How do I disinfect my carpet?
Your home’s carpet may be harboring harmful bacteria, germs and allergens without you even realizing it. Here are four simple steps to help keep the carpet in your home clean:
- Place doormats at every entrance of your home and instill a strict “no shoes” policy indoors. Shoes worn outside can track in residue from asphalt, pet droppings and dirt. Wiping the bottom of shoes with a disinfectant occasionally can also help reduce contamination.
- Vacuum carpets and area rugs several times a week, and if you have an infant or toddlers, daily vacuuming is recommended. The vacuum can remove surface debris easily.
- You can naturally disinfect your carpet using products you may already have at home, according to Green America. They published 10 Simple Ways to Clean Green and shared a recipe including baking soda, Borax and cornmeal.
- Hire a professional service to provide a deep, steam cleaning at least once per year and more often if you have pets, parties or little ones.
How to Sanitize Carpets
Vacuum cleaners are effective in removing dust and loose crumbs that accumulate on the carpet. While a vacuum works well in day-to-day cleaning of the carpeting, it does not sanitize. This means that although the carpet is free of dirt and crumbs, it is not free of bacteria. You must occasionally incorporate a disinfectant routine that kills any dirt or bacteria present in the carpet.
Step 1
Pour about 2 cups white vinegar into a spray bottle and lightly mist over your carpet. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant safe for use on carpets. Let the vinegar air dry. Remember to mist only; you don’t want to over-saturate your carpeting.
Step 2
Steam clean for an even deeper cleaning that will sanitize thoroughly. Fill the fluid compartment with one part white vinegar to three parts water.
Step 3
Plug in the steam cleaner, let it heat up for a few minutes and push across the carpeting. Push the steam trigger every 30 seconds or so to shoot out a blast of steam. The steam power mixed with the vinegar will provide a deep cleaning that will sanitize the carpet quickly.
Step 4
Let the carpet air dry after steam cleaning.
How to Disinfect Washable Carpets
Small carpets that can be tossed in the washer can be disinfected easily.
- Remove Loose Debris
Take the carpet outside and give it a good shake or vacuum well to remove loose debris.
- Select the Washer Settings
A front-loading washer or a top-load model without a center agitator will accommodate a large carpet better than a standard top load washer. It may be worth your time to head to a laundromat that has larger washers. Choose the hottest water recommended for the carpet on the care label.
- Add Detergent and Laundry Sanitizer
A heavy-duty laundry detergent contains enough enzymes to cut through grime. Add a laundry disinfectant like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, pine oil, or chlorine bleach following product directions.
- Dry the Carpet
If the carpet is 100% cotton and does not have a rubber backing, tumble dry on high heat. If the carpet cannot withstand high heat, allow the carpet to air dry.
Vinegar Cleaning Without Steam Power
A mixture easy to prepare might help you to disinfect your carpet quickly as an alternative other than a steam cleaner.
Vacuum cleaners work for daily using and they are successful for it but we need another formula to sanitize our carpets and make them free of bacteria.
In this section, I will mention some mixtures with white vinegar that will help you to kill ant dirt or bacteria on the carpet and you will not need any steam cleaner at the same time.
You will not have not only cleaner and free of bacteria carpet, but also an amazing workout without spending more money.
Your mixture should contain equal parts of cold water, white vinegar, and a little bit of liquid dish detergent. Apart from these, you will need also a bucket, a scrub brush, and an old rag.
Here are 6 steps to disinfect your carpet with this mixture:
- Your carpet should be removed from all irrelevant pieces of stuffs. After removing all the furniture off, it is time to vacuum to remove germs and dirt that can not be seen with naked eyes.Now, you need to sprinkle the carpet with the baking soda and keep it here about five minutes. You can use this time to make your mixture. Stir it until you see a foamy consistency. You will see in the end how successful these ingredients are with their cleaning properties.
- Take your bucket and add the ingredients one by one. It should include equal parts of cold water, white vinegar, and a little bit of liquid dish soap. I do not recommend you to prefer delicate fabrics made from organic materials such as wool or silk rugs.
- This part is probably the most trying part. After dipping your scrubbing brush in the foamy mixture, it is time to scrub your floor. You should get it wet just at an optimum level. It is enough to get a little bit wet, not saturating the area. It would be better if you start from one of the corners of the carpet and continue through the other corner of the carpet. When needed, you should dip your scrubbing brush again in the foamy mixture. When you are done, you should wait for more than five minutes. After that, you will realize the differences!
- To rinse your carpet, you will take a rag and dip it cold freshwater. The dirt and bacteria now inside mixture will be removed. The rota you used when scrubbing again will be same for the one of rinsing. When needed, you should again make suck the rag. You can change it if you feel like it does not work anymore.
- If you have a chance, you can let your carpet dry with a fan or any other device. Yet, for every condition, it is better to do this process on a dry day or on a low humidity.
- Now you can vacuum the carpet to clean from the mixture that might be left a little bit. After it, now you are done without using any other things outside your home.
Takeaways
- The best way to disinfect your carpet is by using a steam cleaner and white vinegar.
- If you don’t have access to a steam cleaner, you can still use household products to sanitise your carpet.
- Borax and baking soda can help you perform a deeper clean of your rugs.
- No matter the cleaning method, always do a test on a hidden area first.