Carpet Cleaning Detergent
If you need your carpet cleaned, you might need to invest in a good carpet cleaning detergent. This might seem contrary to what you normally think of when envisioning cleaning a carpet, but it can really make all the difference. Yes, there's more to carpet cleaning that running a vacuum over it and calling it a day. You have to really use that elbow grease to remove the ground in dirt, and a good carpet cleaning detergent makes that a much easier process.
What is Carpet Cleaning Detergent?
Not to be coy or anything, but carpet cleaning detergent is pretty much a kind of shampoo, only instead of putting it on your head, you put it on carpets. Carpet cleaning detergent is typically a liquid solution that you spray onto a carpet that's particularly dirty. It can be applied all over the carpet or just on especially dirty areas.
Some carpet cleaning detergent formulations are dry, however and come in the form of a powder. You just sprinkle the powder onto the carpet then vacuum it up. You'd only want to use the dry form of detergent on mildly dirty carpet with perhaps only a few spots. It's not meant for heavily soiled spaces and will likely just make the room smell fresher and not really produce a better looking carpet.
Unfortunately, you usually need a carpet cleaning machine along with the detergent to get the job done properly. And this can be expensive. Thankfully, rentals are available at most hardware stores, making them easy to get a hold of a relatively inexpensive to rent for a day or two.
How is it Used?
Carpet cleaning detergent is used in a very particular way. First of all, it's usually available as a spray liquid, so you squirt it onto the carpet where you want it to be cleaned. That's your first step. Depending on the extent of the staining, you'll want to spray more or less of the detergent. Fully saturate areas that are heavily stained and just put on a light mist for dirt caused by regular wear and tear.
Once the detergent has been allowed to sit for a while, you'll then run the carpet cleaning machine over the area you sprayed. This works the detergent up into a lather and thoroughly cleans the carpet. You definitely won't want to walk over this carpet for a while because it'll be sopping wet.
Once you're satisfied with the cleanliness of the carpet, allow it to dry. Be sure to open up all of your windows and doors to expedite this process. Once the carpet is no longer damp to the touch, you can use a standard vacuum over the area. This will remove the dried shampoo and dirt and grime from the stains. What you'll be left with is a super clean carpet in just a day or so.
Again, don't walk over the carpet until it's completely dried. Otherwise, you could wind up having to clean it all over again!
