How to clean wool, Berber, jute and stair carpet
The fiber decides the method: wool needs a wool-safe, low-alkaline cleaner, little water, no heat and fast drying; Berber and plush pile need suction-only vacuuming and no scrubbing; stairs are cleaned from the top step down with as little liquid as possible. WATERFALL's carpet cleaning is priced per room and cleans every fiber except viscose; the prices page lists the prices. WATERFALL cleans carpet at your home from $60 a room: call (747) 214-6199.
Do you clean synthetic and natural fiber carpets?
Yes: we clean every carpet fiber except viscose, so synthetic, wool, jute and sisal carpet are all cleaned. Natural fibers need less water and a gentler touch, so tell us the fiber when you book.
How do you clean synthetic carpet without wrecking the fibers?
Vacuum it, treat the spots and use a cleaning solution made for synthetic carpet, with extraction and not a lot of brushing. Nylon, polyester and polypropylene are tough, and what damages them is heat, bleach and a brush that is too hard.
How do you clean wall-to-wall wool carpet without shrinking it?
Use as little water, heat and rubbing as you can, and dry it fast: wool shrinks and felts with heat, soaking and scrubbing, and a soaked wall-to-wall carpet can also pull away from the tack strip as its backing dries.
- Vacuum it first, slowly, with suction only or the brush raised.
- Blot spills with a white cloth from the outside in; never rub.
- Use only a cleaner labeled safe for wool, not a strongly alkaline one, and no bleach or oxygen brightener; test it in a hidden corner.
- Keep the water cool to lukewarm and the amount small, and extract it thoroughly so the carpet is damp, not wet.
- Dry it with fans and open windows and keep furniture and feet off until it is dry; no direct heat.
- Follow the maker's care guide first; WATERFALL cleans wool carpet in your home.
How do you care for wool carpet?
Vacuum it often, blot spills with a white cloth and clean it before the dirt becomes deep. Wool carpet is long-lived when the grit is kept out of it; the maker's care guide is the best guide for yours.
Should I use a beater bar when vacuuming wool carpet?
Usually not. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends a suction-only vacuum for wool, and wool loop pile, shag and thick pile can fuzz, snag or pull under a spinning brush. A short cut-pile wool carpet may take a soft brush at its highest setting if the maker allows it: test a hidden area and stop if the surface fuzzes.
How do you clean Berber carpet without crushing its loops?
Vacuum with suction only or the brush roll switched off, in slow passes from more than one direction, and blot spills from the outside in instead of scrubbing. For a deep clean, use extraction with little water and no rotating brush, then dry it fast. A snagged loop is trimmed level with scissors, never pulled. A stain that wicks back up from the backing as the carpet dries is blotted again. Small, tight loops wear better than large loose ones, which crush and snag sooner.
How do you clean a jute carpet?
With almost no water. Jute is a plant fiber that stains and darkens when it gets wet, so vacuum it and treat marks with a dry method or a barely damp cloth. WATERFALL cleans jute carpet in your home; tell us the fiber when you book.
How do you clean viscose carpet?
Barely damp and blotted: viscose weakens and loses its sheen when wet, and a spill can leave a yellow ring. Do not scrub it, and ask before any wet cleaning. WATERFALL does not clean viscose carpet.
Do you clean shag and high-pile carpet?
Yes. A long pile holds dirt deep and dries slowly. Vacuum it with suction and without a hard beater bar, and expect extraction to need good air movement afterwards.
How do you clean plush carpet without matting it?
Vacuum slowly and from more than one direction, with the brush roll raised to its highest setting or switched off, because a spinning brush can change the texture of some high-pile carpet for good. Blot spills, never scrub, use little solution and extract it fully. Keep furniture off until the carpet is dry, then vacuum once more to stand the pile back up.
What is a pet carpet fiber?
It is a carpet sold for homes with pets, and it is usually a stain-resistant synthetic with a tight pile. The label or the maker's guide says which fiber it is and how to clean it.
Is polyester or nylon carpet better with pets, and how do you clean each?
For heavy pet traffic nylon is usually the tougher choice: it is durable and springs back after crushing, though it relies on a factory stain-resistant treatment. Polyester is naturally stain and fade resistant and soft, but it mats sooner in busy lanes. Both are cleaned the same way: lift solids, blot from the outside in, use a carpet-safe cleaner sparingly and rinse by blotting. On polyester, avoid hard brushing, which flattens it. Do not use heat on a fresh urine spot, because heat can set the stain; for a pet stain, WATERFALL has a separate pet urine option, priced per stain and treated with enzyme products; see prices.
How do you clean carpeted stairs without making a mess?
Start at the top step and work down, so dust and drips land on steps you have not done yet.
- Vacuum each tread, front edge and riser with a crevice or stair tool.
- Put the cleaner on a cloth, not on the step, and blot.
- Keep a towel on the step below the one you are working on.
- Rinse by blotting with a little clean water, then blot dry.
- Keep people and pets off until the steps are dry, and open a window or run a fan.
- For a professional clean, WATERFALL cleans a whole staircase at a fixed price; see prices.
Questions and answers
How to clean wool carpet?
With a wool-safe cleaner and as little water and heat as possible, then fast drying. Wool shrinks and felts with heat and rubbing.
How often should wool carpets be cleaned?
Vacuum it at least weekly and the busy lanes several times a week, and have it deep cleaned once a year in daily use. Our advice with pets or small children is a deep clean every 6 months. Blot spills at once.
Can you clean a wool carpet at home?
Light spots, yes, with very little liquid. A deep clean is easier to get wrong than on synthetic carpet, so leave it to a professional: WATERFALL cleans carpet of every material except viscose.
How to clean a jute carpet?
Vacuum without a beater bar and spot clean with a barely damp cloth. Water leaves rings on jute.
How to clean carpeted stairs?
Vacuum each tread and riser, then clean with the same method as the rest of the carpet. Stairs are harder because of the edges.
How often should a wool carpet be cleaned in a house with kids?
Our advice with small children is a deep clean every 6 months for the rooms the kids use, sooner when spills and dull traffic lanes show. Vacuum those rooms several times a week between cleanings, because grit wears wool fastest.
How to clean Berber carpet like a pro?
Use little water and no hard brushing, because the loops pull and flatten. Extract well and let it dry.
How to clean synthetic carpet without wrecking the fibers?
Vacuum, use a mild cleaner made for synthetic carpet, avoid bleach and hard brushing, and extract it well. Synthetic fibers take hot-water extraction well and dry fast.
Why are carpeted stairs harder to clean than you think?
Every step has a front edge and a riser, the corners trap dirt and the big wand does not fit, so the work is slow and by hand. Wear and dirt collect on the front edge of each step, where feet land.
Prices and booking
More guides
- Carpet care: all guides
- How carpet cleaning methods work — Hot-water extraction, shampoo, dry, bonnet and encapsulation differ in how much water they use and how deep they clean; we use shampoo, then extraction.
- Carpet care in high-traffic areas — Vacuum often, put mats at the doors and blot spills at once; a protector buys time but does not replace cleaning.
- DIY carpet cleaning — A rented machine, baking soda or dish soap handle light jobs; too much water, soap or bleach is where home cleaning goes wrong.
- Jute, sisal, silk, viscose, shag, cowhide and outdoor rugs — Jute, sisal and viscose hate water, silk is delicate, shag needs a gentle vacuum, outdoor rugs can be hosed: the fiber decides the method.
Sources: The Carpet and Rug Institute (The carpet and rug industry's trade association, for how carpet is made, cared for and cleaned.); IICRC (The cleaning and restoration industry's standards body, for how professionals clean fabrics and carpet.)