How to Clean Wall-to-Wall Carpet

Keep wall-to-wall carpet in good condition by regularly cleaning it.

When cleaning wall-to-wall carpet, you will need to do more than just vacuum. Carpets that become heavily soiled will require shampooing to restore the carpet's appearance. Deep cleaning your wall-to-wall carpet regularly will keep the color of your carpet vibrant and will help reduce allergens and dirt particles that an ordinary vacuum cannot remove completely. Cleaning a wall-to-wall carpet will require that you set aside a few hours out of your day to ensure that you clean them properly.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum cleaner with attachments
• Pretreatment solution
• Carpet cleaner

Instructions

1. Remove all the furniture from the carpet. Place the furniture in a different room where it is out of the way for now.

2. Pick up large items on the floor. Look over the floor to make sure there are no objects that will harm your vacuum cleaner, such as nails, long pieces of string or coins.

3. Use your vacuum cleaner to remove any loose dirt and debris. Vacuum all of the carpet, and use the hose attachment to remove debris on the side of the carpet that touches the wall.

4. Use a pretreatment solution to remove stains from the carpet. After you vacuum, you may notice stains that were not evident before. Use a carpet spot treatment and follow the directions on the product. You can remove the treatment solution with the carpet shampoo machine.

5. Purchase or rent a carpet cleaner. When you rent one of these machines, make sure they come with a cleaning solution so that you can properly clean the carpets. Follow the directions on the machine carefully to avoid ruining your carpet. Use the machine on all of the carpet instead of just one particular area or your carpet could end up discolored. You may need to empty out the dirty water and use clean water several times during the process.

6. Allow the carpet to dry completely. Keep your family and pets out of the room until the carpet dries to prevent soiling the carpet. Use fans to aid in the drying process.

7. Inspect the wall-to-wall carpet after it dries. You may decide to use the carpet cleaner again to clean the carpet if it still looks soiled. Once you finish cleaning one room, move on to the next room in your house that contains wall-to-wall carpeting.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to scrub the corners of the carpet by hand with carpet shampoo because the carpet cleaner may not be able to reach these small areas.

References

• Allergy Consumer Review: Carpet Cleaning Methods
• Carpet: Carpet Maintenance
• One Pay Check at a Time: How to Clean Your Carpets on a Budget