Deep Clean a Carpet
Rental carpet cleaners beat most professional services for a fraction of the cost. 2–3 hours for an average living room.
Vacuum thoroughly first
Any carpet cleaner's results depend on how well you vacuum first. Vacuum slowly in overlapping passes. Hit edges and under furniture.
Pretreat stains
Spray pretreatment (or diluted carpet shampoo) on visible stains 10 minutes before cleaning. Work into the fibers with a soft brush.
Rent or borrow a carpet cleaner
Home Depot rents Rug Doctors for ~$35/day. Follow the machine's instructions for filling soap and water tanks.
Clean in slow, overlapping passes
Go slow — half the speed of normal vacuuming. After a soap pass, do at least two rinse passes with clean water only to remove residue that attracts dirt.
Let carpet dry fully
Open windows or run fans. Stay off the carpet for 6–24 hours. Walking on wet carpet flattens the fibers.
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