Have a dirty carpet that looks tired and worn out? You might still be able to revive the rich colors and softness with deep cleaning. In this guide, we’ll cover how deep cleaning helps, different methods professionals use, and how to deep clean carpet, step by step.

If your carpet’s past the point of refreshing with a deep clean and you’re ready to start shopping for new carpet, contact our local team at Floor Coverings International® of West Atlanta to start your free consultation.

How Does Deep Cleaning Affect Your Floors?

Deep cleaning effectively lifts dirt your vacuum can’t reach. Many homeowners in West Atlanta and beyond maintain their carpets with scheduled deep cleanings because it brings their floors:

  • Health benefits. Since cleaning your carpet eliminates allergens like dust mites and pet dander that can cling deep in the carpet fibers, deep-cleaning can help maintain healthy air quality in your home.
  • Improved appearance. Dust and dirt can weigh your carpet down and fade the color. With deep cleaning, you can restore the carpet’s color, texture, and softness.
  • By regularly caring for your carpet, you can lengthen the flooring’s lifespan by preventing dirt buildup that wears down the carpet fibers.

How Often Should Your Carpet Be Deep Cleaned?

Vacuuming regularly pulls surface dust and dirt out of your floors, but as diligent as you are, the carpet will eventually need deep cleaning to clear out dirt that makes it deeper into the fibers.

We recommend deep cleaning your carpet every year and possibly as often as two or three times per year. More frequent cleaning could be beneficial for your home if you have kids, pets, or family members who suffer from allergies.

Preparing Your Carpet for a Deep Clean

Whether you’re steaming or shampooing your carpet, you can get the most out of your deep cleaning session by preparing the entire area. Move furniture so every space of the room can be treated, take the precaution to clear away breakables, thoroughly vacuum to pull out surface-level dirt, and spot-treat any stains.

With your space prepared, you’re ready to deep clean your floors.

Professional Deep Cleaning Methods

Deep cleaning carpet can be an intrusive process. You'll have to move all the furniture, intensively clean, and normally wait hours for everything to dry before you can put your life back in order. Thankfully, there are different cleaning methods that work for different time commitments.

These are the most common methods:

  • Steam cleaning: Need to know how to disinfect carpet? Steam cleaning is the way to go! This method involves a machine that flushes the carpet with hot water and a cleaning solution. The high heat deeply sanitizes the floors, and the cleaning solution pulls out stubborn dirt. While this is an effective way to disinfect and clean carpets, it takes anywhere from 6 to 24 hours to dry.
  • Shampooing: When you call the professionals, they’ll use a machine for shampooing your carpet. This method involves a foamy detergent methodically scrubbed into the carpet, which binds to heavy dirt and grime deep in the fibers. It's important for the detergent to be thoroughly rinsed after to prevent sticky residue. You can also expect a 6- to 24-hour drying time.
  • Dry carpet cleaning: Dry carpet cleaning can include cleaning powders or encapsulation solutions, which significantly reduce the moisture introduced into your carpet. While this may not clean as deeply as steam cleaning, it’s a low-water option that dries between 1 and 4 hours. Thanks to the shorter drying time, this method reduces the risk of water damage.

Deep Cleaning at Home: Step-By-Step

Whether you’re looking to save on hiring professionals, don’t want to wait for an appointment, or are simply interested in caring for your carpet yourself, it’s completely possible to deep clean carpets at home.

To make the project smooth and as pain-free as possible, we recommend renting a carpet cleaning machine.

Here's a walkthrough on how to deep clean your carpet:

  1. Start with vacuuming. Running the vacuum over your carpet right before you start deep cleaning ensures that surface-level dirt won’t detract effort.
  2. Pretreat stains. Taking care to soften stains before you start with the deep clean makes it more likely for the stain to lighten or clear completely.
  3. Prepare the machine. If you’re using a rental carpet cleaner, refer to the manual or follow the machine’s guide to make sure everything is properly hooked up and ready to start.
  4. Work in sections. By mentally dividing your floor into sections, you can focus on evenly cleaning one section before you move to the next.
  5. Rinse thoroughly. This step is key to making sure your floors don’t become sticky with cleaning residue, which makes the floors uncomfortable and also makes them collect dirt and grime much faster.
  6. Allow proper drying. This is important to make sure mold and mildew don’t start in your floors. You can open windows, add fans, or use a dehumidifier to ensure the space is properly ventilated.
  7. Replace furniture once dry. By waiting until everything is dry to bring your furniture back, you avoid accidentally trapping moisture under the couch or table legs, or disrupting the air flow and increasing the time it takes certain parts of the floor to fully dry.

Cleaning for Best Results

Professional cleaners use several techniques to make sure your floors turn out beautifully. If you want to deep clean your carpet like a pro, these are some details to keep in mind:

  • Test cleaners on hidden spots. Before treating your whole carpet with a new cleaner, test it on a small part you wouldn’t notice. This way, if the cleaner damages your carpet, you can easily hide the stain and sigh in relief that you didn't use it on the rest of your floor.
  • Choose the right cleaner for your carpet. Different materials work best with certain cleaners. Determine whether you have a synthetic or natural fiber carpet in order to pick the appropriate cleaner. This prevents accidental damage and makes sure your floors get the best clean possible.
  • Avoid over-wetting, which can cause mold or damage. While some of the cleaning methods use a fair amount of water, it’s important not to go overboard and to focus on extracting excess water as soon as you can. This may look like taking several passes with a wet-dry vacuum to pull as much moisture out as possible before you allow the carpets to finish air drying.
  • Blot rather than rub when dealing with stains. Spills happen, but how you handle them could be the difference between a small blemish and an impossible stain. Dabbing the spill lets you draw most of the loose liquid back from the floor before it can flow deep into the fibers and set. It can be tempting to rub the spill for a faster result, but this only spreads the stain and presses it deeper into the carpet.
  • Protect flooring in high-traffic areas with rugs. Hallways, entryways, and other high-traffic areas see plenty of dirt and are more likely to be crushed with heavy use. If you want your carpets to stay cleaner longer, you can use area rugs to protect high-use spaces.

Ready to Enjoy Fresh Beautiful Carpet?

Whether you choose professional cleaning or to roll up your own sleeves, deep cleaning your floors can help you enjoy improved air quality, beautifully revived carpet, and floors that last longer.

You can choose to sterilize your carpet with steam cleaning, scrub out heavy dirt with shampooing, or maintain your floors with minimal water with dry carpet cleaning methods.

If your carpet’s seen better days or if you’re looking to refresh your home with new floors, Floor Coverings International® of West Atlanta offers professional carpet replacement in Atlanta. Call us at (404) 825-9061 or schedule a free consultation today to start shopping for premium carpet with a convenient in-home floor selection.