How to Steam Clean Carpet Without Wasting Your Time Too Long?

Carpet cleaning requires more attention, effort, and time to prepare for reuse. A survey shows that, at maximum, people spend their whole day cleaning them. But if you use a steam cleaner, it will take only 2 hours on average. So, it’s better to learn how to steam clean carpet on your own.

A steam-clean carpet is more efficient than other cleaning tools you’ve tried on that spot. It intensively goes deep into the grime to wipe them from the core. All it needs to do is warm the water sufficiently and then be ready for the fight.

Apart from this, steam cleaning tools provide more benefits to keep the carpet forever clean and tidy. It is crucial to use this product to transform a worn carpet into a new one. Let’s learn more about this.

How to Prepare to Steam Clean the Carpet?

Before cleaning the carpet, here are some thumb rules you must maintain. Take a glimpse of them at once.

1. Keep all the necessary tools in your surroundings to get them quickly while you’re at work.
2. Wear proper safety precautions to get ready to fight against the dander, dust, and others.
3. Free up the space to prevent steam damage. You can shift the lightweight furniture like tea-table, chairs, or other objects to another room for easy access.
4. After clearing the room, cover the legs of the heavy furniture with aluminum foil. It will prevent them from getting ruined or spoiled during the working period. Moreover, you can sometimes save yourself from dragging them away.
5. Yet, if the room is full of too much furniture, then try to clean the room section-wise. Clean one half of the room, then keep the furniture aside. Then, clean the leftover portion of the room by shifting them to the cleaned portion.
6. Dust the ceiling fans, baseboards, and switchboards before starting your cleaning session.
7. Wear a surgical mask if you’re too sensitive and allergic-prone to dust.

What Tools to Need for Steam Cleaned the Carpets

1. A vacuum cleaner
2. A steam cleaner
3. Drying accessories to dry out the carpet swiftly (normal fan/dryer or exhaust fan/ceiling fan) 
4. Traditional carpet cleaning solution (depends on your choice)
5. Warm water (boil it and try to remain the temperature 212⁰ F)
6. Gloves, mask
7. A soft clean rag
8. Aluminum foil paper

How to Steam Clean Carpet – 9 Steps to Follow

For deep cleaning, there are no crucial things like a steam cleaner. It easily lifts out the dirt and grime embedded deep inside the carpet. Since steam cleaners have the option to work with warm water, they can incredibly kill germs and bacteria.

Step 1: Vacuum Thoroughly the Entire Room

Vacuum the entire room to remove the loose grime, dust, pet hair, and other. The attached nozzle has a machine that helps go depth in hard-to-reach areas. If there are any old carpet stains, use any well-treated stain cleaner on that area.

Especially food stains, pet urine, and color stains may require more effort to clean properly.

In that case, you can use a DIY cleaning solution on that area to wipe them off thoroughly. Use any as-usual DIY damage-preventing solution made with lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda, etc.

Step 2: Fill the Steam Tank with Hot Water and Solution

Now, take your steam cleaner. Separate the water tank from the machine to fill it with warm water. If the area is dirty and looks so nasty, add some carpet cleaning solution with water. The steam cleaner has a built-in water heater to warm the tank water.

If you’re having this sort of steamer, then follow the machine instructions to determine the amounts. Mix them well.

Tips: Use vinegar solution if you don’t have carpet cleaning solution. It works so well. Remember to maintain a ratio of 50:50 while mixing with water.

Step 3: Start Cleaning with a Deep Breath

The instructions on how to clean the carpet with steam usually come with the manufacturer. But here are some basic steps with an in-depth conversation to let you understand them more clearly.

Step 4: Align the Steamer at 45⁰ Angle

First, align the steamer over the floor at a 45⁰ angle. Start by pressing the power button in the corner of the room. Triggered the button to let it steam all over areas.

Step 5: Move the Machine Forward & Backward

Now, clean the floor by following the thumb rules of forward and backward. Remember to gently pick up the steamer and trigger the machine to do one more forward and backward pass.

Step 6: Let the Dirty Water Cleaned by Itself

After finishing 2–3 strokes, you may notice dirty water filling up the tank. You need to give the steamer time to suck it up this time. The brown water will be cleaned automatically and left behind inside the tank.

Step 7: Go Through the Next Spot

Up next, go through the next spot inside the house to clean with steam. Keep doing it until you notice all the dirt on the carpet.

Step 8: Empty the Tank and Refill

As the steam cleaner works automatically, it will inform you when to stop cleaning. Empty the dirty water from the tank and refill it with a clean, warm water solution.

Step 9: Wait for Drying Out

After cleaning all the dirt from the carpet, let it dry for a while. Generally, it takes 6–8 hours to dry. But experts recommended waiting at least 24 hours before walking on the cleaned areas.

Otherwise, your footstep may be a spot on the floor if parts of the area remain wet.

On the other hand, follow another way to speed up the overall process. Use a thermostat and set its temperature to 70⁰ F. Power on the floor fan and keep the window wide open. Both of them will work to dry the carpet immediately.

Once you notice that the carpet seems so clean and tidy, walk through the carpet. Put on plastic shoes or footwear to prevent footsteps and dirt.

5 Prominent Tips to Steam Clean Carpet Like Pro

After applying these basic strategies, you can clean the carpet fully. But some additional tips help you a lot to steadfast the journey than before. Below we have included these tips:

1. Use Basic Cleaning Recipe

Even if the carpet doesn’t change after cleaning, be sure to have a basic cleaning recipe on hand. Add one tbsp of laundry detergent to 1 quart of water. Fill this solution on the tank and conduct it all over the carpet floor to remove stubborn stains.

2. The Temperature of the Tank Must Be At Least 212 °F

Try to keep the tank temperature at least 212⁰ F minimum. It is a sustainable temperature and helps keep the carpet floor germ-free and bacteria-free.

Moreover, 212⁰ F is the most recommended temperature for killing common allergens known as dust mites, bugs, etc.

3. Try Out Some DIY Recipes

Most users are dissatisfied with steam cleaning since cleaning tough stains must be satisfactory. In that case, a DIY recipe works like magic for you. Steam cleaners can be used with numerous DIY recipes to achieve excellent results. It’s time to learn about them.

Vinegar + Borax for Pre-Steaming

• Add ¼ cup of vinegar with a similar amount of Borax.
• Add ¼ cup of table salt with 15 drops of lavender oil.
• Mix these ingredients properly to clean the carpet.
• This mixture will work well when applied directly over the carpet rather than used on the steam cleaner.
• But you can use this mixture on both.
• After applying steam, the carpet floor and then leave it to air dry properly.

Peroxide Combo for Removing Tough Stains

• Use the peroxide combo to remove tough stains on the carpet floor.
• Mix 1-½ quarts of warm water with ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide.
• Then, use 1-½ tbsp of white vinegar, liquid dish soap, with a few drops of essential oil.
• You can add 1 tbs of fabric softener if you think it is necessary.
• However, blend and mix these ingredients all together. Then, pour them into the steam cleaner.
• Clean with that solution and leave the carpet to dry off completely.

Enzyme Cleaner for Pet Odors & Dirt

• If you’re a pet owner, this thing works for you. Enzyme cleaning is the other way to reduce pet odors and dirt from carpet floors.
• To make this cleaner, collect 7 tbsp of brown sugar with 1-½ cups of lemon and orange.
• Add 4-1/4 cups of water to treat the pet’s dirt.
•  Wait for a while, as it needs fermenting before use.
• Pick a large sealable pot or a big container to take this mixture, then seal the cap. Shake the container to mix them well.
• Doing this method will prevent the gasses occurring by the chemical elements from leaking out of the container.
• Place the container safely and leave it for three months to settle before working.
• After three months, use the mixture with the steam cleaner on the carpet.
• Drag the machine backward and forward to see the magic.

4. Scrub the Stains That Won’t Remove Easily

Make this a regular habit when you steam clean the carpet. Put some commercial carpet cleaning solution on the tough stains, then use a normal soft brush to scrub.

Use some elbow grease to omit the tough stains before driving the roller coaster over it. Tough stains will start to disappear after following this method.

5. Avoid to Create Cleaning Mixtures with Too Much Foamy

Try to create a less foamy mixture. Too many detergent cleaning solutions may not be good for the steam cleaner. Moreover, they can damage the carpet’s color and make it discolored.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Can I Put on the Carpet Before Steaming?

You can put any stain remover if the carpet has so many old stains. Steam cleaners need to improve at omitting stains deeply. Then, scrub or blot the stains using a cloth before steaming the carpet.

Should I Continue to Steam Until the Water Is Clear Inside the Tank?

Of course, you must steam clean the carpet until the water inside the tank is clear. Clean water also means the carpet is completely free from dirt, dust, and other pet mosses.

What Is the Best Solution to Use Steam for Carpet?

For steaming carpets, distilled water is the best solution. It works great to reduce grime and dirt swiftly.

Can I Walk on Carpet Just After Finishing Steam Cleaning?

Walking on the carpet just after steam cleaning is not a good idea. Doing such things may destroy the fresh look of the carpet as well as make it dirty once again.

Whether you do not want to walk on your carpet until it has completely dried, wear a plastic bag on your feet or wait at least 24 hours.

How Many Times Do I Need to Steam Clean the Carpet?

Most manufacturers insist that the carpet be cleaned by steam every 12–24 months. This will help you to maintain its fresh, new, and pure appearance.

Final Wrap

Every corner of the room covered with carpet is important to keep dirt free. It’s not because they need to look clean but to maintain hygiene.

A dirty carpet isn’t good for the house environment and the health of your kids, pets, and others. Therefore, it is obvious to everyone to learn how to steam clean carpets today. Take help from my suggestion described above.

Again, remember that a steam cleaner is good for periodically reducing excessive dirt from the carpet. But it should be used sparingly, which may lead the carpet to wear off unnecessarily.