Regularly cleaning your carpet is one of the most important things that you can do to maintain it and ensure the overall hygiene of your home. But it can be annoying when a well-known cleaning method – like shampooing, for example – ends up leaving your carpet dirtier than it was!
Does carpet shampoo attract dirt? Yes, carpet shampoo does attract dirt. When you shampoo the carpet and don’t completely take out the shampoo, it leaves behind a residue. This residue attracts all forms of dirt, which leads to a buildup. In a matter of weeks, your carpet can end up looking dirtier than it did before!
That doesn’t mean you stop shampooing your carpet. There are several things that you can do to make sure that your carpet doesn’t attract dirt after shampooing it. These include checking the chemicals in your shampoo and make sure that there is no residual cleaner left in your carpet.
To learn more about how to prevent your carpet from attracting dirt after shampooing it, read on.
Why Your Carpet May Get Dirtier After Shampooing It
First, it’s helpful to understand the impact shampoo will have on your carpet and the reasons that dirt and grime may build up.
There are two main reasons that shampoo causes a buildup of dirt: wicking and residue.
Wicking
Wicking occurs when fabric fibers to attract moisture.
When a carpet is shampooed, and the excess water is not adequately removed, the water will sink to the bottom of the carpet, pulled down by moisture-wicking carpet fibers.
Here, it mixes with deep-set stains, becomes dirty, and remains at the bottom of the carpet. Over time, the water evaporates, bringing the dirt to the top of the carpet.
Residue
Another reason that carpets get dirtier immediately after shampooing is that residue from the carpet shampoo or cleaning agent is left in the carpet.
This residue clings to carpet fibers, and because it is sticky, it attracts dirt. As people or pets walk across the carpet, or even as air carrying dirt particles flows through the room, the residue absorbs the dirt and lets it sit until you clean it up.
How Can You Stop Your Carpet From Getting Dirty?
Here are a few tips you can use to prevent your recently shampooed carpet from getting dirty.
Make sure all the shampoo residue is removed
The most important thing to do to prevent your carpet from attracting dirt is to get all the shampoo residue off.
Detecting residue is hard, but you can find it by pressing your hands onto your clean carpet to check for moisture. If there is residue remaining, your hand will feel wet and greasy.
If you detect residue traces, don’t wet your whole carpet with water – that will only make the problem worse!
There are a few easy tricks you can use instead:
- Use vinegar. Once you’ve dried your carpet, use a clean white cloth to dab a vinegar and water (one part vinegar and one part water) solution into the carpet. The vinegar will break down residue and also kill any bacteria and mold that will contribute to a quicker buildup of dirt.
- If you have a dark carpet, do a spot test with the vinegar. Place a little vinegar on a small area of the carpet and leave it for 24 hours. If the color on the carpet hasn’t faded, vinegar is safe to use.
- Use baking soda. Sprinkle club or baking soda over areas of your carpet that you suspect have residue on them. Use a clean cloth to lift the baking soda and the residue away!
Don’t use too much water
While it may be tempting to douse a carpet with water in your attempt to clean it and remove shampoo residue, you should use water sparingly. Using too much water will cause the water to sink deep into the carpet and result in stains later on.
Make sure you’re using water as directed by the shampoo manufacturer’s instructions.
Check the pH of the carpet shampoo
While you’re checking the manufacturer’s instructions, you should also check the PH levels of the carpet shampoo you’re using. Typically, a carpet shampoo that is heavily acidic or alkaline will leave more residue than one that is close to neutral.
Thoroughly dry your carpet
To prevent residue from hiding at the bottom of your carpet and to prevent wicking, make sure your carpet is completely dry.
Here are some steps you can take to remove all traces of moisture from your carpet:
- Use a wet vacuum. Run a wet vacuum cleaner over your carpet to lift as much water as possible.
- Use white paper towels. Spread them across your carpet and walk across the towels. This will push the towels deep into the carpet, helping them absorb moisture.
- Use fans and dehumidifiers. Leave any fans in the room on and place a dehumidifier in the center of the room. The dehumidifier will help remove the moisture from the carpet and the rest of the room. Don’t be tempted to open up your windows to help dry the carpet; this may bring in air carrying dirt and debris particles.
- Use baking soda. As well as lifting residue, baking soda can help dry a carpet. Spread the baking soda over the carpet and allow it to sit for 24 hours before vacuuming it up.
Hire professionals
If you’ve done everything you can to remove residue but still find that your carpet is getting dirty, it may be time to call in the professionals.
Professional carpet cleaners know the best ways to get dirt out of a carpet and come equipped with machines that will allow them to remove all traces of residue and water. They’ll also be able to assess the best cleaning method for your particular carpet and living situation.
Some carpet cleaners will offer a warranty on their services. If you find dirt on your carpet mere days after cleaning, the company will come back and clean it again!
Use an alternative cleaning method
Finally, you can consider using an alternative method of cleaning your carpet, preferably one that takes carpet shampoo out of the equation altogether.
Other popular methods of deep cleaning your carpet are:
- Encapsulation. When you clean carpet with this method, you immerse specially designed cleaning powder into the carpet. This powder attracts dirt and moisture. You would then vacuum up the powder and remove all of the dirt in the process. This is preferred to shampooing as it uses less water and leaves less residue, both of which will help mitigate the buildup of dirt after cleaning.
- Steam cleaning. Steam cleaning a carpet requires the use of a special machine that processes hot water into steam, which is then immersed into the carpet. The steam loosens dirt from the carpet fiber, which is then lifted out of the carpet with the help of a machine. This process is great because it doesn’t require you to use detergents, so there’s no chance of residue. It also uses minimal moisture, ensuring that your carpet will dry faster.
Final Thoughts
If you follow all the steps and recommendations outlined in this guide, you should be able to shampoo your carpet without worrying about collecting dirt.
ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on March 13, 2020.
Make sure that you have removed all the residue from the carpet and that it is completely dry before you start using it again. Do that, and shampooing will make your carpet squeaky clean without collecting a bunch of dirt in the process.