If you have carpet in your home, you know that every now and then it needs a thorough cleaning. But thanks to home carpet cleaners, you no longer have to pay a professional cleaning service to take care of the problem. Some people don't realize just how easy it is to use one of these cleaners, though. You merely fill the tank, then wash and rinse the carpet in each room. The most difficult part may be moving and protecting your furniture. There are a few steps to effectively use a home carpet cleaner.
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Prepare
Once you have the carpet cleaner, you'll need to prepare the area that you plan to clean. If possible, move all furniture to another room. If not, prepare to slide it out of the way as you do half the room, then slide it back to clean the other half once the first area you treated is dry. You'll also want to cover any furniture legs with plastic wrap to keep them dry.
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Start Cleaning
First, vacuum all areas that will be treated. Your Hoover vacuum will likely come with a manual, but the next step is to fill the tank with a mix of the appropriate detergent and water. Choose the appropriate setting on your cleaner and squeeze the trigger to begin slowly moving over each area to be treated. Reverse over the same area at least once, repeating the forward-and-reverse motion over areas that have stubborn stains. Make sure you overlap each area you cleaned previously to avoid leaving dirt tracks between rows.
Rinse
Once you've cleaned the entire area, you still have one more step. Replace the solution in the tank with pure water and go over the carpet again in the same manner you used for cleaning. This will help remove any remaining detergent from the carpet. To suction out any remaining water, you can run the cleaner without squeezing the trigger.
Dry
Your carpets may take a few hours to dry. You can speed up this process using a floor fan. Try not to move or replace your furniture or walk on the carpet until it's completely dry. Clean your carpet at least once per year and make sure you treat any stains as soon as they happen.
A carpeted floor can be soft and eye-pleasing, but worn, dirty carpets take away from a home's appeal. By engaging in regular cleaning, you can extend your carpet's life while keeping it attractive year-round.