How to Shampoo Your Carpets so They Stay Clean Longer

I used to work in a busy office. If you had seen the carpet, you would have thought we never had it cleaned. It stayed "clean-looking" for only a short time after it was shampooed. And it was swept every night, then cleaned by a professional crew every six weeks. One night I was there when the crew was shampooing the black, filthy carpet. I asked the cleaning supervisor why she thought the carpet got dirty so fast. She asked me if I shampooed my carpets at home. She then told me how to clean my carpets so they wouldn't look like the ones in our office. Read this informative article and find out how to shampoo your carpets so they stay clean longer!

Use a Low-Foam Carpet Shampoo- And Use the Right Amount
Always use a low-foam shampoo to clean your carpets with. The less foam that's created, the less foam that goes into your carpets... and the less you'll need to extract later. Just like with laundry detergent, using more shampoo won't get your carpets any cleaner. In fact, the more foam you put into your carpet, the more foam will remain. That sticky residue will then attract dirt. Your carpets will be black and dirty again in no time.

Finish Shampooing Your Carpets With a Vinegar and Water Rinse
Once you've finished shampooing and extracting your carpets, there's a trick you can use so they stay clean longer. It takes a little more time and work, but I've always gotten wonderful results. Even though I have a busy household with people and pets, I only need to shampoo my carpets a couple times a year. Naturally this doesn't include spot-cleaning spills and messes.

I pour a cup of white vinegar into the soap tank on my Bissell steam cleaner. I then fill it up the rest of the way with hot tap water. The acidic vinegar dissolves the foam residue so you can extract it from the carpet. That way, there's no sticky residue left. The vinegar also helps further clean and deodorize.

Use Only a Vinegar and Water Solution to Clean Your Carpets
To shampoo your carpets so they stay clean longer, you can also skip using carpet shampoo altogether. Using only vinegar and water is less expensive, it's eco-friendly, and you won't have to worry about carpet shampoo residue.

I have used vinegar and water to clean lightly-soiled carpets with great success. I must admit, for some reason, I'm still clinging to the idea that I need to use carpet shampoo on heavily-soiled areas.