Get the Dirty Details on Carpet Cleaning from Our Chemists this Labor Day
Labor Day traditions look different for all families. Some like to spend the long weekend at the lake, while others like to use the extra time to clean their carpets and get their house in order before the new season begins. No matter when you plan to tackle fall carpet cleaning, we’ve got you covered with these expert tips.
We asked BISSELL® Staff Chemist, Jay Kellis, to answer some common carpet cleaning questions. At BISSELL, Jay and his team work to develop the pretreats and upright and portable carpet cleaning formulas that we all use and love. He’s one of our many respected and trusted carpet cleaning experts on site.
Q: Where should I start when cleaning carpets?
A: I’ll give two answers to this question since it could be taken two ways.
First, if you’re asking where to start in the process of carpet cleaning, my first recommendation would be to make sure you have the right tools. This includes your machine, formula and pretreat spray or foam. Once you’ve gathered those, go ahead and pretreat any stains you see. My top pick would be Woolite® INSTAclean™ Pet Stain Remover but we also have dozens of other pretreat formulas, so there’s at least one that should fit your cleaning needs. No matter which pretreat you decide to go with, always test an inconspicuous area on your carpet for colorfastness. When it passes the test, follow the directions on the bottle to pretreat your stain.
The second answer is for those asking where to physically start cleaning in their home. The answer is simple. Always start in the corner farthest away from the exit of the room you’re cleaning. This way you won’t have to walk across the damp carpets you just cleaned.
Q: Which machine would you recommend for whole room cleaning?
A: For a full deep cleaning, I would recommend our ProHeat 2X® Revolution® Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner paired with our Deep Clean + Antibacterial Carpet Formula Together, the two effectively lift and remove embedded dirt and grime while also cleaning, deodorizing and freshening your carpets. PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator formula is another one of our many upright carpet cleaning formulas that I like to recommend.
If you expect your carpet cleaning will need to be more heavy duty, our Big Green® Machine is another great carpet cleaner that gives you professional grade cleaning results. It has a large, 8-row DirtLifter® PowerBrush that works with powerful suction to remove embedded dirt and stains. Both machines provide professional grade cleaning results when used with any of our upright carpet cleaning formulas. So, just like the pretreats, you’re bound to find the right one for your cleaning needs.
Q: What if I don’t need to deep clean my entire carpet?
A: If you just need to spot clean heavily stained areas or are looking to refresh high-traffic carpeted areas or rugs in your home, your best bet is JetScrub™ Pet JetScrub weighs less than 13 pounds, so it’s easy to maneuver and perfect for carpet cleaning in smaller spaces, like apartments and condos. It also works with the antibacterial and PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator formulas I just mentioned.
Q: Speaking of formulas, if you had to pick the best carpet cleaning formula which would you pick?
A: It wouldn’t be fair for me to pick a favorite since we offer so many formulas. I will say our Deep Clean + Antibacterial Carpet Formula is great for anyone looking to clean and deodorize deep into carpet fibers. It also removes stains and odor-causing bacteria, so it’s a win-win.
I also think it’s important for people to make sure they’re picking the right formula based on their needs. My colleague, Brett, does a really good job getting into the science behind our formulas in this post. No matter the formula, you’ll need to make sure if you’re cleaning with an upright carpet cleaner you use an upright carpet cleaner formula and if you're spot cleaning stains and upholstery with a portable carpet cleaner, use a portable carpet cleaner formula.
Q: What’s one thing many people forget to do when carpet cleaning?
A: I think we’ve made carpet cleaning a lot simpler in the last few years, so there are not many things people forget in their process. I do like to tell people that it’s not a bad idea to rinse the carpet they’ve just cleaned with hot tap water. It’s especially important and effective on extra dirty carpets, and it’s pretty easy to do. All you have to do is fill your machine’s clean water tank with hot tap water and make wet and dry passes where you just cleaned.
And remember, these expert carpet cleaning tips can be applied to any carpet cleaning throughout the year. So, if you’re taking it easy this Labor Day and waiting until the holidays get a little closer, be sure to bookmark this blog and pull it up when you start to prepare your holiday cleaning checklist.