How To Steam Clean An Area Rug

Apply a little to a small corner or patch mix in some water and let it settle for a few hours.

How to steam clean an area rug.

Wool area rugs require a little more consideration when being cleaned than those made of cotton or artificial fibers. Rugs can generally absorb a lot of punishment but one of the problems with wool is that it is a natural product rich in lanolin. Steam cleaning cleans spots on upholstery and carpet that you cannot remove through dry cleaning with a vacuum alone. While steam cleaners do a good job on most area rugs care should be taken when using one on wool.

Before you steam clean carpet take everything out of the room and vacuum it thoroughly to remove as much debris as possible. Vacuum the area rug. Prepare the space for a thorough area rug cleaning. Check carefully to see if there is any color damage or fiber damage.

Once the worst stains are gone fill the steam cleaner with hot water and detergent or with a 50 50 mix of hot water and vinegar. Roll up the rug pad and move to one side. As a general rule when finding out how to clean area rugs always test out the carpet shampoo before you apply it to the whole rug. Roll up the area rug and move it to one side.

You would never want to use steam cleaning on a wool rug because hot water will shrink the fibers. Be sure to remove any deep set in stains with a stain remover before steaming the carpet. Go back and rinse that spot off. If the rugs are large you may need to roll them to remove them from the space.

Steam cleaning an area rug is the best way to clean and sanitize an area rug. Step 1 pick the area rugs up off the floor. If the rug needs a thorough cleaning and cannot be moved to an area with a vinyl ceramic tile or stone floor the hardwood must be protected. Run a vacuum or a clean soft bristled brush over your area rug to loosen up the fibers of the rug as they may have compacted during the washing drying process.

Steam cleaning dyed rugs is another no no because it can cause color bleeding. The moisture from a steam cleaner damages wood flooring surfaces. If you have large area rugs in your home that do not fit in the washing machine or that you should not machine wash use the steam cleaner to clean the area rugs. However you should never steam clean an area rug made from sensitive natural fibers like wool as the mechanical cleaner will damage the fibers.

The moisture from a steam cleaner damages wood flooring surfaces however so if you plan to steam clean your area rugs over hardwood floors you must do some surface preparation first. Always check manufacturer instructions and follow them. How to deep clean an area rug in order to deep clean an area rug professional cleaners should take the area rugs to a properly equipped facility. Also don t steam clean a dyed area rug as the heat and moisture will cause the colors to bleed.