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Carpet Cleaning Tips

How to clean carpet on stairs

May 18 by

 Stairs before and after

Wall-to-wall carpets have been popular for a long time, and there are quite a few reasons for that. In cold countries, carpeting helps to keep the house warm and insulate it from the outside weather. For households with children, wall-to-wall carpets prevent slipping on the floor and stairs, as well cushion the fall if such a slip does happen. Carpeting also has an acoustic advantage: it muffles noises and sounds within the house. Last but not least, carpeting can be a major factor in the house’s design: not only can it contribute color and texture and create the desired atmosphere – it can also be used to hide an unsightly floor or one that has damages and inconsistencies.

Cleaning carpeted stairs – is it really a hassle?

how to clean carpet on stairs

 

Houses with more than one floor which have wall-to-wall carpets will usually also feature carpeting on the stairs. While that can look very nice, as well as prevent slipping on the stairs, carpeted stairs also pose problems. Regular stairs are difficult enough to clean, so how does one clean carpeted stairs properly? As it turns out, it isn’t as difficult as you might think. If you’ve always asked yourselves how to keep carpeted stairs clean, how to steam clean carpet stairs, how to clean stains off carpet when the carpet is attached to the stairs and so on – you might want to read the following tips.


Ways to clean carpeted stairs

steam stairs Cleaning

Here are some ways you can clean your carpeted stairs. As you’ll see, some of them are recommended day-to-day quick maintenance tips, while others address situations in which the stairs must be cleaned thoroughly. Generally, it is advised to use a mix of the following methods for optimal results.

Ready to get your carpeted stairs sleek and bright?

  • Use a stiff broom/brush to remove dust and debris – We all know stairs don’t usually get dirty all at once; they accumulate dust and stains over time, until their once bright color and strong fibers turn into something that looks like a faded rag. A simple trick that will help prevent most of that is regularly cleaning your stairs using a stiff broom or brush. To achieve maximum effect, sweep/brush the stairs from top to bottom, so that all the dust and particles from a pile on the bottom floor, where you can pick them up with a dustpan.

 

  • Clean individual stains by using carpet shampoo and a cloth – If you’ve been wondering how to clean carpet on stairs by hand if it gets stained, there’s an easy way to do that. Get a good carpet shampoo, and mix it with water. Then, use a brush to apply the mixture to the stain and work it in vigorously. At this point, use a cloth or a towel to blot out the water and shampoo. After drying, the stain will be gone.

 

  • For serious cleaning use a vacuum – Cleaning the carpet lightly on a regular basis is great, but from time to time it’s also necessary to clean it thoroughly. On these occasions, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner. The most effective vacuum for carpeted stairs is a lightweight vacuum (one that has a long cord) or a vacuum which is powered by batteries; this way you can move it around easily and not risk it falling over (or you fall over). First use a brush attachment for vigorous scrubbing, then use a hose attachment to suck up all the dust (as well as mold, bacteria, tiny bugs etc.) that is deeply entrenched within the fibers.

 

  • Use a steam cleaner for heavy-duty cleaning – a step beyond the vacuum is using a steam cleaner. You can get one at a hardware store or a home improvement store. Steam cleaners have many functions, such as pet hair collection, stain removal and extraction of embedded dirt, so they can be used to clean carpet stairs extremely thoroughly.

To sum it all up, you now have several handy methods of keeping your carpeted stairs clean. But if you don’t wish to bother with any of that, just ring up a professional carpet cleaners NYC company to do the work for you!

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Cleaning carpets without a vacuum – is that even possible?

May 2 by

Carpets are a lovely addition to any home. Whether you choose wall-to-wall carpets or area rugs, their texture and colors add a creative, warm touch to your house. Many of them are comfortable to sit on and play with your kids, and in the winter they protect your feet from the cold floor. The variety of carpets today is astounding – any color, type, size or price range is available.

cleaning carpets without a vacuum

The trouble with unclean carpets

The trouble with carpets is that with time they tend to accumulate dust, debris, bacteria, mold, stains and so on; they can get dirty very fast if not taken care of. Many people neglect to clean their carpets, which can lead to unpleasant results:

  • Respiratory issues – coughing, nasal congestion and asthma attacks
  • Allergic reactions – sneezing and skin itches
  • Adverse skin conditions – fungal infections, chronic itching and redness

In addition to that, unclean carpets lose their luster, become discolored and are less pleasant to walk and sit on; they make the air in the house dusty and give it a musty smell.

So now that we’ve established that carpets must be cleaned, the question is how to do that in the most effective way. Many people do not like going through the trouble of vacuuming carpets; it’s noisy, it’s tedious, and plus, not everyone owns a high-quality vacuum to clean carpets with. How to clean a carpet without a vacuum, then?

Learn how to clean your carpet without a vacuum

 

vacuum

 

There are actually numerous ways of cleaning carpets without using a vacuum. For your convenience, we’re going to list the most effective ways to do so here.

  • Picking up dirt, shaking, brushing and sweeping – regular cleaning of your carpet’s surface can actually prevent most of the dirt, dust, etc. which tends to build up in there. If your carpet is littered with visible debris or dirt, some of them can be easily picked up by hand. Survey your carpet daily and do that, it’s only a few minutes’ work. An alternative – or an addition – to that is to shake the carpet by your window or in your lawn. This gets rid of much of the dust (just take care to narrow your eyes and not breathe in while you do that).

A strong brush or sweeper is a mighty asset for carpet owners. Make sure its bristles are stiff and firm for maximum effect. Brush or sweep your carpet vigorously once or twice a week. Most of the surface dirt can be cleaned by doing this frequently.

  • Washing – If you were wondering how to wash carpet without vacuum, the following methods might help you. But first of all, before washing, check the labels of your carpets for specific instructions depending on their materials and coloration. Also, before washing the whole carpet, check if there are any stains on it which you clean individually with a stain remover. One way to wash the carpet is to mix carpet shampoo with water in a bucket, dip a brush or a sponge in the bucket and then scrub the carpet vigorously. Another way to do it is simply to put the carpet in the washing machine if its label indicates it’s possible.

 

  • Dry cleaning or steam cleaning – if the methods above don’t work for you or are too time-consuming, it’s advisable to use a professional carpet cleaning service. Carpet cleaning NYC usually employ either dry cleaning or steam cleaning methods to clean carpets thoroughly and effectively. By using carpet cleaning services like Flat Rate Carpet, which uses steam cleaning (also known as hot water extraction) to clean carpets, you can rest assured that your carpets will come out looking as good as new.We hope we’ve answered your questions on how to clean a carpet without vacuum. As you can see, it’s perfectly possible!

 

 

 

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Keeping your carpet clean when you have a dog

April 18 by

Has anyone said to you: “You can’t buy a carpet for your house, you have a dog!” (or a cat, or a rabbit or a guinea pig or any other pet that roams the house)? You might have heard that once or twice in your life if you’re a pet owner who has considered adding carpets to your home décor. Many people think that pets and carpets simply don’t go together, and there are several reasons for that.

Keeping your carpet clean with a dog

This is a shallow DOF and copy space of shag rug.

Pets and carpets – not necessarily a bad combination

First, unless you own a Sphinx cat, it’s guaranteed your pet will shed fur all over the house, and this includes the carpets. Pet hair tends to stick to carpets due to their tightly knit fibers. In addition, pets might stain the carpets in any number of ways: muddy paws, rolling on their back on the carpet and rubbing into it whatever they had rubbed in outside (which may sometime be pretty vile stuff), urine, poop (or worse, diarrhea), vomit and saliva. Besides stains, pets who roam outside the house might bring in fleas, bacteria, dust, sand, leaves, little bugs, etc.

Don’t despair, though. It’s actually possible to own pets and have clean carpets at the same time. We’ve got some tips and tricks which will help you achieve perfect harmony between your pet and your carpets. Read on to discover how to clean dog poop off carpet, how to keep carpets free of cat hair, how to clean dog urine off carpet, how to avoid stains from muddy paws or dirty fur and how to avoid sand, fleas and debris brought inside by your pets.

Tips for keeping your carpets clean when you own pets

So here’s the list you should print and tape to your fridge so that everyone in your house knows how to protect the carpets from your dog or rabbit:

  • Keep them paws clean – If you have a pet that regularly goes outside, like a dog, prepare in advance for a case of muddy paws. Keep a towel outside the door, and before you let the dog in, kneel down and wipe its paws vigorously.

 

  • Minimize shedding – to keep fur on the carpets to a minimum, brush your pet regularly. The more hair you get on that brush, the less will end up on the carpet.

 

  • Keep a stain remover handy – even a well-trained dog can have accidents and poop, pee or vomit on the carpet by mistake. Purchase a carpet cleaner for dog urine (and other nasty stuff) and keep it on a shelf, together with rags, disposable wipes or paper towels. This way you’ll always be ready to clean up when an accident occurs.

 

  • The vacuum is your best friend – there’s no way around it, if you want to keep your carpets in good condition when you own a pet, a vacuum is a must. It can get all the teeny-tiny dust particles and bacteria out of the carpet fibers, as well as fleas and sand. Vacuum your carpets regularly, at least once a week.

 

  • Add a professional carpet cleaning NYC service to your speed-dial – While all the methods above are great for daily maintenance of your carpets, once in a while you’ll want to get a professional job done on them, to get the tough stains out and restore their freshness and luster. A professional service like Flat Rate Carpet will clean your carpets effectively, using methods like dry cleaning or steam cleaning.

We hope you’ve found this article helpful! Whether you need to clean dog pee off carpet, clean cat hair off carpet, clean dog vomit off carpet, or clean guinea pig urine off carpet, you’ve got many methods to do that; and when worse comes to worst, you can always call a professional.

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Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy…?

July 7 by

During all of our years in the carpet cleaning business, we have learned that more – much more – people clean their wall to wall carpet during the summer than in the winter time.

They call us to complain about the dirt, stains, and especially about the odors rising in their house, wall to wall, as they ask for immediate assistance.

summer_pictures_204963

Why Does That Happen?

Wall to wall carpet gets dirty all year long, as they collect dirt and dust, yet the cold keeps it buried deep within its fibers, shrunken and mostly unnoticeable. But then comes summertime with all of its glory and humidity and allow for the expansion of the carpet’s fibers, releasing the hidden dirt out. Once that happens, it also becomes a perfect breeding ground for dust mites, bacteria and a whole host of problems.

What Can i Do?

You should really do two things to avoid your entire house spreading bad odor comes summer –

1) Keep regular maintenance that includes weekly vacuuming, treating stains and spots right as they happen, and keep a clean household in general – in the end, all dirt and dust will find it way into the carpet.

2) Use a professional carpet cleaning service at least once a year, for a truly deep cleaning that vacuuming simply can’t achieve. You will keep your carpet value, as well as avoid unwanted odors.

Have a happy & joyful summer!
(From everybody here on the team)

Filed Under: Carpet Cleaning Tips, Under The Carpet

Carpet Repairs and Cleaning: How to Know When the Time is Right

April 17 by

We’re so busy every day that it’s hard to find the time for basic cleaning, let alone take care of major cleaning projects. The great part about Spring cleaning is that it reminds you when it’s time to get certain jobs done. Wall to wall carpeting needs to be cleaned often, but how do you know if your carpets need a good cleaning or is it time to make some carpet repairs?

Take a walk around your home, do your carpets have small bumps or ripples? As they age it’s common for carpets to start to ripple and wrinkle. These bumps are tripping hazarards which can be very dangerous for the elderly, or if they are located near stairs. Fortunately, carpet restretching is an easy enough project for do it yourself types and nearly all carpet cleaning companies offer professional carpet restretching services.

Area rug Repair Services

Are there high traffic areas of the home where the carpeting is worn through to the floor, or do you have small burns in the carpet? Certain areas of a home get more traffic than others, often leaving the carpeting in certain areas looking messier than others. It’s easy enough to replace just the carpet in the hallway with spare carpet, making your whole house look as good as new.

After walking around the home, if you don’t notice any major damage to the structure of the carpet, then all you’ll need is an old fashioned carpet cleaning. Having the carpets cleaned at least twice a year will prevent the need for carpet replacement and repair in the future, and keep your home looking beautiful all year long.

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