Carpet Cleaning – and a Peek into our Living Room!

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I’m usually more of a do-it-yourself kind of person…and I rarely back down from a challenge. However, when it comes to carpet cleaning, I’m more than willing to pay a professional!

I think the main reason I’m willing to pay for regular carpet cleanings is because it’s dirt and dust that I can’t see, so I feel like it’s impossible to really know if I’m getting it clean or not. Plus, professional equipment is way more powerful than anything I can rent or buy, and it takes them a fraction of the time it would take me because they do it every day!

Freshly cleaned carpets are one of my favorite things!

And since our carpets have seen some MAJOR abuse over the past 6 months {see picture below} and since we ran out of time to put hardwood in the living room {there’s always next summer!} we did not hesitate to schedule a professional carpet cleaner now that our renovations are nearly complete.

 

So yesterday, we had the carpet in our living room and stairway PROFESSIONALLY cleaned — and I am beyond thrilled with the results!

Since a picture of our carpet really isn’t that exciting, here’s a {poorly lit} picture of our “new” living room and the very clean carpet!! We JUST got our furniture in last night 🙂

Who We Hired:

Personally, I feel more comfortable hiring a small-business person who does the cleaning himself over a large chain company. So we hired Chip Garber of TLC cleaning {my parent’s long-time neighbor} and he did an amazing job — no he doesn’t know I’m writing this!

He has cleaned my parent’s carpet and upholstery for years now, and has been in business for over 32 years, so he definitely knows what he’s doing. His prices are great, and he had our carpets looking spotless within 45 minutes!

Ok, here’s one more picture {again, very poorly lit}… and you can even get a little sneak-peak at our gorgeous wood floors in the office area {more on those later!}

Now I just need some tables, lamps, pillows, blankets, a bookshelf, TV cabinet, a TV, a rug, and wall accessories — piece of cake!

Anyway, back to the carpet cleaning!

Since there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information available about carpet cleaning, I thought I would share some information from Chip, and some of the carpet companies I visited.

1. One of the easiest carpets to clean is a Nylon.

We ordered new carpet for a den area upstairs and I asked Chip what he would recommend. He said a “nylon twist” is great for wear and tear. So since that area will eventually be the kid’s play area, we went with a nylon twist!

Also, a nylon carpet will supposedly look brand new every time you get it professionally cleaned — where a polyester {which is a bit cheaper} will eventually “break down” and get more matted over time. It won’t ever look “brand new” again.

2. Clean your carpets when the windows can be open.

I’ve always been told that it’s a good idea to keep the windows open for a bit whenever you get your carpets clean — and I think the reasoning behind that is to allow any allergens or dust mites that get stirred up to have a place to go.  If your house is shut tight, all of that air-born junk will stay in your house and you’ll breath it in.

So even though you might really want to get your carpets cleaned before the holidays, it might actually be better to do it during warmer months {at least for those of us in the northern states!}

3. Declutter before you get your carpets cleaned.

Obviously, the carpet cleaner will eventually have to move or shift everything in the room he needs to clean {unless you are like us and didn’t have anything in that room} so the more stuff you can get out of the room, the better.

Use this as one more reason/incentive to declutter your home!

4. Don’t move furniture back to soon.

Even though a professional carpet cleaner will suck almost 99% of the water out of your carpet, it will still be damp for a while.

The problem with moving furniture back too quickly is that the damp carpet could ruin wooden furniture, and the stain from wooden furniture could “seep” into the damp carpet and cause it to be discolored.

In our case, we had just purchased our furniture so we simply waited until evening to move it into our house {we’ve been without furniture for 7 months — what’s one more day!}

However, if you need to move your furniture back right away, then ask your carpet cleaner for styrofoam or plastic pads to put under the legs of couches, chairs etc. The styrofoam won’t absorb any wetness and will protect your carpet and your furniture.

5. Get your upholstered furniture cleaned too.

If you already have a carpet cleaner coming, you should think about getting your upholstery cleaned at the same time. It’s not too expensive and will make your couches and chairs look and smell new again!

6. Spot clean in between professional cleanings.

Just like you wouldn’t expect a year-old stain to come out in the laundry, you probably can’t expect a year-old stain to magically come out of your carpet either! So even though I think it’s a good idea to get your carpets professionally cleaned every year {especially in high traffic areas} I would highly suggest doing some spot cleaning on your own.

Because I love using vinegar I’ve always just used a small spray bottle filled with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water to spot clean carpets; however, I recently learned that mixing a little dish soap with water works really well too — watch this video for more information. {you have to watch an advertisement first}

So how do you clean your carpets?

Do you get them professionally cleaned? How often?

Do you rent or own a carpet cleaner?

Do you simply rely on heavy spot cleaning throughout the year?

Do you just live with dirty carpets? 🙂