Carpets are a great way to give a touch of sophistication and comfort to your home. But what happens when your carpets get dirty?
If you’ve spent the whole weekend scrubbing them clean only to find your carpet covered in streaks, you’re not alone my friend.
To make things easier, we’re here with a solution on what to do when carpet has streaks after cleaning.
This may happen due to using too much carpet cleaner or using too much water. Moreover, not working fast enough on stains or overcleaning could also cause streaks. So, remember to deep clean the carpet from time to time and don’t forget to let the carpet dry.
If that sounds interesting, then let’s see what causes this pesky problem and how you can solve it. Let’s go!
Why Does Your Carpet Have Streaks After Cleaning?
Sometimes carpets have a tendency of looking streaky and dirty even when you’ve made sure that they’re squeaky clean. Thinking it’s the curse of not forwarding that chain message back in 2012? Well, not really.
Well, there’s a lot of reasons why this may happen. Firstly, carpets must always be dried properly. Even the most rigorous washing technique may go down the drain if you skip this.
But drying is easier said than done. Especially if your carpet is glued to the floor, then this task becomes even harder.
On the other hand, washing techniques and the brand of cleaner you use may also be the culprit. So, let’s see the reasons why this may be happening and tackle them one by one.
Reason 1: Using too much carpet cleaner
The most colored carpets catch up dirt every now and then. At some point, it becomes hard to keep it in such condition.
Now, a good carpet cleaner is obviously a great tool to tackle this problem. However, using too much could be the reason behind your woes.
Over shampooing your carpet will make it super difficult to clean off all the residue. When your carpet is left with traces of cleaner, this attracts more dust and grime.
Moreover, a sticky carpet is also pretty unpleasant to walk on. So, what should you do in such a case?
Solution: Clean with lukewarm water
Take a spray bottle and fill it with just lukewarm water. Next, spray this liberally on your whole carpet wherever you think it feels sticky.
Lukewarm water is a gem when it comes to carpet cleaning and it’s great even while getting rid of carpet pad stains from floors.
Now it may seem like pouring water is a quicker way to do this, but we’d advise you against it. You see, using too much water can soak the fiber padding beneath the carpet which is super tough to dry.
Unless you can hang the carpet outside to dry, this may rot and lead to an accumulation of fungus and mold.
Moving on, take an old dry towel and quickly absorb all of the liquid and residual cleaner.
Check if the carpet still feels sticky and repeat this process. Next, let the carpet dry by turning on a fan or hanging it under sunlight.
Reason 2: Using too much water
Remember how we told you pouring water directly isn’t a good idea? This is exactly why.
Here’s the deal. Most carpets are made with thick fibers. Even if you do take proper drying measures such as turning on a fan, you may still not be able to get all the water out.
When water remains on your carpet fibers, this will lead to rotting and carpet fibers sticking together. Now you may wonder how this has anything to do with carpet stains or streaks.
When carpet fibers are soaked with water, stains that are deep inside may emerge once the carpet has dried. This is probably why you’re noticing that stain reappears even after all that cleaning.
How to fix this?
The solution here is pretty simple. Firstly, never use more water than what is needed while cleaning out your carpets.
In case you’ve already done the damage, then try to remove it and let it dry on a well-ventilated area like your balcony. However, if your carpet is stuck to the bottom, then you’ll want to use a vacuum cleaner.
If it’s dirty, you might want to clean the vacuum cleaner so it doesn’t lead to additional stains. If that still doesn’t work, then invest in a professional cleaning service.
Although this is a bit expensive, it’s worth the peace it’ll give you.
Some Additional Tips and Tricks
So, we’ve covered the most common reasons why your carpet may be streaking. In order to prevent such accidents and make sure that your carpet stays in top-notch condition, here are some additional tricks.
1. Work fast on stains
The next time you spill some of your favorite juice on the carpet, don’t put off cleaning for later. Even if it may seem like a hassle, get to cleaning asap!
Often, the stain will come off easily with just some soap and water. This will save you a lot of money and headache in the long run, since you don’t have to buy a designated carpet cleaner.
Also, working fast is a great way to even remove tough fabric paint out of your carpet.
2. Don’t overclean the carpet
Now often the clean freak in us wants to make sure that the home looks like a holiday resort.
If you have a tendency to scrub your carpets every time life isn’t going well, then refrain from doing so.
Over scrubbing your carpet can lead to loss of color and making your carpet look old. So, stick to cleaning in moderation and remember, sometimes a little goes a long way.
3. Deep clean carpet from time to time
Although you may be a diligent cleaner, shining soft carpets require more than just store-bought carpet cleaners.
Now even if you’re doing nothing wrong, going the DIY route may not always be enough.
If you insist on doing it yourself, then you may want to invest in a carpet cleaner. This device resembles a vacuum cleaner but uses steam and cleaning solution to get rid of dirt and deep clean your carpet.
Or else, you could just hire a professional cleaning service. Although a bit expensive, they tend to keep your carpet clean for ages. That is a pretty good investment if you ask us.
4. Ensure proper drying
You’re probably tired of hearing it at this point, but we couldn’t leave without saying it one last time. Drying your carpet is the golden rule to make sure that it stays fresh and clean.
Whenever you clean your carpet, always ensure that it’s being dried properly. If you install a new carpet, it’s a good idea to avoid gluing it to the floors.
This will give you more flexibility when it comes to drying and you can always remove the carpet to check for any rotted paddings mold.
Bottom Line
And that is the end of our post. We hope you enjoyed reading it and learned something new. Don’t forget, occasional cleaning is always better than overcleaning!
If you have any doubts about why your carpet has streaks after cleaning, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below. We love hearing from you.