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You are desperate to disinfect your carpet, but you do not have access to a steam cleaner. We understand your frustration. You can disinfect your carpets without a steam cleaner. Relax, we will show you the various ways to do so.
Cleaning your carpet often does not keep bacteria away. Disinfecting does. An infected carpet compromises the general health of a person.
Video Explainer
Disinfecting Your Carpet With Easy To Find Solutions At Home
When renting or buying a steam cleaner is not an option and you still want a clean and bacteria-free carpet, consider this DIY carpet cleaning without a machine. Your carpet will not only be well disinfected, but you will also spend very little.
What You Will Need
- A scrub brush
- Liquid detergent
- A bucket
- White vinegar
- Old rag
- Baking soda
These Steps Will Help Guide You on How To Deep Clean and Disinfect A Carpet Without A Steamer
Step 1: Clear area
Ensure that there is no furniture or anything else on top of the carpet. Small center carpets that are placed in the middle of rooms are easy to reach. However, large wall to wall carpets may need you to move some furniture for the best cleaning experience and results.
Vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove any debris or dirt that could be lying on the carpet. The best way to thoroughly clean the carpet is by vacuuming it in slow motions and four different directions.
Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and allow it to sit for about five minutes as you make your mixture.
Step 2: Prepare the mixture
Mix equal parts of vinegar, liquid dish soap, and cold water. Whip the mixture to get a foamy consistency.
Test the mixture on a small part of the carpet before using it on the whole carpet. These ingredients though known for cleaning and disinfecting purposes can discolor or damage some fabrics and surfaces. If the small space you have tried on turns out well, it is safe for the rest of the carpet. Any change on the carpet when testing should raise some concern.
Rugs made of wool, silk, and other organic materials are delicate hence may not stand these cleaning ingredients.
Step 3: Scrub
You should not saturate your carpet with this DIY carpet cleaner, but just get it a little wet. Start scrubbing the carpet with a brush dipped in the foamy water beginning from one corner of the carpet to another. Repeat the process as much as needed. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes for the solution to work well.
Step 4: Rinse the carpet
Starting from one corner to the other, scrub the carpet using a clean rag to remove the bacteria and dirt picked up by the cleansing mixture. Use cold fresh water for rinsing and keep re-saturating the cleaning rugs or changing often.
Step 5: Dry it
To allow the carpet dry faster, clean it on a dry or low humid day. A fan would also help to hasten the drying process.
Step 6: Vacuum the carpet
Vacuum the whole area to clean the mixture residues that remain on the carpet and get it back to the original state.
Pro Tip
You do not have to go through the whole processes mentioned above again to keep your carpet always disinfected. All you need is water and vinegar solution in equal parts in a spray bottle. Experts recommend that disinfecting a carpet should be done at least once in every week or fortnightly. You may need to do it more when you have small kids around or keep pets.
Though this method will not leave your carpet looking new, it will keep it clean and bacteria-free at a reasonable price.
Natural Way to Professionally Deep Clean Your Carpet
Most cleaning products and chemicals in the market used for deep cleaning and disinfecting the carpets may turn out too strong for people with allergies because of the ingredients. You will find many options when you Google on how to deep clean carpet without a steam cleaner. Here is one safe and natural way to do it.
What You Will Need
- Dish liquid soap
- Water
- Vinegar
- Club soda
Step one: Remove stains
Check out for any stains on the carpet. Club soda is effective for removing stains from wine and blood. Apply a small amount of the club soda on the stain and blot the surface with a paper towel or dry cloth to lift the stain. Rub the carpet fibers for good results. The soda is a cleanser and works best when spritzed on the carpet.
Step two: Make the solution
Mix one table of the dish liquid soap into one quart of warm water. Add ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar and shake well.Step three: Test the solution
Test this great overall cleaner on a small spot of the carpet that cannot be seen before applying it using it. Scrub the carpet with the solution as you move from one side to the other.
Step four: Clean the rug
Using a mixture of water and a mild soap like Castile, use a clean cloth to blot the surface with a dry towel. Try and soak up as much water as possible.
Pro Tip
Stick to white vinegar when cleaning rags at home as wine vinegar and apple cider have a stronger smell. Besides the smell, apple cider and wine vinegar are expensive hence not cheaper options to use when cleaning carpets yourself.
You can use baking powder to remove the smell of vinegar on the rags too if it spills. The secret, like with any other stain is to clean it immediately, or as soon as you can.
Using Snow for Deep Cleaning Carpets
Another effective natural 'do it yourself' carpet cleaner is icy white snow! Snow is one of the best natural cleansers, and it is free.
What You Will Need
- Snow
- Clean rug
- Broom
Step one
Take the rug out and remove as much dirt as possible by shaking it off. Let it acclimate to lower temperatures by sitting for around 30 minutes.
Step two
Collect and pile about five inches of the snow on top of the carpet and spread it on the rug with a broom to distribute evenly.
Step three
Beat the rug with the flat side of the broom. The cold air reacts to the ammonia in the snow causing solidification of the dirt hidden deep in the rug.
Step four
Allow the snow to rest on the carpet for up to 20 minutes. Flip the rug and repeat step 1 to 3.
Step five
Remove all the excess snow on the carpet. Hang the rug for about 30 minutes. The snow evaporates leaving the carpet dry.
Pro Tip
Though this is one of the safest and cheapest among the do it yourself carpet cleaning methods, it works best on antique wool or handmade smaller rugs. However, with extra hands, you can clean bigger and heavier carpets using this method.
Dry powdery snow will give you the best results.
The downside of this method is that it is season dependent. The good side is that it is the most pocket-friendly and safe way of deep cleaning your carpet.
Tips To Maintain a Clean and Germ-Free Carpet
Once the carpet is deep cleaned, keeping it that way is imperative. With children and pets, you will need to be more intentional. Maintaining the state of cleanliness for longer helps you to avoid extra costs. Vacuum the rugs whenever you get a chance to avoid dirt settling on them. Tiny micro particles easily gather and settle on the carpet if you do not vacuum often.
Act Immediately
Immediately clean stains on the carpet no matter how small, and do not push cleaning stains until you are ready to deep clean. Stains harden with time and it will take much more to clean off any stain that lingers for a while. Sprinkle some baking powder on the rug and vacuum it to remove any smells or odors which may otherwise stay for days.
Enforce a No-Shoes-On-Carpet Policy
Make provision for people to keep their shoes off the rugs. Apart from the dirt, dust, and germs that shoes and slippers carry into the house, they damage the carpet faster. Investing in house shoes for everyone who comes in as well is another viable approach to maintain clean carpets.
Get Rid Of Food Particles and Crumbs As Soon As Possible
Brush particles and crumbs using a cleaning brush whenever they fall. Food particles that fall on the carpets will decompose after a while causing bacteria to thrive on the rugs, besides bad smell. To avoid that, brush and vacuum the carpets regularly to keep the carpets and house disinfected as well as clean.
Keep Your Pets Clean
Clean and disinfect pets regularly as they may carry allergens, house dust mites and other health-compromising things back to the house. It may be wise to do it as you do the deep cleaning of the carpet so that the pets and children do not bring back the germs you are trying to rid.
These DIY carpet cleaning without a machine methods are labor intensive and time consuming, you will need to maintain the clean state for a while.