How to clean bedroom carpet, from weekly vacuuming to stains

To clean bedroom carpet, vacuum it slowly once a week in two directions, with the crevice tool along the edges. Blot spills right away with cool water and a little dish soap, working from the outside of the stain in. Once a year, shampoo it with a rented machine, using less solution than you think and drying it fast with fans.

The everyday work is the weekly vacuum. Stains and shampooing are the occasional jobs.

How do you vacuum a bedroom carpet properly?

Bedroom carpet gets less foot traffic than a hallway, but it collects fine dust, hair and lint from getting dressed and making the bed.

1. Pick up first. Socks, toys and charging cables get caught in the brush roll.
2. Set the height right. If the vacuum is hard to push, raise it a notch. If it barely touches the pile, lower it.
3. Go slowly. One slow pass picks up more than three fast ones.
4. Go in two directions. North to south, then east to west. The pile hides dirt from one direction.
5. Do the edges. Use the crevice tool along the baseboards and under the bed frame every few weeks. Gray lines at the wall are dust the main head never reaches.
6. Empty the canister or change the bag when it's two-thirds full. A full vacuum loses suction.

Once a month, move the nightstands and any furniture that slides easily, and vacuum underneath.

How do you get stains out of bedroom carpet?

Three rules for every stain:

• Blot, don't rub. Rubbing frays the fibers and spreads the stain.
• Work from the outside in, so the stain gets smaller instead of wider.
• Use as little liquid as you can. Water that soaks through to the pad brings the stain back up as it dries and can start to smell.

Test any cleaner on a hidden spot, like inside the closet, before you use it in the middle of the room.

What works on common bedroom stains?

• Drinks and food: blot, then dab with a teaspoon of clear dish soap in two cups of cool water. Rinse with plain water on a cloth and blot dry.
• Makeup and nail polish: foundation lifts with the dish soap mix. For nail polish, blot gently with a little non-acetone remover on a white cloth, after testing a hidden spot. Acetone can melt some synthetic carpet.
• Pet accidents and vomit: scoop and blot, then use an enzyme cleaner made for pet stains and leave it the time on the label. Ordinary soap leaves the odor behind.
• Blood: cool water only. Hot water sets it.
• Coffee and tea: the dish soap mix, then a little white vinegar and water if a brown ring stays.

What about kids' room messes?

• Slime: pick off what you can, then dab with white vinegar to loosen the rest, and finish with the dish soap mix.
• Gum and play dough: let them dry or harden with an ice cube in a bag, then pick or scrape them off with a dull knife and vacuum.
• Crayon: scrape off the wax with a dull knife, then work out the color with the dish soap mix on a cloth.
• Glitter: a lint roller or packing tape first, then the vacuum.

Should you shampoo your bedroom carpet yourself?

Once a year is plenty, or sooner if the carpet looks gray in the walkways. Rental and home carpet machines do a decent job if you avoid two common mistakes: too much soap and too much water.

1. Vacuum thoroughly first. The machine can't pull up dry dirt.
2. Move what you can. Lightweight furniture out. Put foil or plastic under the legs of anything that stays, so it doesn't stain the wet carpet.
3. Pre-treat stains with the dish soap mix.
4. Use less solution than the bottle says. Leftover soap makes carpet sticky, and sticky carpet gets dirty again fast.
5. Make one wet pass, then two dry passes with the machine on suction only.
6. Rinse with plain water in the tank for a final pass if the carpet feels soapy.
7. Dry it fast. Fans, open windows or the air conditioning. Stay off it in shoes until it's dry, usually 6 to 12 hours.

Some carpet warranties ask for professional hot water extraction on a schedule. Check yours before you rent a machine.

How do you keep bedroom carpet clean longer?

• Shoes off at the bedroom door.
• A washable runner or small rug where you get out of bed.
• Snacks stay in the kitchen.
• Wash pet bedding often if pets sleep in the room.
• Vacuum weekly, even when it looks clean.

What does a house cleaning do for carpet?

Floors are vacuumed and mopped on every Standard, Deep and Move-In / Move-Out cleaning. On Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, the edges and corners are detailed, and under and behind furniture that moves easily is cleaned.

On Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, under and behind furniture that moves easily is a small one-off request. Tell us before your appointment and we'll do our best to fit it in if time allows.

Carpet shampooing and steam cleaning aren't on any of our cleaning checklists, and neither is moving heavy furniture. Book a carpet cleaner for that.

For the rest of the room, read how to deep clean a mattress and 10 bedroom cleaning hacks.

FAQ

How often should you vacuum bedroom carpet? Once a week, and twice a week if pets sleep in the room or anyone has allergies. Go slowly and in two directions, and do the edges with the crevice tool every few weeks.

What's a good homemade carpet stain remover? A teaspoon of clear dish soap in two cups of cool water handles many food and drink spills. For odors and pet accidents, use an enzyme cleaner instead, and test anything on a hidden patch first.

How long does carpet take to dry after shampooing? Usually 6 to 12 hours, depending on how wet it got and how much air is moving. Fans, open windows and the air conditioning speed it up, and an extra pass with the machine on suction only helps a lot.

Does a house cleaning include carpet shampooing? No. Carpet shampooing and steam cleaning aren't on any of our cleaning checklists. Floors are vacuumed on every Standard, Deep and Move-In / Move-Out cleaning, and on Deep Cleaning the edges and corners are detailed.

Book a cleaning

We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.