A slight mistake can easily ruin your expensive carpet. Carpets are a vital part of your home’s décor, and they help create a warm base for you and your furniture. However, they are also one of the most neglected parts of a home. Carpets in living spaces receive a high amount of foot traffic; people and pets track in dirt and dust from outside that gets trapped deep within the carpet fibers. Although vacuuming a carpet is relatively easy, deep cleaning them is a task that only a truly professional carpet cleaning company in Gainesville, Fl, can handle effectively.

However, some homeowners may prefer to take matters into their own hands and try to clean their carpets. Doing so can lead to irreparable damage to the carpet fibers if they don’t know what they are doing.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes Gainesville homeowners make while cleaning their carpets.

1. Scrubbing the carpet too hard.

The first instinct any homeowner has after spilling a staining liquid like coffee or wine on their carpet is to scrub it out. This is one of the worst mistakes you can make. Your expensive carpet is made up of delicate fibers that can easily get damaged because of excessive twisting and pulling during a panicked scrubbing session. Furthermore, if any dust or dirt is sitting on the surface of the carpet, scrubbing can push them deeper into the carpet fibers, which makes them significantly harder to clean.

The best way to take care of a liquid stain immediately is to blot using a clean sponge or a piece of cloth. Since blotting is a lot gentler than scrubbing, it may not eradicate the stain entirely, but you will also have a lower chance of damaging your expensive rug. A company that provides professional carpet cleaning near Alachua County, Fl, can help remove any lingering stains with ease.

2. Using a generic carpet cleaner.

Cleaning a carpet is a precise endeavor, and it must be treated like one. There is no blanket solution for all your cleaning needs. Specific stains require specific types of carpet cleaning solutions. Some solutions are specially designed for one particular type of carpet that can damage other types of rugs or fail to get them clean. If the stains on your carpet are from paints, adhesives, or oils, a solvent is required to clean them. Similarly, if the stains are from coffee, tea, or water-based products, an acidic cleaning solution is the need of the hour. Using the correct solutions can help you easily eradicate any stains while using the wrong ones can cause discoloration and even irreparable damage to your carpet fibers.

The best way to avoid damaging your carpets is to ask for professional help. Professionals can easily determine which solution works best based on their decades of experience. Some carpets often come with specific instructions on how to clean them.

3. Assuming a carpet cleaner can disinfect your rugs.

Carpet cleaning is a delicate job as it requires very specific products for every job. The most common misconception among homeowners is assuming that any carpet cleaning solution can be used as a disinfectant. A cleaning agent is only made to clean the carpet fibers and remove any dirt or debris trapped within the carpet. There is a stark difference between a cleaning agent and a disinfectant, as disinfectants are used to sterilize your carpets and are used when a rug gets infested with mold.

If you want to disinfect a carpet, you must ensure that you use a proper disinfectant instead of a regular carpet cleaner. To ensure the safety of your carpet fibers, you can consult a professional to help you pick the appropriate disinfectant for your carpet.

4. Using improper techniques or cleaning equipment.

As a homeowner, keeping up with the latest and greatest in carpet cleaning technology is not possible. Using a year-old cleaning technology and equipment will not lead to results that could be achieved using the latest hardware.

Renting carpet cleaning equipment can be a viable option. However, you will also need the expertise to be able to extract the maximum from the leased equipment. Therefore, the best choice for a homeowner is to hire professionals with access to state-of-the-art carpet cleaning equipment and the know-how to operate them to their maximum effect.

5. Employing harsh cleaning methods.

Though it is heartbreaking to see a stain on your expensive carpet, you must keep calm and fight the urge to scrub it with all your might. Scrubbing or using harsh cleaning methods can be detrimental to the health of your carpet fibers. Harsh chemical cleaners also leave a residue of their harmful ingredients in the carpet, which can be harmful to the health of your pets or children who like to play on your carpets.

The best way to clean a carpet is to use the minimum force. This includes blotting and using carpet cleaning solutions and disinfectants that are mild and do not contain harsh chemicals. Even when hiring a carpet cleaning company in Gainesville, Fl, you should pay close attention to their cleaning methods. If they are too rough with your carpet, it should be a glaring red flag for you, and you should intervene before your carpet gets damaged.

Final Words

If you decide to clean your own carpets, ensure that you avoid these common mistakes that homeowners make and end up ruining their carpets. A truly tried and tested method to get your carpets cleaned without damaging them is to book a professional carpet cleaning near Alachua County, Fl, from a top-rated company. You should hire professional help at least once every six months and vacuum regularly, once every week, in order to keep your carpets looking and feeling fresh and supple.