Three Carpet Shampooing Tips For Light-Colored Carpets

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Three Carpet Shampooing Tips For Light-Colored Carpets

30 September 2015
 Categories: , Blog


If you have a light-colored carpet, you have to be especially wary of stains and do all that you can to keep your carpet clean. When it comes time to shampoo your light-colored carpet, here are a few tips to ensure the process is as effective as possible.

Use a shampoo made especially for light-colored carpets.

There are certain ingredients that do a very good job of cleaning light-colored carpets, but are left out of "general" carpet cleaners because they may bleach out darker carpets. By purchasing a shampoo made especially for light-colored carpets, you can take advantage of these ingredients for a cleaner carpet.

Do remember to test the shampoo before you load up your shampooer and start cleaning. Even if the shampoo says it's safe for light-colored carpets, there are many types of carpet fibers and dyes used to color them, and there's a chance it may not be compatible with yours. Push a big piece of furniture, like your sofa or entertainment center, to the side. Apply a little of the shampoo, and wait a few hours. If the carpet has not changed color, proceed with shampooing your carpet.

Shampoo more often.

As dirt sits on your carpet, it slowly works its way deeper into the fibers, where it is harder for your shampooer to extract, yet still contributes to overall discoloration of your carpet. Whereas you might be able to get away with shampooing a darker carpet once a year or every 6 months, it is wise to shampoo your lighter-colored carpet more often. Try shampooing every 3 months in a high-traffic area, or every 6 months in a room you use more rarely. This way, your shampooer will have less dirt to remove each time, and the dirt won't have a chance to settle in so deeply.

Take an extra pass with the "suction-only" mode.

If you leave water behind on your carpet, you're also leaving behind dirt. To ensure you suck up as much water and dirt as possible after shampooing your light-colored carpet, go over it again with the suction-only mode turned on after you've shampooed it thoroughly. You'll be surprised how much more murky, dirty water you suck up ā€“ and how much cleaner your carpet looks afterwards.

With the tips above, your days of stained and discolored carpets will be in the past. If home shampooing is not cutting it, don't hesitate to contact a professional carpet cleaning company like Ringstad Carpet Cleaning & Restoration. Their rates are often more reasonable that you would assume, and they do a great job of leaving even the lightest carpets spotless.