How to clean a carpet: vacuum, spot treat and deep clean at home

Step by step: how to clean a carpet

Safety first. Unplug the machine before you empty or fill the tanks, and keep the cord out of wet areas. Never mix carpet products with bleach or ammonia, open windows while you work, and lift heavy furniture with a helper.

1. 1

   Clear the room

   Move small furniture out and pick up toys, cords and floor vent covers that could catch in the machine. Large pieces can stay; you will clean around them and slide foil squares under the legs at the end.

2. 2

   Vacuum slowly in two directions

   Vacuum each strip 2 or 3 times at a slow walking pace, then go over the whole room again at a right angle. Use the crevice tool along baseboards. Dry soil comes out far better with a vacuum than with water, so this step does most of the work.

3. 3

   Pre-treat spots and traffic lanes

   Blot any damp spots with a white towel, then spray a carpet spot remover on stains and on gray paths in front of sofas and doors. Test it first in a closet corner. Give it the dwell time on the label, usually 5 to 10 minutes, and do not let it dry.

4. 4

   Fill the machine with the right mix

   Use the cleaning formula made for your machine at the dilution on the bottle, with hot tap water unless the manual says otherwise. More soap is not better: leftover detergent stays sticky and the carpet gets dirty again faster.

5. 5

   Make one wet pass and two dry passes

   Start at the wall farthest from the door. Squeeze the trigger and push forward slowly, then pull back slowly over the same strip. Release the trigger and make two more slow passes to suck up the water. Overlap each strip by a couple of inches and watch the dirty tank: when the water coming up looks lighter, the area is clean.

6. 6

   Rinse out the soap

   Empty the dirty tank, refill the clean tank with plain hot water (or use the rinse setting if the machine has one) and go over the whole room again. This lifts out leftover shampoo, which is the main reason home-cleaned carpet re-soils quickly.

7. 7

   Dry the carpet fast

   Point box fans across the carpet, open windows if the air outside is dry, or run the AC or a dehumidifier. Most carpets feel dry in 6 to 12 hours. Keep traffic off, and put foil or plastic under furniture legs so stain or rust does not transfer to the damp pile.

8. 8

   Groom the pile and vacuum once it is dry

   When the carpet is fully dry, vacuum it once more to lift the pile and pick up any soil that wicked up to the tips. If a stain reappears as it dries, blot it with a damp towel and a little spot remover.

Which carpet cleaning method should you use?

The best way to clean carpet at home is not one method but three. Use vacuuming for routine cleaning, a home carpet machine for a yearly refresh or a messy room, and a professional hot water extraction for the deep clean your warranty expects. Each method removes a different kind of dirt, so they work together rather than replace each other.

How often should you clean carpet?

Vacuum every carpeted room at least once a week and deep clean every 6 to 18 months, sooner if you have pets, kids or allergies. Shaw Floors recommends weekly vacuuming of all carpet, daily passes in high-traffic areas, and a professional hot water extraction every 6 to 18 months depending on traffic.

Read your warranty before you skip the professional clean. Shaw’s maintenance guidelines say carpet must be properly cleaned at least once every 18 months to keep its appearance, and they ask for equipment and solutions from the Carpet and Rug Institute’s list. The CRI Seal of Approval program tests vacuums, cleaning solutions, extractors and service providers, so a certified product or company is an easy way to stay within those terms.

What not to use on carpet

Keep household chemicals that are not made for carpet off it entirely, and never flood the floor. Most permanent carpet damage comes from the wrong product or too much water.

• Bleach, tile and mildew cleaners, oven cleaner, drain opener and pesticides can strip dye or dissolve fibers. Shaw also warns about acne creams with benzoyl peroxide, which leave bleached spots when they rub off on carpet.
• Dish soap or laundry detergent in a carpet machine foams and leaves sticky residue. Use a formula made for carpet machines.
• Too much water soaks the pad and backing. The EPA notes that wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually do not grow mold, so ventilate and use fans rather than letting a soaked room sit closed.
• Wool and natural fiber rugs (sisal, jute) need wool-safe or dry methods. Check the label, and send valuable rugs to a rug cleaner.

When to hire a carpet cleaner instead

Hire a professional when the carpet is under warranty and due for its extraction, when there is a pet urine problem in the pad, or when water from a leak has soaked through. Truck-mounted equipment pulls out far more water and heat than a home machine.

For single spills between cleans, follow our carpet stain guide. If allergies are the reason you are cleaning, pair carpet care with the bedding steps in our dust mite guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Skipping the vacuum and going straight to the machine, which turns dry dirt into mud.
• Adding extra shampoo “for good measure”, which leaves a sticky film that attracts new dirt.
• Making only one fast pass with the trigger held, which leaves the carpet soaking wet.
• Putting furniture back on damp carpet without foil or plastic under the legs.
• Rubbing a stain hard with a brush, which frays the fiber tips and leaves a fuzzy patch.
• Using bleach or a mildew spray on a carpet spot.