How to Steam Clean Carpeting

After a busy summer, many homeowners wonder how to steam clean carpeting to reduce dust or remove stains and odors before the holidays bring company and guests to their homes. While you could certainly hire a pro to clean your carpets, it’s not a difficult task to do yourself. Once you’ve properly vacuumed and prepared your room, you’ll find the actual carpet cleaning goes rather fast. Plus, the results are so impressive that it’s a very rewarding chore!

First, though, let’s talk about the difference between a DIY job and hiring the professionals.

What does it mean to steam clean carpeting?

The phrase “steam cleaning” distinguishes a water-based method of cleaning carpets from dry chemical compound methods used by some professional companies. It’s not the steam that cleans the carpet, though: it’s the detergents applied with the machine which the steam (or hot water) activates. This is true when you rent or buy a machine, or when you hire professional steam cleaners to do it for you. Even dry chemical cleaning companies use a small amount of water!

Steam cleaning — or carpet shampooing — does not require professional equipment. It also does not have the toxic risks associated with dry chemical carpet cleaning. However, since water is involved, it does take longer before your carpets are ready to be walked on. For most people, the wait is worth the worries saved.

How To Steam Clean Carpeting

Vacuum before steam cleaning

Carpet steamers (also known as carpet shampooers) aren’t vacuums. They’re specifically designed to wash and at least partially dry carpets, extracting grime as they go. If you want them to get the ground-in dirt out of your carpet, you must vacuum thoroughly before steam cleaning. That doesn’t mean your usual quick back-and-forth over the carpet, either.

Knowing how to vacuum properly is the first step to getting your carpet truly clean. To do this, you need to follow a few extra steps.

1. Pick up all toys, books and other items on the floor.

2. Remove your furniture or, at the very least, pick up smaller pieces (floor lamps, ottomans, etc.) and take them to another room.

3. Dust your baseboards, so you’re not just knocking stuff off of them and back onto your freshly-vacuumed carpet.

4. Use your crevice attachment around the base of the walls and any remaining furniture.

7. Vacuum carpeting in two directions, first slowly in one direction then again from a 90-degree angle. Although this seems like overkill, carpet fibers are twisted, so vacuuming from different directions ensures each “side” of the fiber gets cleaned.
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