How to Shampoo Carpet

Shampooing a carpet is pretty easy. It only requires the right equipment and some basic preparation. Once you shampoo your carpet once, you will want to do it all the time. It is always nice to make something old and dirty look brand new.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Steam Cleaner
• Carpet Shampoo
• Spot Cleaner
• Vacuum

1. To shampoo your carpet you will need to either purchase or rent a steam cleaner. If you plan to shampoo your carpet more than once in a years time, buying one is often the most cost effective method. However, if you only need to shampoo your carpet once and you don't for see yourself shampooing your carpet again renting a steam cleaner is most economical. Most local grocery stores, home improvement stores and some department stores rent steam cleaners.

2. Before you begin to shampoo your carpet you will need to do some prep work. First you will need to vacuum the carpet thoroughly. Dirt, hair and debris will clog the steam cleaner.

3. After you have vacuumed the floor, you will want to use a spot cleaner on any stains that are really old or set in. Apply the spot cleaner to all the difficult spots on the carpet and allow it to soak in. You will want to leave the spot cleaner on the stains for about twenty minutes.

4. Once the spot remover has had time to set in, you can set up your steam cleaner and start shampooing your carpet.

5. Start in the furthest corner of your room and pull back rather than going forward with your cleaner.

6. Once you shampooed the entire carpet, you will need to give the carpet time to dry before you walk on it. After the freshly shampooed carpet begins to dry you may see some stains begin to resurface. You can go over the stains a few times if necessary, but don't soak the carpet. Allow the carpet to dry some in between your attempts at removing the carpet stains. If the carpet gets to wet, so will the padding underneath and that can lead to mold growth.