Our Top Carpet Cleaning Secrets Revealed

Did you know the carpets in your home can carry up to 4 times their own weight in dirt? That’s a whole lot of dust, pet hair, dust mites, dead skin, mould and bacteria (to name just a few things.) Pretty grim, right?

Regular vacuuming will get rid of most of the nasties lurking in your carpets. But only if you are using your vacuum to its full potential. Here we'll share our top carpet cleaning tips for effective vacuuming and getting stains off your carpet.

Why carpet cleaning is important

Carpet cleaning may not be your favourite task but it’s something that needs doing regularly. It'll help keep your home safe and healthy, especially if you suffer from allergies, own pets or have young children crawling about. Not only that but your home will feel cosier with clean carpets and vacuuming will help to get rid of any lingering smells.

Carpet cleaning tips: stain removal

Always tackle stains immediately

When it comes to carpet spills and stains, the quicker you attend to them, the greater chance you have of saving your carpet. This is probably one of the most important carpet cleaning tips you can follow.

Blot any liquid spills ASAP with a clean cloth or kitchen towel. This will soak up the moisture and prevent it from penetrating deeper into your carpet fibres.

Be sure to blot, rather than rub the stain, as the latter will spread it around the carpet and could increase damage to the fibres.

Dish soap works a treat on oil-based stains

Spilled an oily substance on your clean carpet? Your best course of action is to grab some liquid dish soap or a mild laundry detergent (that you can hand wash clothes in) to tackle the stain. Soap is likely to lift the grease and increase your chances of getting rid of the stain completely.

Use white vinegar for water-based spills

If the stain is water-based, a combination of white vinegar and warm water should do the trick. Mix an equal measure of each and apply directly to a clean cloth. Use it to blot the water-based stain and soak up the spill.

Remember, you don't necessarily need to go out and buy a carpet cleaning product. There are plenty of home remedies for carpet cleaning using products you've probably already got in your cupboards.

Use a brush (if possible)

If you have mud or soil on your carpet, wait for it to dry and then attempt to brush it off with a hard brush. This will allow you to remove any loose debris from the surface of your carpet. Afterwards, if there is still a stain, attempt to remove it by adding a little water and dabbing up the excess with a clean cloth.

Put down the bleach!

No matter what, do not be tempted to bleach your carpet to try and remove an unsightly stain. It’ll only make matters worse and leave your carpet discoloured and patchy. As we said before, the key to getting rid of stains is to act fast. Use water to dilute the stain and dab away the excess quickly. If you can’t get rid of the stain yourself, then it’s time to seek the help of professional carpet cleaners.

Consider the type and condition of your carpet

The length of the carpet pile and its condition will both affect how easy it is for you to remove a stain. If your carpet has long pile or is quite thick in texture, you may need to consider professional carpet spot cleaning. Sometimes more than one application will be required in order to remove a stain completely.

If your carpet is old, stained and nearing the end of its lifespan, you need to consider whether it’s actually worth paying to get it professionally cleaned or whether you’d be better spending your money on a new carpet or flooring.

Carpet cleaning tips and vacuuming tricks

Check you’re using the right setting on your vacuum

We see that puzzled look on your face - vacuum settings? Yes that’s right, there’s likely to be several settings on the brush roller of your vacuum cleaner. It’s important to set it at the right height for your carpet pile to avoid causing additional damage to its fibres.

We’d suggest starting with the carpet roller at the highest setting and then adjusting it until you feel a pull as you start to vacuum your carpet.

Vacuum your carpet regularly

The longer you leave it between carpet cleans, the more dirt and debris will build up and get pressed into your carpet fibres. Our cleaning experts would suggest vacuuming at least once per week. High traffic areas of your home are likely to need vacuuming even more frequently.

Don’t have time to vacuum every week? This is something our professional cleaners offer as part of our Blue Standard Service domestic cleaning package.

Establish a ‘no shoes’ rule

Dirt and debris are easily spread when people are walking through your home in their outdoor shoes. Encourage family members and visitors to leave their shoes by the front door to save your carpets. Create a little area for shoe storage and don’t be afraid to ask!

If you’re not keen on the ‘no shoes’ rule, perhaps place a doormat beside your front door. That way, people can wipe their feet properly before they enter your home to limit the amount of dirt reaching your carpets.

Clean your vacuum every so often

Ever notice an unpleasant smell after you’ve vacuumed your carpets? It’s likely your vacuum cleaner needs a clean itself!

Make sure you remove and change the bag regularly to prevent nasty smells and help your vacuum work more effectively.

We’d also suggest checking for blockages - pet hair is notorious for clogging up vacuum pipes. While you’re there, it’s worth giving your vacuum a quick clean with baking soda and water. Wipe all of the parts and make sure they’re fully dry before you use your vacuum again.

As an extra tip, you could try adding orange peel to your vacuum bag - this will give off a fruity scent and help to mask any unpleasant scents created by the dirt and debris collected by your vacuum.

Deep cleaning

Whilst weekly vacuuming will certainly help to keep on top of dirt and debris, you could still do with organising a yearly deep cleaning of the carpets in your home.

Get rid of dirt and debris pressed into the depths of your carpet fibres with an annual deep clean. This will get rid of the dirt that can't be reached with an average vacuum.

An annual deep carpet clean will get rid of dirt and debris that are pressed right into the depths of your carpet fibres and can’t be reached with the average vacuum. It will also help to remove germs in your carpet and make your home a healthier place for you and your family to live. What’s more, you can prolong the life of your carpet, simply by having it professionally cleaned at least once a year.

If you have pets living in your home or young children who are crawling about, we’d suggest getting your carpets deep cleaned every 6 months.

Here at NG1 City Cleaners we offer carpet shampooing as an add-on service for regular domestic cleaning, flat cleaning, student flat cleaning and end of tenancy cleaning packages. It’s great for cleaning your carpets and will give them a new lease of life. We can also provide carpet spot cleaning treatments if you have tough stains that you are struggling to get rid of.

Don’t have time to clean carpets?

You’re busy, we get it. Honestly, there’s absolutely no judgment here! It can be really difficult to fit in regular carpet cleaning when you’re working all hours and / or looking after your family. Some people also struggle with carpet cleaning due to a physical disability. Others simply haven’t got the right equipment or don’t want to do it - and that’s perfectly okay.

Hire NG1 for professional carpet cleaning

The good news is that we’re here to help! Our team of expert cleaners are on-hand to provide weekly, bi-weekly or monthly cleaning services to meet your needs. All of our domestic cleaning packages include vacuumed carpets as standard. We also offer additional carpet cleaning services, including spot cleaning and carpet shampooing.

Carpet treatments from  NG1

Got a stubborn stain on your carpet? Exhausted our list of carpet cleaning tips to no avail? We can apply a professional spot cleaner to try and remove it. Our success will firstly depend on the severity of the stain. Secondly, how long it has been left. Thirdly, whether you have attempted to clean it yourself by rubbing in cleaning products. Give us as much information you can about the stain and methods of removal you’ve already tried. We’ll then decide whether we can treat the stain effectively. We don’t want you spending extra money if it's a stain that can’t be removed!

Carpet shampooing

Does your whole carpet need refreshing? Carpet shampooing is the service for you. This add-on service is highly recommended if your carpet has dulled in colour, you have pets or are moving out of a rented property, as it may help you get your deposit back in full.

Get in touch

Interested in finding out more about our carpet cleaning services or fancy booking your first domestic clean? Head on over to our booking page and fill in the quick online form to get a cleaning quotation. Alternatively, give our friendly customer service team a call on 0115 971 3157. Discuss your home cleaning requirements and get advice on the best package to meet your needs.