How To Disinfect Carpets At Home With Natural Ingredients | Guides & Steps

A microbiologist and immunologist, Philip Tierno wrote a book called ‘The Secret Life of germs’ and shared about various researches he conducted. You will be shocked to know, according to the research, an indoor carpet is four thousand times dirtier than a toilet seat. A normal carpet contains more than 200,000 bacteria per square inch.

We may think that we are living in a clean and healthy environment by regularly vacuuming the carpet, but that’s not the truth. The truth is that your carpet contains harmful bacteria, germs, and allergens and you have not even realized it. Now that you are aware of the situation, then the question comes that how to clean and disinfect carpet.

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There are many ways of doing it. Some people will suggest you get the carpet clean with the steam cleaner. Although it is a great way but buying or renting a steam cleaner is not an economical option for many of the people. So in this article, we will go through both ways of how to disinfect carpet without steam cleaner and with a steam cleaner.

How to sanitize carpets with a steam cleaner 

Step 1: Clear the room

The best way to do a carpet cleaning job is to firstly remove all furniture from the room. Steam cleaning is most effective when there are no hindrances on the floor. If you do not have an extra room to move the furniture out, then make two sections of the room. Then work on one side of the carpet and then move to the other side.

Step 2: Dusting the fans and the baseboards

Before you start with the dust cleaner, dust off all the dirt from the baseboards. Also, remove all the dust from the ceiling fans and the corners of the ceiling. Fans usually have accumulated huge amounts of dirt and you’d not want it to make your carpet dirty again once its washed.

Step 3: Vacuuming the carpet

Vacuum the entire carpet from side to side (width) and not go from end to end. Collect as much dirt and dust as you can. For more efficient cleaning vacuum the carpet twice, and on the second time vacuum it from the opposite direction. It will help you in collecting more dirt particles. Note you can use a nozzle attachment to get to the edges of the room.

Step 4: Removing the stains     

Before you steam clean your carpet, search for any stains on it. Once steam cleaning is done, you would not be able to remove the stains. After locating the stains you can use a disinfectant carpet cleaner or a  stain remover to get rid of the stains. You can also use white vinegar to remove the stain marks.

Step 5: Adding hot water to the steam cleaner

Hot water can be of great use when we are in the process of how to disinfect carpet. Hot water is more active in killing the germs of the carpet. Consult the user manual of the steam cleaner and add as much water as it is directed in the manual. Make sure the water should not be in a boiling state.

Step 6: Filling the steam cleaner with the soap solution

There would be instructions given to you by the steam cleaner company on how much soap is to be added to it. Use only a specific soap solution if it is mentioned in the manual. You can also use white vinegar and water solution instead of soap. When we talk about how to disinfect carpet naturally, vinegar is the best option for it. Add equal amounts of hot water and white vinegar and add it to the steamer.

Step 7: Steaming the Carpet 

Before you start, read the instructions on the manual carefully on how to operate it. Different steamers work differently. Start by heating up the cleaner for a few minutes and when ready press the trigger and go from one edge to another. Do the process barefooted so that you do not dirty the carpet again. Steam cleaners throw water out and then quickly suck up the dirty water. Do not use the cleaner on one spot repeatedly. Keep moving ahead by taking steps every 2 seconds and make a path for yourself to go from start to finish. This will help you understand how to disinfect carpet. 

Step 8: Air dry the carpet

After the carpet is cleaned, we need to air dry it completely. For completely drying the carpet, let the fan run for 6-8 hours or as per the requirement. Avoid walking on the carpet when it is wet.

How to sanitize carpets without steam cleaner

Though steam cleaner gives a better result of cleaning the carpet, it would be wrong to say that the other ways are not good enough. Even with the natural way of cleaning the carpet with vinegar, soap, and baking soda, your carpet will get a brand new look.

Here is the list of things you might require for the process :

• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Liquid detergent
• Scrubber
• Vacuum cleaner

So let us get started on how to disinfect carpet with vinegar, baking soda, and other substances.

Step 1: Clear the area

The first step will remain the same as discussed above. You need to clear all the furniture out of the room for the best cleaning results.

Step 2: Making the solution

Take a bucket and prepare a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar, cold water, and a little liquid detergent. Stir them together with a stick thoroughly till the liquid inside becomes foamy. You can add a little baking soda to the solution if you find some old dried stains. The solution prepared is very efficient in killing bacteria, and allergens.

Step 3: Scrubbing the carpet

Now dip your scrub brush into the bucket. Do not soak it entirely into the liquid, remember we only need to wet the carpet a little. Now start rubbing the carpet with the solution. Note that the carpet is a delicate material and you do not have to rub it brutally. Easy and simple strokes to one side of the carpet should do your work. Start rubbing from corner to corner. Make sure you are barefoot so that the carpet does not get dirty again. Slowly and steadily keep on moving and cover the entire carpet.

Step 4: Washing the carpet with clean water

After you have applied the soapy solution, its time now to wash the carpet with cold water. Take a bucket full of water and a cotton rag. Start cleaning the carpet and all the bacteria and allergens should be removed.  Again make sure our aim is not to soak the entire carpet fully with water. Repeat the process 2 -3 times as needed.

Step 5: Drying the carpet

Make sure the entire dirt is now out and there is no soap left on the carpet. Now if the carpet is lightly moist, then just let the fan take care of drying it. Turn on your ceiling fan and let it dry for 6-8 hours and make sure that you do not walk on the wet carpet in the meantime.

Step 6: Its time for vacuuming

Conclusion :

Let me give you an additional tip to make sure that your carpet does not get dirty easily the next time. You can prepare a bottle of equal parts of vinegar and water and once a month just gently spray it over the carpet. This way you will be able to sustain its disinfected state for a longer time.