The best news is that rescuing a flooded carpet is highly regarded as one of the messiest household jobs any decent home owner would have to brave through, especially if he or she owns property near a flood-prone area. As a matter of fact, drying out soaked carpets are ranked to be as troublesome as range-hood degreasing, squirrel eviction and rescuing the contents from a rotting refrigerator. One thing we do know though is that a thoroughly wet carpet will not go away on its own, even if the flood height is less than 2-inches in depth. Instead, if left ignored, a wet carpet can easily convert into a mildewed work of art seemingly overnight.

To Save or Not to Save?

Most carpeting experts agree that a wet carpet should be salvaged if it meets certain criteria. For one thing, flooded carpets must be treated within 48 hours of the incident and for another, the amount of wetting should be small enough that the dampness from the carpet can be air-dried away. Carpets that are relatively new (or rather, less than 10 years old) are very likely to be made from synthetic material, which is great as mould simply cannot feed off synthetic material unless a fair amount of organic matter has been accumulated in the carpet fibres.

Step One: Remove the Carpet

Regardless of your carpet type, the first thing you need to do when faced with a flooded carpet is to work fast. Leaving your carpet to soak overnight is more than sufficient to cause irreparable damage to the carpet, your room and your flooring so the very first thing you want to do is to work to remove the carpeting from your floor. To do this, all you really need to do is pull the carpet back and isolate the padding between the carpet and your floor.

A carpet installed directly onto concrete slab is usually pretty easy to remove simply by pinching one corner of the carpet with a pair of pliers. Generally, you would want to pull the carpet away from the direction of the tack strips to fully reveal the padding underneath. Do exercise extra caution when the tack strips are exposed, especially when there are children and household pets nearby as the pointed ends of the tacks are dangerous enough to cause serious body injury.

Step Two: Remove the Padding

The reason why you have to go through all the trouble of removing the water pad is simply because these materials soak up water, which means that your carpet will perpetually stay wet if the padding is not removed. This not only damages your carpet and encourages mould growth but will also ruin your particle board which expands due to water retention.

After you’ve removed the padding, you may then lay the carpeting flat on the floor again and then proceed to blast all moisture away from your carpet. In this case, it doesn’t really matter if you use a wet or dry vacuum. What does matter though is that if your carpet starts to look delaminated (i.e. its layers of carpeting are separating), it means that your carpet has become irreparably damaged and should be allowed to dry separately, preferably for 48 hours before reinstallation.

Step Three: Drying Your Carpet

If your carpeting has so far survived being soaked in water before being pulled out of its fixture, you may then proceed to continuously blast air at its surface area for several days. Ideally, large fans should be placed at a distance of about 14 feet in a linear angle across your carpeting. Instead of splurging on large fans you should only be unlucky enough to use once, you may also consider renting these fans for your carpet-drying purpose. At the bare minimum, you should at least rent two of these high velocity fans for carpet drying purposes.

At the same time, one should also procure a dehumidifier or turn on the air-conditioning to further absorb the excess moisture in the air. For maximum efficiency, place your dehumidifier in the center of the room. Alternatively, a rug shampoo machine would also be an ideal accessory in helping you extract as much moisture as possible in the shortest time. All you need to do would be to run the machine over the surface of your carpeting multiple times until all the moisture is completely absorbed. As a rule of thumb, you should spend about half an hour on a 5′ x 5′x area, and in this case, it is always better to be thorough and repetitive than to leave one patch of wetness left untreated.

If the weather outside is dry enough, you should also probably open the windows to allow your carpet to dry quicker.

Step Four: Reinstalling the Carpet

Once the padding is fully dry, you can then begin carpet installation by first positioning the padding over the tack strips, followed by the carpet. You may have to perform carpet stretching to fully install the carpet back into its original place as well, which is why most people also often tend to delegate the job to professional carpet cleaners.  When in doubt, it is always best to revert to professionals as a half-dry carpeting could become a formidable health hazard.

Step Five: Post-Carpet Cleaning

It is a standard procedure for most carpet cleaning experts to complete the carpet drying process by applying biocide. These chemicals clean airborne spores floating around the room and virtually eliminate any possibility of mould growth. If you are cleaning the carpet on your own, you might want to use baking soda instead as this ingredient does well in drawing out moisture while also deodorizing your carpet enough to mask the musty odours often associated with wet carpeting.

Before you sprinkle on the baking soda, do ensure that your carpet is dry to touch. The baking soda should then be liberally applied over the entire of your carpet for about sixty minutes before it is then vacuumed up with a shop vac. Never use the regular vacuum for this exercise though as it can cause your baking soda to become damp. Once the carpet is properly dried up and installed, you should then proceed to check your walls for mould growth as well, just to be sure.

The good news is that you won’t have to wait for bumps to appear on your carpet before deciding to have your carpet stretched. Instead, all you need to do is lift up the centre of your carpet and snap it back into place. If your carpet returns to its original shape, it means that no stretching is required and vice versa.

Tools of the Trade

If you’re on a budget or simply do not have the time to wait for professionals to slot your household emergency into their appointment books, you might want to enjoy the satisfying experience of stretching your very own carpet. The required tools for this DIY project includes a:

• hammer
• cold chisel
• stapler with 5/16-inch staples
• needle-nose pliers
• pry bar
• utility knife
• rubber mallet
• power stretcher kit
• tin snips
• knee kicker
• carpet cutter
• and a flat tip screwdriver

A knee kicker and carpet cutter can be easily found in hardware stores. The former tool is used to tighten carpeting along the edges whereas the carpet cutter allows you to trim segments of the carpet even while it is still attached to a baseboard or wall.

When purchasing tack strips, do note that one can either purchase strips meant for concrete flooring or strips meant for wooden flooring- which means that it is essential that you select the right type for your project. Tack strips also only come in 4 feet lengths which you can easily trim down with tin snips.

If the condition of your carpet is pretty serious, you might want to procure replacement carpeting, a carpet pad and tack strips as well. Do note that if your entire carpet requires an overhaul, you’d be better off hiring professional help as pro installation fees are relatively cheaper compared to installing a new pad and carpeting.

Step One: Removing the Carpeting

The first thing you would want to do is to partially remove part of the installed carpet. Begin by lifting up one corner of the carpet while taking care to gently pry the fabric loose of the tack strip to prevent unravelling the fibres. Generally, you would want to pull the carpeting away from the track strips in a zipper-like motion.

Once the carpet has been pulled away, you can then remove the all the staples attached to the carpet pad with pliers. Exercise as much patience as you can, as a single staple left on the pad can cause the padding to rip during the removal process. Once that’s done, you can then gently pull the carpet padding away.

A bonus option after this step is that you can also take the opportunity to fix any squeaky flooring. To do this, carefully tread across the floors and mark the areas with the squeaks. Once the marking has been done, screw in 2-1/2 inch screws into the underlying floor joists to enjoy a sound-free walking experience on your newly repaired flooring.

Step Two: Replacing the Tack Strips

Removing old tack strips can be a dangerous process as these strips come with needle-sharp nails that are driven at awkward angles to better grip the carpet. Hence, always wear thick gloves before removing the old tack strips with a pry bar. We recommend that you first pound the edge of a pry bar directly under the setting nails before wedging the old tack strip away from its fixed position.

Once the old tack strips are removed, you can then install brand new strips by simply positing the strips and then hammering the setting nails into place with a hammer. Do note though that there are a couple of things you should take note of before you position your new strips. For one thing, the carpet-gripping nail tips must be facing the direction of the wall to properly stretch your carpet. You also should avoid leaving any gaps or corners between the trips too as that can create a loose finishing.

Step Three: Stretching the Carpet

We can now move on to carpet stretching! Begin by installing new carpet pads directly on to the tack strips. You might want to trim the pads to fit snugly on the tack strips and you should also fasten the padding in with staples with 3-inches width apart. You can then roll on the carpet back into place.

It is now time to bring out the power stretcher kit, which is essentially the most important item you’ll need to stretch your carpet out. Generally, power stretchers operate by pulling on the surface of the carpet on one end while being attached the edge of the wall on the other hand. You can then activate the lever on the power stretcher to grip and stretch the surface of the carpet. If it takes too much effort to pull the lever down, it means that you are overstretching the carpet and vice versa.

Once you’re satisfied with your newly stretched carpet, you can then apply the knee kicker to confined areas which cannot be reached by the power stretcher, such as along the doorway. Your knee kicker should be positioned about 6 inches away from the wall. To activate the mechanism, kick the teeth of the knee kicker with the area above your kneecap followed by embedding the carpet with tack strip. Repeat the processes until you are satisfied that the carpet’s edges are fully tightened.

Step Four: Trimming the Carpet

If stretching your carpet has left you with excess edges, you can then trim the overflow with a carpet cutter. Alternatively, you may also attempt trimming your carpet with an utility knife, although you should be careful and work slowly to prevent any untoward accidents.

Read on as we reveal the eight most common types of household carpets used in modern homes!

Number One: Plush Carpets

A plush carpet can be identified by the uniform weave of nylon that is luxuriously smooth and dense which looks very much like grass. Plush carpets are popular as it is widely available and comes in a wide variety of solid colours. This carpet type is especially popular with children as the denseness of the carpet surface cushions the weight of the user evenly, thereby allowing anyone to fall asleep on the carpet and not suffer from joint aches.

Plush carpets are also stain and soil resistant, which means that coffee and wine spills on your plush carpet is easily cleansed away. You won’t have to break a sweat either every time your kid or household pets treks dirt through your plush carpet either, as grime does not adhere to the fibres of the carpet, either. To maintain your plus carpet, all you need to do is vacuum every once in awhile.

How to Clean: Plush carpets should be vacuumed on a daily basis and should be dry cleaned at least twice a year by professional carpet cleaning service. New stains on plush carpets should be wiped away with a sponge dipped in cold water whereas an older stain might require potent liquid detergent. If your plush carpet is white or nude coloured, you should also stock up on bleach to perform an undiluted bleach rinse on the carpet.

Number Two: Textured Plush Carpets

One of the biggest problems with plush carpets though is that it tends to have a lifespan of only five years as foot prints and vacuum marks will be pretty visible after that. The textured plush carpet solves this problem due to its varying tuft heights. The textured plush carpet also usually uses more than one colour of yarn, which then opens up the user to other carpet pattern options as well.

In terms of cost, textured plush carpets are also of the same pricing with regular plush carpets and are just as easy to clean as well.

How to Clean: Regular vacuuming and annual carpet shampooing by professionals will be enough to extend the lifespan of the carpet.

Number Three: Frieze Carpets

Did you know 70% of Minnesota households are furbished with Frieze carpets? The Frieze carpet is easily identified due its twisty, shaggy surface which can look either casual or elegant, depending on the tightness of the loop. Amazingly enough, the loops of the Frieze carpets do not crush, matt or tangle together even after ten years of usage!

Frieze Carpets are usually constructed from nylon fibres for a softer feel and is usually found in solid or dual-tone colours to create a textured, three-dimensional effect. Like the textured plush carpet, Frieze carpets also hide footprints and vacuum marks well. Unfortunately, the Frieze carpet also does a good job of concealing and trapping dirt in its tangles, which is why it is important to regularly maintain this carpet type.

How to Clean: Run a vacuum over your carpet at least three times before using a carpet rake to loosen the dirt from the carpet’s tangles. You should then vacuum your carpet once more to sweep up the remaining dirt caught in the carpet. It is highly recommended that you get your carpet professionally washed at least once a year to maintain the integrity and hygiene of your Frieze carpet.

Number Four: Sculptured Carpets

The sculptured carpet is basically a mishmash of low and high pile fibres that have been sculptured together to create a three-dimensional image. Sculptured carpets are usually one-toned, which makes it easy to match with the other adornments in the room.

While most carpet owners fear that the uneven loops in the sculptured carpet will succumb to wear and tear pretty quickly, the truth is that the surface of a carpet will wear out evenly, regardless of the number of high loops and low loops you have in your carpet design.

How to Clean: Despite its complexity, the sculptured carpet should be cleaned just like any other plush or textured carpet.  Regular vacuuming, spot cleaning and carpet steaming would be sufficient to prolong the lifespan of your carpet.

Number Five: Saxony Carpets

The Saxony carpet is the most luxurious carpet in our list due to its smooth, velvet-like finishing. This carpet design consists of densely woven loops that are stain-resistant. The drawback to the Saxony carpet though is that it is designed to have a deeper pile, and hence can better absorb dirt and grime. Like the plush carpet, Saxony carpets will also easily reveal footprints as well, which might be annoying for those of us who like even carpet surfaces.

How to Clean: The Saxony carpet should be regularly vacuumed, but if you would like to create a perfectly even finish, avoid vacuuming one spot for too long. The Saxony carpet is also thicker relative to the other types of carpets, which is why we recommend professional carpet cleaning services at least twice a year for the sake of hygiene.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance

Table 1.0: Tabulation of Carpet Cleaning Difficulty

Some carpets are difficult to clean not because of its pattern, but because of the material used in constructing said carpet. For example, carpets made from Olefin fibre tend to absorb oil, which makes it much more prone to dirt attraction and old stains.  On the other hand, other carpets might be placed in high-traffic areas such as staircases, which would make it even more challenging to maintain in terms of cleanliness.

To achieve zero residue carpet cleaning, we recommend that you always have your carpet looked at by professional carpet cleaners at least once a year to extend the lifespan of your carpet and for hygiene reasons.

Besides regular carpet shampooing and dry carpet cleaning, there are also other carpet accessories which you might be interested in, such as the addition of a carpet underlay to promote better insulation and noise padding as well. An underlay can also protect the structural integrity of your carpet too, regardless of whichever type of carpet you choose.

To start off, you should vacuum the carpet that will be cleaned as effectively as you can. Since the whole purpose of a professional carpet cleaning service is to get rid of the dirt and other grime in your carpets that regular vacuuming can’t, then it makes sense to take care of everything that you can by yourself before they show up. After all, you wouldn’t want to be spending all that money, just to have their efforts limited by dirt that could have been picked up by your vacuum beforehand! You should make sure that you’ve done all you can before the company shows up, so that they can focus on getting rid of the things that only a professional service can.

In addition to vacuuming your carpets as thoroughly as possible beforehand, you should also make a list of spots in your carpet that have been especially problematic, so that the company can put more focus on those spots. For example, if you’ve got some stains in your carpet from juice or other liquids, then make sure you let the company know so that they can get it out. Or if there is a patch of dirt that your vacuum just can’t pick up, notify them when they arrive so that they can get it taken care of. It helps them to have a customer that knows exactly what help they’re needing, so they don’t have to guess what to do.

One of the most helpful things you can do for the carpet cleaning company is to be home when they show up. While you can leave the door open and tell them to just come in when you’re not there, it’s more effective if you are present while the cleaning is going on, so that you can let them know of any spots that need extra help, and so you can make sure they’re doing a good job. Your presence will also help if they have any questions, or if they need permission to move furniture, and so on. If you haven’t paid them in advance, then being home will allow you to get payment taken care of on the spot, instead of them having to call you or send you paperwork in the mail.

If you’re in the Atlanta area and need a professional carpet cleaning service, then you should consult a list of Atlanta Carpet Cleaning companies in your area to come and help with your carpet.

While water damaged carpet can cost you a great deal of money, it can also put your health at risk. Discovering the source of the water leak that’s causing your carpet water damage is very important, as it will tell you whether or not you can go ahead with carpet water damage restoration, or if you simply need a carpet replacement, which is usually done in the case of “black water” in your carpet. Black water is essential untreated sewage that contains hazardous bacteria and viruses, which can be extremely dangerous to your family and your pets.

If the water damage in your carpet is fairly clean, or only very slightly contaminated, then a water restoration can be done. Whatever the type of water damage though, the wet padding underneath your carpet must be discarded because it’s impossible to get clean.  Mold  grows on a carpet if it remains damp for over 12 hours, so the carpet restoration ought to be done as soon as possible, after the damage has occurred.

Standard Carpet Cleaning Procedures For Water Damage

Assuming you don’t have any “black water” in your carpet, here’s how you can perform a carpet restoration.

• If possible, remove the carpet from the floor and take it outside - If it’s too heavy to move, tear off the padding and keep the carpet elevated using old furniture.

• Start the water clean up - As your carpet airs out, remove the standing water with a mop or wet vacuum cleaner, then disinfect the floor by scrubbing it thoroughly with a detergent and bleach solution.

• Ventilate - It’s vital that you ventilate the room where the water damage took place. Open all doors and windows (weather-permitting, of course) This way, the humidity will be reduced, and things will dry up more quickly.

• Fans - Use fans and AC to increase air mobility and lower humidity, as well.

• After 12 hours - Your carpet ought to be dry enough to lay down flat again. Continue to keep air circulating, as much as possible.

Safety For “Black Water” Carpet Cleaning

If your carpet has been damaged from unsanity water (like from the toilet or otherwise), or if there is already noticeable mold, it’s best to call a professional carpet cleaning service. They have special industrial equipment that will restore your carpet, but you can also opt for a complete carpet replacement, as well. Talk to your local carpet contractors, and they’ll advice you on which option to go with.

It’s not advised that you do an unsanitary water carpet restoration on your own, but if you must, it’s important that you take all safety precautions. Before you begin, make sure you bandage up any open wounds or scratches you might have. Then put on protective gloves, goggles, and rubber boots. When you’re done with the clean-up, wash your hands thoroughly and apply an antibiotic ointment to scratches, for good measure.

Some of your home goods might be salvageable, but items made of porous material like stuffed toys, upholstered furniture, books, paper products, and medical supplies will have to be disposed of, unfortunately. It may be difficult to do, but it’s for your health, and what could be more important?

If you’re interested in a professional carpet water damage restoration, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta Carpet Cleaners, your number one carpet cleaners in Atlanta, and the surrounding areas.

Whether you have children, pets, or you’re simply guilty of walking in your house with shoes all too often, your carpet is bound to get dirty. Sooner or later it’s going to have to be cleaned. While you could call professional carpet cleaners to do the job, many tend to use toxic chemicals that aren’t good for your health, or the environment. Plus, they can leave it soaking for a long period of time, which can cause mold and mildew growth. If there was a way to effectively clean your carpet that wasn’t hazardous to your health and the planet, would you do it? Well, here’s how:

Step 1: Purchase/Rent Your Carpet Cleaning Device

Whether it be a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer, purchase or rent an effective and reliable carpet cleaning device. Since you won’t be cleaning your carpet all that often, it’s probably best to rent. It’s important to note that you won’t actually be filling this device with regular cleaning solution (as they are filled with harmful chemicals, and it defeats the whole purpose of “green” cleaning). The job of this cleaning device is simply to suck up any excess cleaning solution that might be present.

Step 2: Purchase a “Sprayer”

You know, the kind you’ve used for gardening and staining? This is what you’ll be putting your water and “green carpet cleaning” solution in, to eventually spray on your carpet.

Step 3: Purchase a Green Carpet Cleaning Solution

You can usually find these at all major grocery stores - you’re looking for an all natural carpet cleaner like  Seventh Generation or Bi-O-Kleen.

Step 4: Move Your Furniture Off the Carpet

Move your furniture to an uncarpeted area like the kitchen or garage.

Step 5: Vacuum

The first step to an effective and eco-friendly carpet cleaning is to vacuum it. Ideally, you ought to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter that can suck up and trap all of the dirt and dust that’s lurking in the depths of your carpet. Vacuuming your carpet every so often isn’t enough, you must do it regularly to keep debris to a minimum.

Step 6: Combine the Green Carpet Cleaning Solution with Hot Water (follow directions on bottle)

Pour into your pump sprayer.

Step 7: Spray the Eco-friendly Carpet Cleaning Solution on Your Carpet

It ought to be wet, but if it’s drenched, you sprayed too much. Nevertheless, spraying an extra amount of specific stains is encouraged.

Step 8: Let the Solution Soak in for About a Half Hour

Step 9: Use Your Carpet Cleaning Device or a Wet/Dry Vacuum to Suck Up All Excess Cleaning Solution From Your Carpet

Step 10: Enjoy!

…until you have to do it again in next year. It’s important to note that your local carpet cleaners can probably do a more thorough job at cleaning your carpet, and it’s recommended that you have them take care of it every so often. And, if they have green carpet cleaning options available, you might want to think about calling them regularly!

If you’re interested in having your carpet cleaned, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta Carpet Cleaners, you’re premier Atlanta carpet cleaning service!

There is no doubt that dogs and cats make wonderful pets, but their failure to become house  broken, combined with whatever else that might have rolled around in outside, can definitely leave  nasty stains and odors on your beautiful carpet. Particularly, with potty accidents, it’s important  to choose a carpet cleaning service that will do away with the stain on a molecular level, instead of using a  mild cleaner that will just mask the odor or the appearance of the spot. Since your pet’s sense of  smell is stronger than yours, they might still be able to pick up this odor, and will then think that it’s  okay to “go” on the carpet again.

Step 1: Remove any accessible waste material from the carpet

This refers to any material that might be settled on the top of the carpet, and has yet to get embedded in it. Put on rubber gloves, and use paper towels to avoid spreading this waste in future cleanings. Never rub the waste material. Instead, use a blotting motion so you don’t spread the stain.

Step 2: Use an enzymatic carpet cleaner to treat the spot

You are likely to find these carpet cleaners at your local pet store. Make sure you closely follow the directions on the bottle, and clean in a larger area than the stain itself appears, as pet carpet stains tend to spread.

• Apply a small amount of the carpet cleaner to a paper towel first, and then apply it to a sample piece of carpet, or a small piece of carpet in an inconspicuous area, to see if their is any adverse reaction.

• After a few minutes have passed, apply the recommended amount to the stain.

• Leave it to dry for several hours.

Step 3: Follow-Up Clean

• Mix 1 TB of borax into a quart of water. (An added benefit of borax is that it helps with flea control.)

• Apply this solution with a clean paper towels to remove product residue and alleviate any remaining stain.

• Rinse with water

• Dry with wet/dry vacuum

It’s very important never to mix different cleaning agents of chemicals, as the result can be extremely dangerous, not only to the carpet, but more importantly, to you and your family. Just like the pet solution, test a small amount of your “follow up” carpet cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area. In addition to rubber gloves, wear protective eye gear and open the windows to allow for maximum ventilation.  Keep the area clear from traffic until the stain in completely dry.

Step 4: Contact your local carpet cleaners

If you’ve followed the above steps exactly, and there’s still a visible pet stain or odor, this might be a job for your licensed carpet cleaning contractors. Chances are, they’ll have a great deal of experience dealing with pet carpet stains, and you won’t have to risk doing greater damage to your carpet, than is already present.

If you’re having difficulty dealing with pesky carpet stains from your pet, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta Carpet Cleaners. We’re a premier Atlanta carpet cleaning service, ready to handle your worst stains, and get your carpet looking brand new.

The most popular method of professional carpet cleaning in use today is hot water extraction - commonly known as “steam cleaning“. If you’ve ever had your carpets cleaned and they were damp afterwards - you’ve had them steam cleaned. The process begins with a pre-cleaning enzyme or detergent sprayed over the carpet and allowed to absorb. Then, the carpet cleaner will spray down hot water on to the carpets, which will help the enzymes penetrate and loosen all of the dirt, oils and grime inside the carpet fibers. The carpet cleaner then vacuums the water out using a truck-mounted, very high-powered suction device, which leaves very little dirt, detergent or water behind. Hot water extraction is quite effective for most carpets - as long as your carpet isn’t fragile, it should do well with a steam clean.

Dry foam cleaning is the other popular carpet cleaning method used in homes. This method is similar to steam cleaning, but instead of a pre-cleaning detergent and hot water, a dry chemical foam solution is laid down over the carpets, allowed to penetrate, and then sucked out by the suction hose. This method keeps your carpets dry, and is still quite effective at deep penetration and getting the dirt out.

Encapsulation carpet cleaning is another chemical based method that has found some traction with carpet cleaning providers throughout the USA. Essentially the process entails a chemical detergent being laid down on the carpet with the help of a rotary brush or other machine. The detergent works to crystallize dirt, oil and other particles that are stuck on and in between the carpet fibers. These crystals are then easily vacuumed up with a regular vacuum. Encapsulation is best used in between steam or dry foam cleanings, as a means to keep high traffic carpets clean without having a full truck mounted solution coming to your house every few months.

Bonnet or “carbonated” carpet cleaning is the final chemical method that we’ll touch on. Essentially this method involves using a bonnet - another name for a mechanical brush cleaning machine - to scrub the carpets clean after the chemical shampoo has been applied. If you’ve seen a janitor using a circular floor buffer, you know what this process looks like. Bonnet cleaning is only recommended for very low pile carpeting, which is quite flat and mimics a hardwood or other floor. Shag or cut pile carpeting is best served by either steam or dry foam cleaning.

Finally - a quick note about Scotchgard. Scotchgard is a protective treatment made by 3M that can be applied to carpets after cleaning is complete. While many individuals simply see it as an “up sell” by the carpet cleaner, Scotchgard is actually quite effective at preventing stains and maintaining the health of both carpets and upholstery. It’s best used on carpets that are just a few years old, as after five or so years the carpet probably isn’t worth investing in much more than an annual professional cleaning.

It’s best to contact your preferred local carpet cleaning company to enquire about which type of carpet cleaning services they offer and what they would recommend for your type of carpeting. Many companies will offer a combination of the different types of carpet cleaning listed above, and you can choose which you would prefer based on the features of each. When in doubt, you can always do a quick search online for your brand of carpet, and find out what the manufacturer recommends as a cleaning solution.

Please consider the follow suggestions, in order to achieve the best results:

Renting carpet cleaning equipment

Look up a few different carpet cleaning systems, before you choose one to rent. It’s best to rent a device that’s similar to what professional carpet cleaning system might be. Your equipment ought to have sufficient vacuum capacity to allow the carpet to dry within 12 hours, after cleaning.

Choosing a carpet cleaning product

Your carpet manufacturer can recommend which products are best equipped to handle your specific carpeting. Make certain it has a pH less than 10, and proclaims to have no sticky residue.  If your carpet contains wool, for instance, chose a cleaning product specially designed for it.

Before cleaning your carpet

It’s usually best to clean your carpet in the spring or summer, so that you can temporarily place your furniture outside, while you’re cleaning. If you prefer to clean your carpet in the winter, simply place your furniture in an area of your home that is not carpeted, like the kitchen or a hallway.

Cleaning your carpet

Now that you have the best equipment and cleaning solution for your carpet, one of the best tips that can be given is not to over-wet the carpet, or use too much detergent. Too much of these things can cause serious damage to the carpet, and it may encourage the development of bacteria and mildew.

Drying Your Carpet

You can use fans to move air across the carpeting, as well as an air conditioner or dehumidifier to pull moisture out of the air. 12 hours is a reasonable amount of time to expect the drying to complete. If it’s not done drying in 24 hours, you might want to call a professional carpet cleaning service.

Whether you have suggestion about carpet cleaning, or think that you it’s time to have your carpet cleaned, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta Carpet Cleaners, your premier carpet cleaners in Atlanta!