How To Wash Carpet (Singapore Guide 2022)

Carpets are often one of the first places that dust and dirt accumulate. Over time, these particles can become embedded in the fibers of the carpet, making them difficult to remove. In addition, when walking on a carpet, these particles can become airborne, causing poor indoor air quality. 

Poor indoor air quality can lead to a number of health issues, including headaches, difficulty breathing, and fatigue. Through regular maintenance, carpets will not only look better, but they will also help to improve the quality of the air in your home or office.

Infographic: How to Clean Carpet | Image: De Hygienique

Here are 4 steps to wash your carpet.

1. Vacuum Your Carpet Regularly

Let’s face it, vacuuming is not the most exciting chore in the world. But if you don’t want to inhale polluted indoor air, regular carpet vacuuming is a necessary maintenance task. The good news is that, with a little practice, anyone can learn how to vacuum like a pro. These are a few tips to help you get started:

Vacuum carpet | Image: De Hygienique

1. Not all vacuum cleaners are created equal. When shopping for a vacuum cleaner, it is important to look for one with a good HEPA filter. This will ensure that the fine particles extracted from your carpets are filtered efficiently without escaping into the air. 
2. Vacuum in sections. Don’t try to vacuum the entire carpet at once – it’s just not practical (or possible). Instead, focus on one small area at a time and work your way around the room.
3. Pay more attention on the edges and corners around the carpets. These are often the places where dirt and dust collect, so it’s important to take your time and vacuum carefully around them.
4. Empty the vacuum cleaner regularly. If your vacuum cleaner has a bag, make sure to empty the bag or container when it gets full. Otherwise, the suction power will decrease and your vacuum will be less effective.

2. Dry Clean The Carpet

Baking soda is a natural deodoriser | Image: FREEPIK

Cleaning your carpets with baking soda is a low-cost but effective option. It helps absorb grease and remove light stains with the help of baking soda. As a bonus, it freshens and deodorizes the carpet, making it smell like new.

Not only can baking soda be used to remove carpet stains, but it can also be used for routine carpet cleaning. Only apply baking soda to dry carpet for this method.

1. Before applying baking soda to a carpet for the first time, check for colorfastness.
2. Mix 1/2 teaspoon with 1/2 cup of water and apply a small amount to an inconspicuous portion of the carpet. Let the carpet dry, then vacuum and inspect.
3. Use a sieve to sprinkle baking soda evenly on the carpet or area rug. Apply more baking soda in high-traffic areas like entrances, walkways, and in front of the sofa.
4. Allow the baking soda to sit on the carpet for approximately 30-60 minutes. Then vacuum the carpet thoroughly.

3. Remove Carpet Stains

Let’s face it: accidents happen. Whether you’re dealing with a coffee stain or a red wine spill, removing stains from your carpet can be a challenge. 

Blot stain using a clean cloth | Image: De Hygienique

Always start stain removal by blotting as much of the stains as possible using a clean and damp cloth. Then, you may wish to attempt to remove the stain by using vinegar and baking soda.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for several minutes.
2. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and mist the solution onto the stain. 
3. Use a clean cloth to blot the stain until it disappears.
4. Vacuum up any remaining residue to finish cleaning the carpet!

Before and after carpet cleaning | Image: De Hygienique

Don’t fret if you can’t remove the stains on the carpet after following the above steps. Engage a professional carpet cleaner like De Hygienique to assess and clean the stained carpet. Professional carpet cleaning companies are equipped with professional grade carpet cleaning products and specialized carpet cleaning machines to treat difficult stains. 

If you are not satisfied with your stain removal outcome, quickly schedule professional carpet cleaners to clean the stained carpet. Quick stain removal treatments will increase the chance of complete stain removal.

4. Sanitize the Carpet

Carpet steaming helps to eliminate virus and germs | Image: FREEPIK

Even without the recent COVID virus outbreak, carpets are known to trap dirt and viruses easily because of their porous surfaces. Because of COVID, carpet disinfection demand has risen. But, is it necessary to disinfect carpet?

There is a clear distinction between disinfecting and sanitizing. 

• Disinfection treatment is applicable and effective mainly on hard and non-porous surfaces like table tops, door knobs, etc, using bleach or alcohol based disinfectants. Thus, it is not practical to consider disinfecting carpets because the viruses are trapped in the holes of the carpet surfaces. 
• Sanitising, on the other hand, simply means to reduce the germs and virus to an acceptable or safe standard. This can be achieved by simply applying antibacterial solutions on the surface.

Whether you are considering disinfecting or sanitizing the carpets, start with thorough cleaning of the carpets first because the pathogens are often hidden beneath dirt and dust particles in the carpet.

Sanitise carpet using alcohol based solution | Image: De Hygienique

For effective sanitizing or disinfection, you can either consider applying hot steam or high concentrate alcohol (>70% ethanol or isopropyl) solution to the carpets. There are available ready sanitizing solutions in the market which you can consider purchasing for carpet and soft furnishing applications. 

There are many resources that suggest using bleach as a sanitizing agent. As bleach may cause discoloration of carpet, always try the bleach solution on an inconspicuous corner before applying it to the entire carpet.

If in doubt about carpet washing matters, contact De Hygienique for assistance. We provide no obligation consultation to help carpet owners with their carpet issues. 

Professional carpet cleaning service | Image: De Hygienique

De Hygienique’s team of professional carpet cleaners wash carpets using low moisture cleaning technology. By using less water and biodegradable cleaning products, this cleaning method can effectively deep clean carpet without causing harm to the environment. 

This sustainable cleaning process not only is friendly to the earth, but more importantly, you get to use dry and cleaned carpet after the carpet is cleaned without drying time!