Did you know that right now is the best season to clean your carpets? Summer carpet cleaning is exactly what your home needs to flourish.
Because of the dangers of COVID-19, many people held off on having their carpets cleaned this past spring. Although traditionally, spring is the most popular time of year for carpet cleaning as most families prefer to do one massive seasonal clean of their homes – this year is different.
With social distancing practices now in place, it’s safe to have your carpets cleaned again. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the benefits of summer carpet cleaning, including how it combats allergens and toxins.
The Blind Carpet Cleaner specializes in carpet cleaning services for residential, commercial, and industrial sites. Our steam technology kills 99% of germs, bacteria, and toxins. We’re fully trained and highly experienced carpet cleaning professionals that can help you extend the life of your carpet.
Below are the top six things to keep in mind when it comes to summer carpet cleaning.
1) Summer Carpet Cleaning Has MANY Benefits
Help with Allergens – With your windows open throughout the spring and early summer, carpets are exposed to dirt, pollen, exhaust fumes, and even mold. If you use an AC unit, your carpet quality might be even worse. AC units can cause dirt to fly through the air and can even suction outdoor bacteria into the home.
Once you open your windows in the springtime, dust and allergens start to enter your home with the warm breeze. Simultaneously, the onset of summer tends to bring more traffic to the entrances of your home. Because everyone’s wearing sandals, you or your housemates are walking in from the beach, a BBQ, or the park, and are dragging in the sand, grass clippings, and dirt on your feet and shoes.
Ultimately, all of this activity gets sucked into your carpet. If your allergies are persistent and happening when you’re inside your home, there’s a good chance that your carpet is the culprit.
Your carpets and upholstery are the most sponge-like surfaces in your home. Vacuuming them helps get rid of the first layer of toxins. However, irritants like dust mites and pollen tend to thrive deeper in the fabric. By professionally deep cleaning your carpets in the summertime, you’re helping eliminate pests, dust, and pollen that have made their way into your home over the past few seasons.
After your carpets are cleaned, not only will you have a beautiful home but the air quality will drastically improve.
Faster Drying Time – It’s not rocket science. Another benefit of summer carpet cleaning is the speed at which the carpet dries. With warmer temperatures, your carpets will dry much faster, allowing your home to quickly return to a state of comfort.
At The Blind Carpet Cleaner, we use little to no water in our treatments, meaning our drying time takes 3-4 hours at most and even quicker if the airflow is good in your home.
Aesthetics – After having your carpets cleaned, your house will look like it’s had a facelift. Cleaning your carpet in the summer immediately brightens the home and creates a light atmosphere. Not to mention that cleaning your carpet will extend its life and help reduce any lingering odors in your space.
2) Prepare Your Carpet for Summer Carpet Cleaning
Pre-clean – To maximize the cleaning power of our specialists, it’s a good idea to prepare your space in advance. Before turning your attention to the carpets, we suggest you dust your home. Pay attention to the gritty spots – between your blinds, on your books, behind furniture, baseboard heaters, etc. By dusting, you are preemptively saving your soon to be clean carpet from a layer of dust.
Vacuum – It’s important to remove small objects like dog toys, socks, etc. as it’ll speed up the cleaning process for our specialists. A preemptive vacuum can be very helpful, allowing us to put more focus on removing stains and uprooting the pollutants residing deep in your carpet. This is especially true if your carpets haven’t been vacuumed in a long time. Don’t worry if you’re strapped for time and unable to vacuum beforehand – we’re able to provide vacuuming at an additional charge if need be.
Identify problem areas – Make a list of any trouble spots in your home, including any areas where spills may have occurred. It’s also helpful to indicate to your specialist which areas see the most traffic and dirt being pulled in from outside.
In most cases, your carpet cleaner will recognize these problem areas but it’s helpful to know what your primary concerns are.
Take care of your pets – We advise pet owners to put their dogs and cats in a safe and secure area while their carpets are being cleaned. Our cleaning equipment isn’t extremely loud but it may frighten pets. We want to keep your companions happy so please make sure they are somewhere comfortable during the cleaning.
3) What to Expect During Summer Carpet Cleaning
Once you’ve scheduled your appointment and made note of any problem areas in your home, the magic is ready to happen. When we arrive at your home, we’ll do a walkthrough and discuss any problem areas you want to take care of.
When we get to work, we’ll apply a non-toxic odourless cleaning solution, which has a neutral pH to your carpets. Coupled with our steam technology, our solution will remove over 85% of stains from your carpet and upholstery safely and effectively.
Our steam technology cleans at over 260 degrees F, tackling dirt, dust, pollen, smoke, toxins, germs, bacteria, allergens, and contaminants also living in your carpet. Our trained professionals pay particular attention to areas affected by pet problems, stains, heavy foot traffic, and of course, any space of your concern.
In terms of time commitment, it takes us about 25 minutes to clean a room so timing will vary based on the number of rooms being cleaned, how they’re set-up, and if there’s a lot of furniture, etc.
Extra touches – We offer additional services for an extra level of clean, including mattress and upholstery cleaning, which we highly recommend if you have serious allergy issues. We also provide cleaning services for outdoor furniture, pet care & odor removal, dust-mite removal, and kitchen appliances. If you’re not sure about how to clean a certain area of your home, please contact us and we’ll help.
4) How to Maintain Your Summer Carpet Bliss
Everyone loves a clean home because it makes you feel comfortable and accomplished. Here’s some tips to keep that feeling alive after your summer carpet cleaning:
No shoes allowed – If you haven’t enforced this rule in your home yet, now’s the time.
As mentioned, summertime tends to bring more people through the door. To minimize the amount of dirt being dragged into the home, shoes should be taken off as close to the entrance as possible.
Use welcome mats – Doormats are also extremely helpful, allowing people to wipe their shoes as they come close to your space. We suggest you place a sturdy, coarse mat on the inside and outside of each exterior door (front door, back door, side door, etc.).
Vacuum regularly – At a minimum, you should vacuum weekly. If you entertain or have a busy household, we encourage you to vacuum even more frequently. Regular vacuuming helps keep dust, dirt, and allergens from entering your carpet fibers deeply. Vacuuming also helps eliminate some of the odors that can get stuck in your carpet from cooking and hosting. If the odour is of particular concern to you, we suggest adding baking soda to the bag in your vacuum; it will help fight any recurring odors that frequently enter your home. We love simplicity, so we recommend Arm and Hammer Baking Soda for your vacuuming needs.
We also suggest that you vacuum slowly. The higher the foot traffic, the slower you should move your vacuum so that it’s getting a chance to grip everything. Take advantage of slow periods in the day when the house might be empty to do your vacuuming.
Lastly, make sure you change out your vacuum filters often so that your vacuum cleaner suction is working at its best.
Replace air filters – This is often overlooked but should be a part of your regular home maintenance. If you have a cat or dog, you should be especially mindful of this. Air filters need to be changed and cleaned regularly. The dirtier they are, the more dust will be spread out onto your carpet and furniture.
5) Get Comfortable Spot Cleaning
Accidents happen, from potty training puppies to a spilled glass of wine or milk. The crucial thing to keep in mind with stains is that they need to be treated ASAP.
Regardless of the type of spill, there’s one rule that goes across the board when it comes to cleaning a stain: Never rub.
Instead, start by scraping away any excess material. Next, blot the stain with paper towels and water. Then, move on to a cleaning solution.
Are you unsure of how to treat certain stains? The truth is all stains are built differently and how you clean them can make a world of difference.
Here are a few of our favourite spot cleaning methods:
Coffee – A daily ritual in some households and a common culprit in the world of spills. The first step to cleaning a coffee spill is to soak it up with a towel. Next, you’ll want to rinse the area with cold or room temperature water and then blot again. If there’s still a stain, you can use your favourite cleaning solution. Alternatively, you can mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups of water. This should take care of any pesky remnants.
Dog urine – The next time your puppy leaves a special surprise for you, clean up as quickly as you can. Use a paper towel to blot the stain until you’ve removed all the liquid. Next, mix together a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water. Soak the stain with the mixture. The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia smell of the urine while also sanitizing the spot.
Let it sit for a minute and then scrub. Once you’re done scrubbing, apply a little baking soda and a little more of the vinegar-water mix. Rub it into the carpet fibers. Leave the baking soda to dry. It may take a day or two but once the spot is dry, vacuum the carpet.
Candle wax – The wax drips from a melting candle can get on the ground quicker than you can anticipate. Wax can be particularly tricky to clean, so as before, try and clean it up as soon as you see it. Next, fill a plastic bag with ice and put it on top of the wax stain. You want to get the wax to freeze, but avoid getting it wet from the ice. When the wax is frozen, it can be scraped off with a dull knife. Next, put a brown paper bag over the stain and run a warm iron over it. The paper will absorb the wax as it melts.
Mud stains – Summer days can bring many mud stains into the house. To clean them out of carpet fibers, you first need to let the mud dry. Once it’s dry to the touch, vacuum up as much as possible. Next, mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups of water. Sponge the stain with this solution. Blot until the liquid is absorbed. And then repeat until the stain disappears and then sponge with water.
6) Consider Summer Carpet Cleaning Your Extended Homes
If you have a summer getaway like a cottage, you should absolutely consider having the carpets cleaned during the summer, especially if the home isn’t used in the off-season. Likewise, if you have an RV or a houseboat, it’s important for your health to have your upholstery, fabrics, and carpets cleaned regularly.
Without regular cleaning, months of dust, and debris pile into your carpets. Annual cleaning of your “home away from home” will also keep away the pesky odor that comes with vacation houses.
Book Your Summer Carpet Cleaning
The Blind Carpet Cleaner is here to help you with all of your summer carpeting needs. Our clients love the carpet cleaning results they’re seeing after just one service. With over 100+ reviews, our services are dependable, fast and trustworthy!
Our pricing is competitive. We want to earn your business with upfront pricing – we will tell you what it will cost in advance so there are no surprises or hidden fees. If you’re new to us, you can take advantage of our new carpet cleaning customer program. If after your cleaning, a persistent stain resurfaces on your carpets or you are not entirely satisfied – call us within five days of your last visit and we will be happy to resolve the problem.
Contact us to schedule your summer carpet cleaning now. We look forward to tackling all of your summer carpeting needs and getting your home in optimal shape to enjoy the rest of the summer.
