Sheffield businesses and householders will be well aware that getting carpets cleaned is never high on the list of the most exciting things to do, but it is one of the tasks that crops up from time to time in life. Whether you are dealing with domestic carpets or those in a business setting, the actual cleaning process will normally be the same, albeit on a greater scale for business premises. Whatever your needs are for carpet cleaning, Sheffield has the required professional service or do it yourself products available.
The Different Needs For Cleaning Carpets
There are a number of different types of carpet cleaning and the most appropriate method will depend on the reason that the carpet needs cleaning. Routine cleaning will commonly be undertaken in areas where there is a lot of footfall. This most commonly applies to businesses, in areas such as retail shops and communal areas of industrial units and offices. A common approach to these regular cleaning cycles is carpet steam cleaning, which allows for the dirt to be lifted from the fibrous threads in the pile of the carpet. Businesses tend to recruit contractors to complete this work, as is will often yield better results when completed by specialist carpet cleaners than their regular employed cleaning staff.
At the other end of the scale are domestic cleaning tasks, perhaps to clean up carpets around the house, or simply to lift dirt left behind the front door as people take their shoes off. For these tasks, you will likely need one of two solutions. We’ll talk a little more about the two do-it-yourself solutions in a moment, but first it’s important to note that you should give the vacuum cleaner a few runs over the area you will be cleaning before using either approach. This will avoid the chance of you embedding loose dirt into the carpet rather than only removing stubborn marks!
Cleaning Carpets By Hand
The first, cheapest method is to try some carpet shampoo. This is available from most supermarkets, and you will need the ‘manual’ shampoo. This is designed for use diluted in a bowl, and applied to the carpet (although some products can be ready to use – check the label). Often you need to leave the product to work for a few minutes before removing the excess foam and rinsing the area of carpet you are cleaning. It can take some time for the carpet to dry out, and it helps to be well ventilated and warm to allow the moisture to evaporate and disperse.
Home Carpet Cleaners
The second method is to use an automatic carpet cleaner, something which can bear a striking resemblance to a vacuum cleaner, but cleans with water and carpet shampoo instead of just soaking up the dirt. Of all the carpet cleaning machines on the market, this is the one that we’d expect to see explode in popularity in the coming years, as the results you can get, particularly on carpets that are a few years old but it good condition other than a bit grubby. These also use carpet shampoo as with the manual method, but they tend to be special automatic versions, and are also diluted into a cleaning solution in the tank of the machine. You normally complete the task in a similar way to doing regular vacuum cleaning, but press a button to release the detergent mix. When you’re not holding down the button, the machine will suck up the liquid from the carpet, the idea being that the dirt is drawn up with the liquid. You don’t necessarily need to buy a cleaner to do it yourself, see our article on renting domestic carpet cleaners for more information.
The Time To Rinse And Repeat!
Whichever method you use, the state of the carpet is hard to assess until it is dry. It will often look a little darker until the fibres have fully dried, but don’t be surprised if you need to repeat the process several times to get the best possible results. In extreme cases (usually on light coloured carpets) we’ve had to repeat seven or eight times before the carpet reaches peak condition.
Removing Stains From Carpets
So far, we’ve only really discussed cleaning up carpets that have accumulated dirt, so what about nasty stains trodden into the pile or spilled on the carpet. Just like other upholstery like sofas or clothing, it really does depend on what has been spilled as to what you should use to lift out the mark. for example, extreme accidents like permanent marker on a carpet can sometimes prove not so permanent by applying a little hairspray to the carpet and dabbing the mark with kitchen roll. You will hopefully see a little come off each time on the sheet, so keep repeating until it has been completely removed. On the other hand, wax crayon might be best treated by laying a piece of brown paper over the stain and lightly ironing the paper to lift the mark. These types of clean up attempt should only be undertaken if the situation can’t be made worse, or it’s somewhere that is fairly hard to spot, so it matters little if things do get worse! Otherwise call the professionals, sometimes insurance policies will cover you.
Avoid Rubbing Stains Into Carpets
The golden rule with cleaning stains is never, ever try to rub them off, no matter how tempting it is to do so. All this achieves is to further force the substance into the fibres of the carpet, so they become harder to remove. Sometimes lighter stains appear to have been removed by rubbing them, however over time it is likely the moisture in the air will make them sticky, causing dirt to stick to them and you’ll find little dark marks start to appear!
Cleaning Carpets Is Cheaper Than Replacing Them
Whether you’re a Sheffield business or householder, simple carpet care is always a good investment. They’re not cheap to replace, so spending a little to keep them in good condition is certainly not a false economy, and simply remembering to vacuum regularly will help them stay looking new. Whilst carpet cleaning prices might look expensive, try to think of them relative to the cost of replacing the carpets, and you’ll soon see it’s not as extortionate as it first appeared!
