust accumulation, but also resulting in mold and mildew formation. Filthy carpets not only look and smell unpleasant, but also aggravate allergies. Vacuum cleaners suck out most of the dirt and dust, however, they do not clean the carpet completely. To remove the oil stains and dirt surpassed by the vacuum, the carpet must be steam cleaned.

According to cleaning research, a 'steam and very high temperature water system provides the most desirable results'. Steam cleaning means the blasting out of dirt and mold from dirty areas. The high temperature and pressure involved in steam cleaning causes the dirt and mold to separate forcefully from the carpet. The dirt after being forcefully separated from the carpet is sucked first into a powerful vacuum and then a holding tank. In case of vacuum cleaners, this facility is not available, hence only the surface dirt gets removed, leaving the oil stains still on the carpet.

Steam cleaning is the best method of carpet cleaning. For people suffering from asthma and allergies, steam cleaning is very appropriate. Steam cleaners freshen up the carpeted area in the house. The device uses a three part process to clean the carpet. The machine first sprays a cleaning solution onto the carpet. A brush then vigorously cleans up the carpet deep into the carpet fibers. And then the vacuum system of the steam cleaner sucks up the dirty solution, which is stored in the reservoir for disposal.

How to Steam Clean Carpets

• To steam clean the carpet, one has to ensure that all the furniture has been removed and placed into another room. The carpet area should be free for cleaning.
• Once the carpet is furniture free, one should vacuum the carpet with a regular vacuum cleaner in order to remove all the larger particles.
• The dirty and oily areas must be treated with some amount of carpet cleaning solution.
• Prepare the mixture for the steam carpet cleaner. For the mixture, add1 cup of carpet cleaning solution and hot water in the provided compartment of the steam cleaner.
• Once the equipment is ready for use, set it either in the center of the carpet or on one side. While carrying out carpet steaming, it is important to make sure the carpet is not over-saturated. Over saturation results in soaking of the carpet fibers, leading to mold problems in the future. Thus, it is important to maintain a regular pattern, that is from center outwards or left to right. This way the entire carpet area will be covered without double cleaning.
• When the position is set, plug the cord into the nearby electrical outlet and switch on the steam cleaner. The steam cleaner will suck in all the dirt left behind by the vacuum cleaner.
• Once the entire carpet has been steam cleaned, the carpet will not appear crunched on the floor anymore. The entire carpet will look fresh and clean.
• Open the windows and switch on the fan, to help the carpet dry faster. Summer is the best time to steam clean the carpets, as they dry easily.
• Make sure the freshly steamed carpet area is not treaded upon until dry. One can touch the carpet and test for dryness. If the hand is dry after pushing it slightly into the carpet, then its dry and ready to walk on!

Carpet steam cleaners eliminate the tension about carpet stain removal. Various steam cleaner models are available in the market today. In fact, owning a steam cleaner today is not considered a luxury. The latest machines are not much bigger than vacuum cleaners and can be easily accommodated in closets. These steam cleaners range in price, however, one can easily rent a steam cleaner or avail professionals for steam cleaning. Depending on the number of people and animals living in the house, steam cleaning frequencies vary. For houses with high traffic, steam cleaning is to be done every three months, whereas those with low household traffic, once a year would do. It is good to hire professionals to do the job, as their steam cleaning equipment and expertise results into a beautifully clean and soft carpet.