How much importance do you think should be given to carpet cleaning?

Adelle Stan
by Adelle Stan
Have been planning to do a full house cleanup, but am not being able to plan a agenda as to how to proceed with this task. More importantly I am not being able to decide which parts of the house should I keep on my list. So any suggestions will be helpful and much obliged in advance.
  15 answers
  • As someone who does indoor air quality evaluations. I can tell you first hand the carpet on the floor is the worse thing in regards to healthy environments. We often do carpet checks where we use a filter that is connected to a vacuum hose. This filter is then sent to a lab where they look, see what we sucked up. Ever see a Godzilla movie? There are more tiny critters that you cannot see by the naked eye then I care to talk about. Add in dust, mold and all sorts of other allergens, carpet is just not healthy. But what to do about it? Lots of companies in an attempt to sell you their services try to convince you that their system of cleaning is the best. With steamers that most use, this does nothing. May make the surface a bit brighter, but moisture remains behind. And guess what mold likes more then stuff to eat? Something to wash it down with. Moisture allows mold to grow. So getting a carpet wet is a big no-no. So what else? Some companies sell chemical cleaning. They spray chemical powders onto the carpet in a way to, again, brighten up the carpet. And many work well, But what about the residue that the vacuum has not picked up? Its left behind. These chemicals are not healthy to breath so they too are not something you want in the carpet left behind. So what is the answer? Vacuum as often as you can. Once a day is ideal. Using a true HEPA vacuum or central system is suggested. Do not be fooled by those that claim to be HEPA like. Ideally remove the carpet completely and use tile or wood floors. But for comfort place larger area rugs that can be taken up and cleaned, then put back down again. Ever wonder what the breathing zone is? For us adults its about three to five feet off of the floor. But for small kids, Its from the floor surface up to around 2 feet. So any dust, bugs and mold that is present, your child is breathing it in. Have they had a lot of ear infections. Studies show dust mites as a major contributing factor in this. Where do small kids play. On the floor with their ears laying on the carpet. A great book I always suggest to my clients is My House Is Killing Me. Written by Jeffery May. You can get this on Amazon and its well worth the read.
    • See 7 previous
    • @Bernice H From outside, Yes, appears a bit run down, but its still a big attraction. We have not been in that part for years. Mostly just visiting the family. Or going out on water.
  • Adelle Stan Adelle Stan on Aug 11, 2014
    Great tips, much obliged. I was searching for carpet cleaning when a friend of mine suggested some info and I was surprised to find dirty carpets can cause health problems. Will be sure to forward your tips to my friends. Find more info similar to carpet cleaning on- http://www.centralsydneycarpetcleaning.com.au/water-damage-restoration/
  • Reta Minnis Reta Minnis on Aug 11, 2014
    I found an area rug out by the road left for the trash men to pick. I helped myself to it, when I unrolled it I was very dismayed. You could see it had been stored in a barn or something. There was grass growing through the rug. I vacuumed the rug on both sides really good, then used a Bissell carpet cleaner with about a tsp of dawn a 1/2 cup of ammonia and 1/2 cup vinegar. I got a lot of suds so I put in a tablespoon of fabric softener. I was thrilled with the results, rug look like new other than a small worn spot.
    • Adelle Stan Adelle Stan on Aug 11, 2014
      @Reta Minnis Great find Reta, just check for germs before you put it in your house. I have heard some germs can be deadly.
  • Anitaschoeman Anitaschoeman on Aug 12, 2014
    Hi, Adelle i have a few dogs allways in house but i do try keep clean as i have carpets in bedroom an sometime they do have a accident on carpet i do wash with stay off carpet shampoo can you advise something else for i do sometime feel it is not enough done?
    • Adelle Stan Adelle Stan on Aug 12, 2014
      @Anitaschoeman it is good to know you are taking efforts to keep your carpets clean, both for yourself and your pets. I think you should just add some form of disinfectant treatment to the carpet, since you never know where your dogs have been.
  • Opal Opal on Aug 12, 2014
    Clean carpets are a must for me. Every nasty thing that comes into your house will attach to carpets. I try to vacuum everyday. Reality check, I am a stay at home mom with carpets in the bedrooms, office, family room and area carpets in the living/dining room. When I was working and no one was at home and no pets, no I certainly did not vacuum everyday. We removed the carpet from the living room, dining room and hall (2/3's of the house) when the kids came along. They are messy. We like it much better and have found that our furnace filter and air filter do not have as much "Yucky stuff" in them and that is with the addition of a large shedding dog. When I "wash" my remaining carpets I use a spray bottle for the cleaning solution rather than add to the machine, run the machine brushes and rinse lightly with a mix of ammonia & water in the machine and only if it is warm enough to dry within a couple of hours. This tip comes from my brother in law who cleans carpets for a living and that is how they do it, you never want to get the carpet very wet. The rest of the carpet will be removed over the next year or so. I do feel that my house is cleaner without it, but the wood floors do show the dust so the cleaning time is the same. We also now have a covered entryways with a large front and back concrete porch which does help keep dirt out.
  • Bernice H Bernice H on Aug 22, 2014
    I just noticed you are from NJ! well golly be, I was stationed in New Jersey at Mc Guire AFB. Good lord it was hot and humid! I thought NewLondon was hot and humid , but at least we could escape to the ocean in minutes. McGuire was several hours from the ocean and it was bumper to bumper, no car a/c in those days.. before that I was stationed in Oklahoma for training, after Texas..sooo far from the ocan where I grew up. And still am. Retirement soon for hubs, I think we are going to try Ensenada.
  • Lori Lori on Mar 06, 2015
    Hire someone to clean the carpets and spend your time with the dog. :)
    • Janex Cleaning Services Janex Cleaning Services on Jul 04, 2016
      Your words are very true Lori. Spend time with favourite dog and let the cleaning task on cleaners. But did you ever noticed, what we should do before carpet cleaners arrive.
  • Pat Pat on Mar 07, 2015
    If you do get your carpets wet cleaning them, dry them as quickly as possible using fans. Also, clean them when your furnace is running in the winter. The air is drier in the winter and you are heating it which will dry that carpet out faster. We live in the desert in the winter and it dries in a wink!
  • Cor1382303 Cor1382303 on Nov 24, 2015
    Lori, when it comes to hiring someone to do carpet cleaning, what type of equipment would they bring? I have yet to get a carpet cleaner for the home since my plan is to do a deep cleaning for the whole carpet area. Somehow the whole carpet is covered in stains and muddy spots. <a href='http://www.cleanaircarpet.com.au' ></a>
  • Mike Taylor Mike Taylor on May 21, 2016
    Honestly, you shouldn't be vacuuming the carpet every day as it can be extremely damaging to the carpets over time. If you need to clean your carpets I'd advise investing in a carpet cleaner ( http://www.carpetcleaner101.com ) or hiring a carpet cleaning service which start at $25 per hour usually.
  • Your carpets are like a big filter that traps everything that circulates in the air. A good vacuum will only get so deep, so it's best to hire a professional carpet cleaner to not only remove deep soil, but also to sanitize for bacteria. Most other cleaning you can do effectively yourself, but I wouldn't suggest trying to clean your own carpet. I know a good company in your area whenever you are ready.


    http://www.wholehousecc.com

  • Regular cleaning of your carpeting will extend its life. Dirt and oil contaminants break down the fibers causing premature wear. We recommend cleaning 2-3 times yearly in rooms used regularly. http://www.dmsclean.com/carpet_cleaning_stamford.html

  • Angel Morris Angel Morris on Dec 17, 2016

    I dont know if you have carpet machine rentals in New Jersey, but here in Michigan we have them. We prefer to use the rug doctor. Cleans perfectly and really extracts the water!

  • Mat32388644 Mat32388644 on Feb 21, 2018

    Each nook and corner of the house must be cleaned and well maintained. If the place where we stay is not clean, the chances of being affected by different types of diseases are very high. While cleaning the house, it is very important to clean all the carpets and upholstery. It may not be an easy task to clean all these. If you don't have time for that hire some professional cleaners to keep your house clean.

  • Maria Mathew Maria Mathew on Feb 27, 2018

    Thanks, Mathewpeter for the information. I also support you. Professional cleaners are always the best to clean indoors.