Tips and Tricks for How to Clean Your Carpeted Stairs

Carpeted floors and stairs are a haven for homes with young kids and pregnant women. It softens the floor and stairs and provides the home with a feeling of Zen as it reduces noise production. But cleaning them can be quite a task. So if you want to know how to clean carpeted stairswith ease, here is the answer for you.

How to Clean Carpeted Stairs

Carpeted stairs are that part of the home decor that cannot be cleaned every single day. This is because the stairs have the most traffic than any other living space in the house. That is why it becomes necessary to thoroughly clean the carpets on the stairs often.

Materials Required

• Stiff brush
• Vacuum cleaner
• Shampoo
• Carpet cleaner or wet/dry vacuum
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Essential oils

Step 1: Use a Stiff Brush

Over a certain timeline, the dirt on the carpet starts to get hardened and transforms into hard pieces of debris.

Therefore, it is quite necessary to loosen up those pieces of dirt to be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner.

1. Choose a brush with stiff bristles, as it will help loosen the debris and dirt without any extra pressure.
2. If you do not have a stiff brush, you can also use a special attachment on the vacuum cleaner that removes ground-in dirt.
3. Start from the top of the staircase and work your way down.
4. Once you have worked loosening up the dirt from the first step, sweep it with the brush down the stairs. It prevents your back from any extra strain and also avoids the spreading of dirt while walking.

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This step is necessary to keep the whole debris collected in one place and avoid getting trampled back into the carpet. In addition, this step is crucial to fasten up the vacuuming.

Here’s a short video tutorial for the process of cleaning carpeted stairs using a stiff brush.

Step 2: Use a Vacuum Cleaner

After loosening the hardened dirt, it is time to move forward with the vacuuming.

The best vacuum for cleaning up the stair carpets is the cordless battery-powered vacuum cleaner.

The last thing anyone would want is to strain their backs while balancing a heavy vacuum cleaner on the stairs.

Start from the top, as it avoids getting the dirt trampled back into the carpet that has already been cleaned.

If you did not have a stiff brush and directly moved on to the vacuuming part, make sure to use an upholstery attachment on the vacuum cleaner for a thorough cleaning.

Step 3: Use Detergent/Carpet Shampoo

As we are done with removing the dirt, now we need to focus on the stains.

The best way to shampoo a carpet is by doing it with our very own hands and a scrubbing brush.

1. Take a small bucket, fill it with some lukewarm water, and pour a little shampoo or two scoops of detergent.
2. Mix the ingredients well until a lather is formed.
3. To avoid any fading of the carpet, try to clean a small portion and keep an eye on fading colors.
4. If there is no change in the color, go ahead and pour the solution on the stains and start cleaning using a scrubbing brush.
5. Do not apply much pressure as it might harm the fabric of the carpet. Instead, use a soft brush and apply optimal pressure for good results.
6. Keep scrubbing until the stain disappears completely.

Step 4: Use Upholstery Spot Cleaner

Even after rigorous cleaning with the detergent solution, it might happen that the stain marks do not disappear completely.

Do not worry, you just need to use an upholstery cleaner to wipe those stains off your beautiful carpet.

1. Spray the solution and let it rest.
2. Use a clean piece of cloth to remove that stain off the carpet.

Avoid using these cleaners in case of sensitive fabrics. Do not overuse it, as the chemicals only reduce the life of the carpet.

Step 5: Dry the Carpet

After the shampooing is done, there is a lot of excess water in the carpet. It cannot be dried naturally, as it takes a long time and the bacteria and mold grow back due to moisture.

• For a properly dried carpet, you might need a carpet cleaner that sucks up the extra water. If you do not possess it, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner is convenient for soaking up the moisture.
• If you do not have any of the above-mentioned items, absorbent towels can be an excellent alternative for soaking moisture.

It is a hectic and time-consuming process; thus, buying a machine is highly advisable, as the carpeted stairs cannot be dried under natural sunlight.

Step 6: Eliminate the Odor

If the carpet still stinks after the above steps, you can eliminate the odor with a special homemade scented powder.

1. Take some bicarbonate of soda and mix it with a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
2. Make a fine mixture and sprinkle the powder over the carpet.
3. Let the powder sit and get absorbed in the carpet.
4. Remove the excess powder by using a vacuum cleaner.

This process adds a refreshing scent to the home and adds a refreshing vibe to the home. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often Should We Clean the Carpeted Stairs?

If the stairs are the area with the most traffic, it is ideal for cleaning it once a week; otherwise, once a month is fine. Time and weather is also a huge factor to consider, drying the carpets can be a challenge during cold weather.

Is It Expensive to Clean Carpeted Staircases?

Not at all; a good usage of household items can reduce the cost of cleaning with a quite high margin. Make the solutions using natural ingredients to avoid unnecessary purchase of cleaning liquid. Regular cleaning is essential to ensure the house is hygienic. Thus, the cost involved is a fair trade-off.

Conclusion

Carpeted stairs are a valuable addition to the home decor. It makes the home look beautiful and creates a sophisticated and positive aura through an excellent color addition. Thus, to maintain the carpet’s beauty, quality, and hygiene, it is necessary to timely clean it in the best way possible.