Cleaning Carpets At Home

Cleaning carpets at home is a task that should be planned for at least twice a week, more frequently in heavily trafficked areas and during cold and flu season. (Sorry!)

Our home's carpets and rugs receive a lot of wear and tear daily. We and our pets track in contaminants on our shoes, in addition to the bodily fluids that collect from sneezes and coughs throughout the day. 

As a result, our carpets and rugs are often teeming with viruses, bacteria, and fungi waiting for us to pad around before bedtime so they can hitch a ride.

While it is impossible to kill all microorganisms on (or disinfect) soft, non-washable surfaces like carpets, cleaning carpets at home can significantly reduce bacterial levels and contamination. Here's how to keep your home's carpet clean.

Become a Fan of Doormats

Place doormats at every entrance to your home. You might also want to consider instituting a "no shoes inside" policy. 

Recent studies have revealed that our shoe soles can harbor a wide range of pathogens and viruses. Shoes that have been outside can track in germs and grime from asphalt, pet droppings, dirt, and worse. 

Suck it Up Cleaning Carpets at Home

Carpets are one of the most popular choices for living areas. The advantages are that it's warm and soft, making a room feel cozy. Carpet also softens sound, which is a distinct plus.

Drawbacks of carpet include the fact that it's challenging to keep clean without regular weekly vacuuming.

The next time you pull out the vacuum, keep in mind that effectively sucking up and removing the dirt and germs hidden in carpet fibers requires about 20 seconds of going back and forth over each area.

Change bags often and keep the vacuum's beater bar and brushes clean. 

Don't Skip Shampoos

Shampoo or have a professional carpet cleaner clean them at least twice a year; seasonal cleaning is even better. If someone in your home is ill with an infectious disease, or if you have a dust allergy sufferer in residence, more frequent deep cleaning is recommended. 

You can save time while cleaning carpets at home by shifting furniture a few inches instead of hauling every stick of furniture you own into the far corners of the room like, your mom probably did.

Place protective coasters (or wax paper squares) beneath furniture legs to protect your carpet and keep your furniture dry while the carpet is drying.

When shampooing carpets at home using a new or borrowed cleaning machine, test it out first on an inconspicuous area of your carpet to ensure the treatment won't discolor the sofa's fabric or damage the carpet fibers.

After shampooing, throw open the windows to allow fresh air to circulate. This can shave hours off your carpet's drying time, which can take up to 48 hours without assistance. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the regulating body for all things disinfectant, states that no product (to date) can claim to disinfect carpeting or other soft surfaces thoroughly.

However, as the role that soft surfaces play in germ transmission becomes more evident, the EPA has created a new category of disinfectants with a soft-surface sanitizing claim. 

These products kill 99.9% of vegetative bacteria, such as Bordetella and Leptospira, on soft surfaces. The catch: Disinfectants also kill viruses and fungi. So while these products offer a start into new sanitizing efforts, they are not without their germ holes where risk can enter. 

All is not lost, however. There is hope and a less germ-ridden future ahead for your carpets and upholstery. While there's no guarantee one of these new sanitizers will rid the soft surfaces in your home of all pathogens, the cleaning process itself will go a long way in keeping germ risk under control.

If cleaning carpets at home sounds like a bit too much work, you do have options here. Call that carpet cleaning company down the street and take the day off.

Cleaning Area Rugs at Home

Unlike wall-to-wall carpets, some small area rugs can be cleaned and disinfected in the washing machine. Before sending a rug for a spin in the washer, take it and shake it - outside, that is. Or beat it with a broom to dislodge surface dirt and debris.

A front-loading washer or a top-load model without a center agitator can accommodate a larger area rug better than a standard top-load washer. 

You might want to consider heading to a laundromat that has larger washers. Choose the hottest water recommended on the rug's care label. 

Add a laundry detergent containing enzymes and a laundry disinfectant (such as a name-brand laundry sanitizer, pine oil, or chlorine bleach) following product directions.

If the carpet does not have a rubber backing, tumble dry on high heat. If the rug cannot withstand the heat, allow it to air dry.