OUR CLEANING BLOG
Why DIY Carpet Cleaning is Less Effective and Risky?
Friday, 19th May 2023
"I can do it myself..." or "Carpet cleaning is not rocket science. It's all about hiring a cleaning machine, everyone can do it".
We all will agree that each of the claims above sound quite familiar. Don't they?
As with everyting in life, there are benefits and downsides to doing DIY carpet cleaning.
You may choose to rent the equipment and do it yourself, "cutting-down" costs due to not spending money on the labour. However, think about some of the drawbacks that may arise from improper DIY cleaning.
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Carpet Overwetting
Too much water = not GOOD!
If too much water is used for your DIY carpet cleaning this can lead to the growth of bacteria and mould inside your carpet fibres, bad smells or even carpet delamination due to water damage.
DIY carpet cleaning may cause that your carpet remains wet for several days which, if not remedied promptly, can be a problem.
Poor or No Results
Carpets are made of different fibres and some of them require a distinct cleaning method and specialist formulations plus right temperatures for effective cleaning.
Using DIY cleaning methods and equipment can not only compromise your carpet durability but also a warranty.
Your carpets may look cleaner straight after you have cleaned them yourself but then after a while you notice they are getting dirty again but quicker.
This "rapid resoiling" can happen when carpets are cleaned using household cleaning detergents like washing up liquid or other, but most often due to they have not been properly rinsed off after cleaning or been left wet for too long afterwards. Sometimes they can buckle and wrinkle or even shrink.
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Inadequate Stain Removal
Usually, when we spill something on the carpet, we try to clean the stains immediately. Whether it is wine, coffee or tea in most cases, we use readily available soap or, in a worst case scenario, a random cleaning solution which we believe will do the "magic".
You spray the solution on the stain and start rubbing it either with a cloth or brush. After some time you notice that majority of the stain is gone not realising that what you have just done is that you have rubbed the stain deeper into the carpet pile.
Liquids get absorbed in to the carpet and best cleaning option is to extract them out from the carpet which requires a professional equipment and cleaning solutions. Typical rental cleaning machines are incapable of fully extracting the dirt.
How to Prevent Quick Resoiling After Getting Your Carpets Cleaned?
Most of the carpets that come from a factory these days have some sort of a carpet stain protector applied to them, an invisible coating that helps carpets repel soil and stains. During a cleaning process, especially when highly alcaline cleaners are used to disolve dirt in your carpets, some of the factory protector gets stripped away. As a result, your carpet becomes less resistant to soil and stains. It will remain somewhat resistant, but not as resistant as it was when it was new.
Thankfully, after cleaning, the carpet protector can be reapplied to your carpet to help with preserving the factory stain resilience. Contact us to find out more about stain protection.
