If you have a lot of people and pets running through your house all day, you already know that your carpet gets pretty dirty quickly. 

With the holidays coming around, you probably want your home to look spic and span – but you don’t know where to start. 

The easiest way is to hire a professional cleaning crew to do a carpet cleaning at home (not to mention a full house deep clean, too!).

However, if you’d prefer to take a crack at it yourself, here are a few tips to help you get started and make it through! 

Carpet Cleaning At Home – Machine Free!

These days, most vacuum cleaners do a great job at picking up loose dirt and debris – and they can be pretty compact too! But sometimes, when your carpet has stubborn stains, or your machine isn’t working, you must figure out a way to clean it without your trusty vacuum. 

While professional services have the process down to a T, you can still do a pretty good job too, as long as you follow the basic rules of carpet cleaning at home. 

The No-Machine Carpet Cleaning Rules:

  • Brush your carpet fibres to loosen up dirt – before adding liquid solutions to them.
  • Spot-test any cleaning solutions before using them on your carpet. 
  • Use the smallest amount of cleaning solutions possible – so it’s easy to rinse out.
  • Allow your carpet to dry thoroughly. If any moisture gets trapped inside, it could lead to the rapid growth of mould.

How To Spot Clean Your Carpet

When something falls on your carpet, or you find a pet stain, and you’re available to clean it, a spot clean is the way to go.

Here’s how:

Blot The Area

If you’ve got a fresh, liquid spill on your hands, blot it immediately with a dry, clean paper towel or microfiber cloth. You might be able to remove a lot of it before it sets in.

Club Soda

It is tempting to scrub away at the stain – but that’s the worst thing to do. Scrubbing at the area will only push the spill further into your carpet’s fibres and damage them too!

Instead, saturate the affected area with some club soda and then use paper towels, dabbing at the stain to remove it. However, this trick works only on fresh stains. 

Vinegar And Dishwashing Liquid

You can use this DIY spot cleaner for stains that have been there for a while. 

You’ll need:

  • 1 cup of white vinegar
  • 1 cup of warm water
  • A couple of drops of dishwashing liquid
  • Clean, dry cloth
  • Dry paper towels

Method:

  1. Use a clean, dry microfiber cloth to apply the mixture to the stain. 
  2. Let it sit for a few minutes to loosen the particles. To lift the stain off your carpet, gently blot it with a dry towel. 
  3. Repeat if needed, and then use a clean cloth to blot the area with plain water. 

When all else fails, you can use a carpet shampoo to deal with stubborn stains – always read and follow the directions on the packaging.

How To Deep Clean Your Carpet At Home

When it’s time to clean up your entire carpet, it is possible to do an at-home deep clean on your own!

Get Rid Of Loose Debris

First, remove all of the dirt and crumbs from your carpet. You can use a stiff broom, a brush or even a lint roller to pick up loose fur, hair, dust etc. 

If it’s a bright, clear day outside, you can take your carpet out and beat it to loosen and remove the dirt!

Deodourise With Baking Soda 

Baking soda is a great product to remove nasty smells from carpets. Simply sprinkle some of it across the carpet, let it sit for about 20-30 minutes, and then vacuum it away!

You can also use powdered carpet cleaner instead of baking soda. These cleaners are readily available at most stores and are simple to use. 

Although you should go through the instructions first, usually all you need to do is sprinkle the cleaner on your carpet, let it sit for around 30 minutes, and then vacuum it up. 

Cleaning And Disinfecting A Carpet

Professional services sometimes use steam cleaning machines when handling a carpet cleaning job at home. 

A simple steam clean actually loosens up any remaining gunk and disinfects the area at the same time. 

To get similar results, here’s what you can do:

Use A Carpet Shampoo

If you’re using a commercially available carpet shampoo, to ensure that you don’t use too much or damage your carpet, dilute it with some water to make it a little more gentle. 

Then;

  1. Spray the area with very little of the solution – making sure that you do not over-saturate your carpet. as little solution as possible. 
  2. Use a brush and gently brush your carpet to loosen up any grime. 
  3. Next, use a dry, clean towel and dab at the area to absorb as much of the cleaning solution as possible. 
  4. Finally, once you’re sure all traces of the diluted carpet shampoo are gone, spray the area with some clean water. 
  5. Blot this part with clean paper towels to remove as much water as possible.
  6. Finally, allow it to air dry, and if needed, brush the fibres to ensure they look neat.

DIY Your Carpet Cleaning At Home

If you don’t have a carpet shampoo, or you don’t want to buy one, you can try making this DIY carpet shampoo! 

You’ll need:

  • White vinegar
  • Water
  • Brush
  • Clean cloth

Method:

  1. Mix the vinegar to water in a 1:3 ratio.
  2. Dip the brush into the solution and gently rub it into the carpet fibres, making sure to avoid oversaturating.
  3. Then using a dry cloth, blot away excess moisture. 

Knowing how to clean a carpet at home without any fancy machinery is a great skill to have to help you save a little money – and time – if you’re in a pinch! 

Want more nifty household maintenance tips? Check this post here.