How to Disinfect All the Nasty Stuff in Your Carpet

A pair of shoes on dirty, stained carpet. Photo: Dong Jun on Flickr.

Molly Maid loves providing over 1.7 million cleans every year and our team was shocked to hear about research conducted by Philip Tierno Jr., PhD, a microbiologist and immunologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, who wrote a book titled, The Secret Life of Germs.

Your home’s carpet may be harboring harmful bacteria, germs and allergens without you even realizing it. Here are four simple steps to help keep the carpet in your home clean:

  1. Place doormats at every entrance of your home and instill a strict “no shoes” policy indoors. Shoes worn outside can track in residue from asphalt, pet droppings and dirt. Wiping the bottom of shoes with a disinfectant occasionally can also help reduce contamination.
  2. Vacuum carpets and area rugs several times a week, and if you have an infant or toddlers, daily vacuuming is recommended. The vacuum can remove surface debris easily.
  3. You can naturally disinfect your carpet using products you may already have at home, according to Green America. They published 10 Simple Ways to Clean Green and shared a recipe including baking soda, Borax and cornmeal.
  4. Hire a professional service to provide a deep, steam cleaning at least once per year and more often if you have pets, parties or little ones.

If the idea of hidden stuff in your carpet is making you think about a deep cleaning in the near future, you can use Molly Maid’s spring cleaning checklist to tackle the chore room by room. You may realize there are other places in your home that are commonly missed during routine weekly cleans!

Want some additional help around the house? We can help with that! Contact your local Molly Maid or call for a free, affordable quote today!