Carpet is often one of the most used surfaces in a home, and it can quickly become stained and matted. In addition, carpets can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other germs. To keep your carpet looking its best and to help protect your family’s health, it’s important to disinfect it regularly. Here are some tips for disinfecting your carpet:
What to do first before cleaning the carpet?
There is a difference between sanitizing, disinfecting, and cleaning. The terms disinfecting and sanitizing are commonly used interchangeably, but they are not the same. It is actually impossible to disinfect soft materials such as carpet as this requires killing all the microorganisms found within the carpet, which can’t be done. So the best method for renewing your carpet is to clean first and then sanitize.
Cleaning the carpet first removes dirt and debris from your carpet, which will allow you to move ahead with proper sanitizing. Sanitizing is simply bringing the carpet back to a safe state that is suitable for people to be around. To clean your carpet, use either a vacuum or a stiff-bristle broom depending on the density and composition of your carpet fibers. If vacuuming, use the appropriate attachment to get as much dirt as possible out of the fibers. Source: Hunker
What are the steps to disinfect your carpet?
- Mix a solution of vinegar and water. If no ratios are given for the machine, you can use one part vinegar to one part water. For severe cases, use full strength vinegar. If soap-to-water ratios are given, replace the portion of soap with vinegar.
- Fill the detergent vessel of the steam cleaner with the solution. Do not overfill.
- Run the steam cleaner over the carpets, following directions for the machine.
- Allow the carpet to dry before use and traffic resumes. It works well to clean the carpets in the evening before going to bed so they can dry through the night. The vinegar smell will dissipate once the carpet dries. Source: HowToCleanStuff
How often should you clean your carpet?
Disinfecting a carpet is a bit variable. You should be vacuuming the carpet several times a week to remove loose dirt and pathogens. It’s also important to deep clean carpets every three to six months to get rid of bacteria build-up. You would typically sanitize during this time. Most importantly, however, you want to sanitize your carpet every time someone in your home is ill with an infectious disease, such as the flu or COVID-19. Source: Cleaning.LoveToKnow
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