17 Carpet Cleaning Hacks (Looks Better, Lasts Longer)

Quick Summary of Carpet Cleaning In Fairfax County (17 Tips For Great-Looking Carpet)

Don’t Rub Stains
Clean With Club Soda
Soak Up Spills Right Away
Make an Emergency Kit To Keep On Hand
Trim Carpet Snags and Stragglers
Put Some Thought Into What Vacuum You Buy
Vacuum A Lot
Replace Vacuum Filters and Bags Regularly
Sprinkle Baking Soda Before You Vacuum
Declare A No Shoes Rule
Put Doormats Outside All The Doors
Never Drag Heavy Things On The Carpet
Use Rugs in High-Traffic Areas
House Train Your Pets
Keep Food In The Kitchen
Change Furnace and A/C Filters Often
Clean Your Carpets Regularly

Carpet cleaning in Fairfax County can be frustrating. Especially if you have little kids or pets. You get it cleaned and then it seems to get dirty again so fast.

Well, we have good news. This article is full of things to do and habits to form that will help your carpet stay clean longer. These suggestions will also make your carpet last longer, as well.

Some of these admittedly shouldn’t be considered hacks as they’re just common sense. But rest assured that everything on this list will do wonders for your carpet. Follow them if you want to prolong the life of your carpet and keep it looking great!

1. Don’t Rub Stains

When you get down on your knees to clean a stain from the carpet, don’t scrub it! So many people do this and it’s bad bad bad. You need to blot it. The gentler you are with the pressure, the more you’ll get out. Be patient. Take a little more time and give a little more care. It’s worth it.

If you rub and scrub it, all your doing is pushing it further down into the fibers. You’ll never get it all out by doing it this way. Depending on what substance you’re trying to get out, rubbing it will make it the stain even worse.

Blot. Don’t rub.

2. Clean With Club Soda

This is an underused carpet cleaning secret. Those who have experience using club soda on stains always have some on hand because of how effective it can be. Also, it’s natural.

It works on so many things. Red wine, tea, coffee, pet messes, and more. Here’s a how-to-use club soda on carpet stains. It’s particularly good at reinvigorating color.

3. Soak Up Spills Right Away

Even if you don’t have kids, spills are going to happen at some point. And when they do, you need to act fast. If you see a spill happen, get right on it. If you notice a spill and you don’t know how long it’s been there, still get on it right away.

The longer you wait, the harder time you’ll have trying to get it out. And remember not to blot from the inside out. This will only spread the stain. Blot from the outside in.

4. Make An Emergency Kit To Keep On Hand

Get these items and put them in a container or bucket or something that you can keep on hand. This way you can just quickly grab it whenever you need to and you’ll have everything you need. You won’t have to run around the house trying to gather individual items.

One of those small, travel-size bottles of dish soap
Hydrogen peroxide (for blood stains)
A can of shaving cream
A bottle of club soda
Commercial-grade carpet stain remover (consider pouring some in a smaller spray bottle)

Another good thing is ice cubes. They’re great for getting things like gum and wax out of the carpet. You obviously can’t keep frozen ice cubes in an emergency cleaning kit. But make sure you have a working ice machine, or keep your ice trays filled in your freezer for easy use.

Here’s another example of a carpet cleaning in Fairfax County emergency kit you can make.

5. Trim Carpet Snags and Stragglers

Some carpet styles are prone to develop what we call snags and stragglers. These are those pesky little tears and blemishes in your carpet that reach out above the surface of the carpet. When they surface, they present a big risk of getting worse if you don’t take care of it right away.

Sometimes dogs will feel the need to tug at it. Babies and children often do the same thing. And sometimes depending on how big the snag is, it can get caught on your shoe or something similar.

If you see a snag or a straggler, take a pair of scissors and snip it down to size. Easy peasy.

6. Put Some Thought Into What Vacuum You Buy

Word to the wise: don’t buy the most inexpensive vacuum. You’ll regret it.

There are some things in life that are worth putting some extra money towards. And a vacuum is absolutely one of them. If you’ve never used a really good vacuum before, you’ll be shocked when you use one for the first time. You won’t believe what your cheap vacuum wasn’t picking up.

Buy a really good one, even it costs more. It will last longer and work better. Your carpet will look so much better if you use a really good vacuum.

7. Vacuum A Lot

If you can spare the time to vacuum your house every other day, that would be amazing and your carpet will look great. Sometimes that’s too much to ask. But certainly do your best to vacuum your whole house at least 3 times per week.

If you have a pet that sheds or kids that cause messes on the regular, you really need to vacuum at least every 2 days.

And do a thorough job. Go slow with it. Quick passes often don’t pick up everything. Even really good vacuums. You need to go nice and slow.

8. Replace Vacuum Filters and Bags Regularly

This is something that many people forget about, even people who consider themselves clean freaks. Your vacuum will last so much longer if you give it proper maintenance attention. If your vacuum doesn’t require a bag, just make sure you clean out the filter regularly.

Depending on the kind of vacuum you have, the filter either needs to be replaced entirely on a regular basis or it just needs to be cleaned. Some of them simply need to be held underneath the tap for a minute to be properly cleaned.

The better upkeep you do on your vacuum, the better it will work. Which means your carpet will look better.

9. Sprinkle Baking Soda Before You Vacuum

This is a neat little trick that is becoming more known. It helps you carpet smell good – or at least eliminate existing odors – without causing damage to it. Don’t use those powder products that are supposed to make your carpet smell good after you vacuum. They leave a residue that causes real harm to the carpet.

Use baking soda. You just sprinkle a little bit all over the areas that you’re about to vacuum. Not too much. Just a light dusting. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes and then vacuum over it all.

You don’t just want your carpet to be clean, you want it to smell clean too. Sprinkling baking soda before you vacuum is a simple trick that will keep your carpet smelling fresher for longer.

10. Declare A No Shoes Rule

This should be a given. If you care about the look and longevity of your carpet cleaning in Fairfax County, have a no-shoes rule in your home. Of all the things you can do to help keep your carpet looking great and lasting long, this might be #1.

11. Put Doormats Outside All The Doors

If you just can’t do a no-shoes rule at your house, this is the next best thing. Doormats at every door. Encourage people to scrap their shoes on it before coming in. Or have a sign that instructs to do so.

12. Never Drag Heavy Things On The Carpet

This is common sense. If you need to move heavy furniture or other big items, get another person to carry it with you. Don’t drag it. If it doesn’t look like you’ve done any damage to your carpet on first look, it’s likely you still have. You just can’t see it yet.

Use a drop cloth or a tarp or something like that to put a layer between the carpet and the heavy item.

13. Use Rugs in High-Traffic Areas

Rugs are great for protecting the carpet, especially in high-traffic areas like a room right next to the front door. Get a good one, though. Then you won’t have to keep buying them every couple of years as they wear out.

14. House Train Your Pets

If you have a pet, it needs to be house trained. If not, this (along with never taking your shoes off in the house) is the quickest way to ruin your carpet cleaning in Fairfax County.

If you have a well-behaved pet that uncharacteristically does a number on your carpet out of the blue, clean it up right away. Don’t wait. Get right on it.

15. Keep Food in the Kitchen

This is easier said than done, especially if you have little kids at home. But if you can enforce this rule as best as possible, your carpet will thank you. You’ll also save yourself a ton of time that you would otherwise spend cleaning.

16. Change Furnace and A/C Filters Often

This may not be something that you immediately associate with carpet cleaning in Fairfax County. But there’s definitely a connection.

For example, if your A/C filter is clogged and you don’t change it regularly, it doesn’t keep the airborne pollen, dirt, and dust out of your home very well. All of these skin particles, dust, etc, begin to accumulate on your carpet. Gross.

Not only will your carpet be cleaner if you change them, but you’ll be healthier, as well. Change these filters often. At least every 2-3 months. Every month is even better. And if you smoke or have pets, make changing these filters often a definite priority.

17. Clean Your Carpets Regularly

You knew this one was coming.

You can’t only pay for carpet cleaning in Fairfax County once a year. If you can do it 2-3 times a year, that is typically a good number. Get into this habit and you won’t have to replace carpet for years. Plus it will look great all the time.

Just like your pest control service comes like clockwork every quarter, do something similar with carpet cleaning in Fairfax County.

Some stains require professional work to get out. And even if you’re taking all the precautionary measures outlined in this article, you should still have your carpets professionally cleaned on a regular basis.

Carpet Cleaning In Fairfax County (17 Tips For Great-Looking Carpet) – Conclusion

If you have any other questions about tricks and tips you can do on your own to make your carpet look and feel great, give us a call. We’d love to talk to you.

And if your carpets need to be cleaned, we’re at your service!