Please read our Popular articles on the best Carpet cleaning machines and Carpet Shampooers

If you’ve got dirty carpets and aren’t sure if hiring a professional is right for you, or if doing so just isn’t in your budget, then you need some good carpet cleaning tips from the pros. After all, you want your carpets to sparkle and shine, and you want them to be sanitary and germ-free as well. So, what do you do for a dirty, dingy carpet that just won’t get clean with regular vacuuming? Here are some important pointers that can help you get the carpet of your dreams without having to hire a professional or replace the carpet entirely.

While professional carpet cleaners can no doubt get your carpet cleaner than any other method, there are tricks you can use at home that are almost just as good. The first thing you should remember is that heat is your friend. Hot water above 118 degrees F will such up stains and dirt quite effectively. This is known as hot water extraction, or “steam cleaning.” You can buy a steam cleaner for home use for relatively little money, or rent one from a store like Home Depot for even less, and do just fine with getting your carpets to about as close to professional quality clean as possible.

The best steam cleaners use a mixture of heat and agitation. The heat will loosen the stains and dirt, and the agitation will completely remove them, right down to the very bottom of the carpet fibers. This is where you want to go, because the worst of the germs and dirt and grime that floor coverings attract is usually hidden down deep inside the carpet near the padding, and traditional vacuuming just won’t get to it.

Further, it is usually better to simply use hot water and steam to clean carpets than it is to use any kind of cleaning solution, as cleaning solutions can attract dirt and make the dirt harder to remove. It can cause dirt to coagulate into a sticky ball that is just plain messy and unpleasant. That’s why dry carpet cleaning with powders and such never really works well.

A good steam cleaner washes and rinses the stained or dirty area over and over until all the dirt and grime is gone. This method is highly effective on very dirty carpets that haven’t been thoroughly cleaned in a long time. For newer stains, especially those that are brand new, blotting up with hot water and a sponge usually does the trick just fine, as the stain hasn’t had time to settle in yet.

You’ll probably have to eventually get your carpet professionally cleaned, just to be sure that your house is as germ-free and healthy as possible, especially if you have people living in it who have allergies. But if you use a good steam cleaner a couple of times a year, you should be able to stretch out the time between professional cleanings from annually to every two to four years easily.

Knowing how to clean carpet is essential to keeping a beautiful and sanitary home. If you don’t know any more about cleaning carpets than vacuuming them, then you’re not getting them to their full clean potential. There are still plenty of dust mites, food particles, and other pieces of dirt and grime left behind after vacuuming a carpet. In order to really get the fibers thoroughly clean down to their roots, you must put a little more effort into it. However, it will be worth it, because you will have a pristine and utterly germ free carpet that you can feel good about your kids and pets playing on.
Here are some ways to learn how to clean carpet using common household ingredients. These cleaning methods are guaranteed to get your carpet squeaky clean, no matter how deep and shaggy it may be.First of all, water is the best solution to use on carpet stains that are brand new. Just pour hot water over the stain and then soak it up with some paper towels or a cloth towel. If the stain is a liquid stain, or even a greasy one, the hot water and towel combination should soak it right out of the fibers if you use this trick right away. Just don’t let the stain get dry and water is a sure thing to do the trick.

You can also try using ammonia (just never, ever mix it with bleach, as this produces a noxious gas that can kill people). Ammonia on its own is a good solution to any stained or dirty carpet that has been that way for a while. Just mix a tablespoon of ammonia with a half cup of water and blot it onto the stain. Leave it on the stain for a while, but no more than a few minutes, then sponge up the stain. Use a common household sponge that you can throw away and you’ll see that the stain soaks right up into the sponge.

Vinegar is another good option to try and it gets carpets very clean. Dilute a third cup of white vinegar with two thirds of a cup of water, blot it over the stain, and sponge it up using a little extra water. This is an especially good technique for stains that have odors associated with them.Finally, rubbing alcohol may do the trick, and you don’t even need to dilute it. You can effectively use this substance on sticky stains like jelly and modeling clay. The alcohol will rub the stains right out of the carpet. If you’re having a little trouble getting the stain all the way out, just add a little water to it and you should have no problem. These are great home methods to use if you want to know how to clean carpet on your own.