To Vac or Not: The Debate on Vacuuming Before Carpet Cleaning

Should you vacuum before carpet cleaning? It's a question commonly asked by homeowners and those wanting to clean their carpets professionally. Typically, the answer is "yes," so let's dive into why vacuuming dirty carpets before cleaning them is a good idea and simple practice.

Why does vacuuming the carpet before cleaning it matter?

There are a few reasons why making sure the carpet is vacuumed prior to cleaning is important. Some of the top reasons vacuuming before carpet shampooing are:

• Enhanced Cleaning Efficiency and Effectiveness: Carpet fibers hold onto a ton of dirt and debris. By eliminating surface dirt, carpet cleaning equipment can focus on deep-seated dirt and stains within the carpet fibers. Vacuuming beforehand ensures cleaning agents can penetrate the fibers and reach and break down dirt, stains, and non-living allergens embedded in the carpet.
• Prevents Clogs: While professional carpet cleaning machine, trucks, and wands are powerful, they can still become clogged if larger debris is present. Vacuuming before carpet cleaners come is therefore essential, especially as there may be pet hair and dander hiding in the carpet that the naked eye can't see but your vacuum can get out.
• Maximizes the Cleaning Performance: Dirt + Water = Mud. Vacuuming beforehand is just another step in ensuring that more dirt is removed from your carpets. You're spending good money on hiring a professional, so vacuuming beforehand just increases your satisfaction with the results.
• Speeds up the Carpet Cleaning Process: If you are hiring a professional carpet cleaning company to come in and clean, it's super helpful to them to have your carpet area picked up and free of debris and other objects so they can get right to work deep cleaning, rather than first picking up and vacuuming.

And those are just a few of the reasons why vacuuming matters!

Each time you run the vacuum over the carpeted area, room, or rug, you're eliminating some of the dirt and dander that was lurking in the fibers. Just make sure you are actually vacuuming your floors properly.

Is vacuuming your carpet enough to clean it?

Most people look at a vacuum as a simple and quick way to clean carpet, but it's actually not a truly deep clean of the carpet itself.

When it comes to cleaning carpets, vacuuming regularly them is a great step, but it's not enough of a step to get rid of issues and stains.

Carpets can collect up to 40lbs of dirt, dander, hair, debris, fecal matter, allergens, and other particles every year, even with regular vacuuming. That's why it's recommended to clean your carpets every 12-18 months.

Do carpet cleaners vacuum before they clean?

All carpets should be vacuumed prior to being cleaned. Most professional carpet cleaning companies ask that you vacuum before they come to clean, while some may do it for you, after they arrive. Be sure you know what is standard practice by the company you call.

It can feel frustrating and time consuming to have to prep your carpet yourself, when you know the professional carpet cleaners have powerful suction equipment and all the best tools. But, the main reason many carpet cleaning companies ask you to vacuum before they come is to clear the area of larger debris items so they can right to work.

This means the technician can spend less time in your house, so you, and them, can get on with your day faster. This simple step can help the carpet cleaning process go smoother, and help the deep cleaning process of the carpet.

Zerorez^® asks its customer to move furniture and vacuum before they come to carpet clean. We always do a pre-inspection walkthrough with our customers upon arriving and will pick up any noticeable debris as we do, in case you missed something while vacuuming. We may also ask that you vacuum those areas quickly as we take a few minutes to get set up.

And, before Zerorez does our hot water extraction, we spray a pre-treatment onto your carpet and then use our Zr™ Lifter to loosen embedded hairs, fibers, dirt, and debris that your vacuum couldn't reach, so you don't necessarily need to be super detailed in your vacuuming beforehand! It also does a great job at fluffing your carpet fibers.

This additional step is standard with our carpet cleaning service (no additional fee!) and ensures our rinse and extraction with our proprietary Zr™ Wand and Zr™ Water is even more effective.

Related Article: Should You Vacuum After a Professional Carpet Cleaning?

How often should you professionally clean your carpets?

While there is no exact time set, it's recommended by industry experts to have the carpets in our home professionally cleaned every 12-18 months. This is the best way to clean carpets after a cycle of seasons has come and gone.

Depending on where you live, there are many different types of weather that can occur, which means anything and everything that is on the bottom of your shoes from the outdoors can and will get trekked and stuck in the carpet fibers.

What is the best way to keep my carpet clean?

It can be extremely frustrating to look at our carpet and see stains and dirt. Some simple tips to help prolong the life and look of your carpet can be:

• Don't allow shoes on the carpet - have everyone take off their shoes at the door
• Keep all snacks and food items on the table
• Make a vacuum schedule weekly for our carpets
• Call the carpet cleaning professionals at Zerorez to professionally clean your carpets once per year

Using these simple tips above can help your carpet have a longer life in your house. Why spend thousands upon thousands of dollars replacing carpet when you can take the simple steps to deep clean it and give it a new life?

Zerorez is prepared and ready to clean your carpets, making them fluffy and Residue Free^®! Call now to set up an appointment or schedule online!