Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning · Carpet Cleaning 101 · General Home Cleaning Tips ·Feb 01, 2023

How to Clean Berber Carpet

Thanks to their durability, cost-effectiveness, and minimal maintenance, Berber carpets are often used to completely cover the floors of apartments and houses.

This means that you can’t just throw them in the wash or take them to the cleaners when they get dirty. And, as you would expect, they do get dirty from all the foot traffic.

Luckily, it is much easier to clean Berber carpets than it is to clean Persian carpets or to clean Navajo rugs. And, thanks to our carpet cleaning chemicals, cleaning your Berber carpets has never been easier.

In this article, we will discuss how to clean a Berber carpet, as well as how to get furniture dents out of them.

What this article covers:

How to Clean a Berber Carpet
How to Get Furniture Dents out of a Berber Carpet

How to Clean a Berber Carpet

Before we get going, we would like you to keep in mind that the following cleaning instructions are focused on giving your Berber carpet a general deep clean.

Normally, simply running a vacuum cleaner over your Berber carpet is enough to clean it. But we recommend that you give it a good deep clean every 6 to 12 months.

How to Clean a Berber Carpet Using Carpet Cleaning Chemicals

Step 1: Gather Your Equipment

Before you start with your deep clean, you will need to gather all of the equipment that you will need, particularly the right carpet cleaning chemicals.

While most of our carpet cleaning chemicals would get the job done, we have one product in particular that works wonders for Berber carpets.

This is our Pure O2 Sweet Breeze Odor and Stain Remover. This product works particularly for carpets that experience high foot traffic as Berber carpets do. The Pure O2 Sweet Breeze will remove any dirt, stains, and odors that have accumulated over time.

Moreover, it will leave your carpet brighter, and smelling like a dream. Not only does the Pure O2 Sweet Breeze work wonders for Berber carpets, but it is also great when it comes to cleaning a Karastan rug or professionally cleaning oriental rugs.

There are a few other things that you will need for this process, too. Here is a comprehensive list of what is required:

Pure O2 Sweet Breeze Odor and Stain Remover
A carpet prespray
Our counter-rotating brush machine
A carpet rinse

Step 2: Remove Items That Could Get In the Way or Damaged

If you are not targeting a particular area or stain, and want to give your Berber carpet a proper deep clean, then we would advise moving furniture and items, such as coffee tables or plants, that might get in the way.

This will make cleaning a lot easier, and will also make your cleaning more effective.

Step 3: Apply Your Carpet Cleaning Chemical

Before you apply the Pure O2 Sweet Breeze Odor and Stain Remover to your carpet, you will need to mix it with water first.

It is important to remember that because this product is oxygenated it will release oxygen, which creates pressure. For this reason, it is best to mix it in a 2.5-gallon container or a 5-gallon bucket.

Once you have mixed the chemical with water, as per the instructions, spray the mixture onto a small part of the carpet to ensure that there is no discoloration of your carpet.

Berber carpets don’t often experience discoloration. This is something that you have to be more worried about when cleaning a Moroccan rug. Nonetheless, it is good to check.

If there is no discoloration, spray a decent amount of the chemical mixture onto the entire carpet. Let this mixture rest on the carpet for a few minutes until you continue to the next step.

Step 4: Use a Prespray

The next step is to apply one of our carpet presprays. You can use any prespray of your choice, but if you are looking to stick with similar fragrances then our Black Label Sweet Breeze prespray is a great option.

Before you apply the prespray, make sure you mix it with water as per the instructions that come with it.

Once you have your mixture, spray it on the carpet.

Step 5: Agitate the Carpet

Next, you will need to agitate the carpet. Agitating the carpet simply means using a device, or a carpet brush, to create friction between the carpet’s fibers so that any residue stuck onto them can be loosened.

This is particularly important with Berber carpets due to the amount of foot traffic they experience. This excessive foot traffic leads to dirt particles being heavily lodged into the carpet’s fibers, and it does not come out very easily.

For your Berber carpets, we would suggest using our Counter Rotating Brush, also known as our CRB.

Our CRB is an extremely effective tool to agitate and fully clean your carpets.

Step 6: Rinse the Carpet

Now it is time to rinse your carpets. We would suggest using any of our rinses to do this, not just plain water. The reason for this is that our carpet rinses are acidic, whereas water is not.

The acid in the carpet rinse helps neutralize the alkaline properties of the carpet cleaning chemicals you have just used.

This will make sure that a build-up of chemicals does not occur, and will prevent your carpet from browning as a result. Our carpet rinse will ensure that your carpets are left brighter and cleaner than before, and are much more effective in doing so than water is.

Step 7: Dry the Carpet

When it comes to Berber carpets, it is very important that they are fully dried after the cleaning, and no water is left on them, something that also needs to be considered when you clean a rope rug or when you clean a kilim rug.

This is for a few reasons. Most often, Berber carpets are fixed to the floor, and they cover a large area of the house. They can’t be taken outside to sundry, and the people who live in the house don’t want to wait hours before they can walk on it again.

how to get dents out of your berber carpet

Secondly, if you leave a Berber carpet wet after cleaning, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. This is a safety hazard, and something you want to avoid.

To do this, you can use a wet-dry vacuum cleaner. But, our CRB is even more effective in getting the job done and drying your carpet, so we would recommend using this if you can.

How to Clean a Berber Carpet Using Natural Solutions

If you are looking to clean a stain from a Berber carpet using natural solutions, the best option would be to use a combination of baking soda and vinegar.

This combination is safe and effective and is often what is used to clean oriental carpets at home.

Step 1: Source Your Equipment

You will need the following for this process:

White vinegar
Baking soda
Paper towels
A vacuum cleaner

Step 2: Blot Up Any Excess Moisture from the Stain

If the stain is fresh, and there is still some excess moisture remaining, blot it up with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Make sure that you only dab the stain and do not rub it. Rubbing could make it worse.

Step 3: Spray Vinegar Onto the Stain

Spray the vinegar onto the stain so that it is saturated.

Step 4: Sprinkle The Baking Soda Onto the Vinegar

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the stain.

This will cause a fizzing sound as the two react with one another. This reaction is beneficial as it helps to move the mixture throughout the stain and break down its particles.

Step 5: Allow This Mixture to Harden

Allow the mixture to sit for a few hours, or overnight so that it hardens. Once it dries and becomes hard the smell of vinegar will neutralize and disappear.

Step 6: Vacuum Up the Remaining Baking Soda

Once the solution has dried, there will be baking powder left over. Vacuum this up.

How to Get Furniture Dents Out of a Berber Carpet

Use a Blow Dryer

Just like a blow dryer is effective in adding volume to your hair, it does the same when it comes to dents on Berber carpets. It helps to restore the carpet fibers’ bounce, and get rid of the dent.

Step 1: Saturate the Dented Fibers

Use a spray bottle to saturate the carpet fibers that have been dented.

Step 2: Use A Blow Dryer on the Affected Area

Use a normal blow dryer, like one used for your hair, to dry the dented area.

Step 3: Fluff the Carpet Fibers As They Dry

As the carpet fibers begin to dry, use your fingers to fluff them and help them regain their shape. Carry on going until the dent is completely out and the carpet fibers are dry.

Let Ice Cubes Melt the Dents Away

This might sound like a bizarre concept, but ice cubes can help to melt the dents in your Berber carpet away.

Step 1: Place Ice Cubes Onto the Carpet Dent

Place as many ice cubes as needed to completely cover the dent.

Step 2: Allow the Ice to Melt

Allow the ice cubes to melt for at least four hours. If the dents are deeper, we recommend leaving the ice cubes for twelve hours, or overnight.

The carpet fibers will soak up the water and will start to fluff up and return to their normal height and size.

Step 3: Blot Excess Water Away

If there is any excess water, blot it up using a cloth or paper towel. Make sure that you do not rub the fibers, but rather blot them instead to remove all of the water.

As we mentioned earlier, you do not want water to sit on Berber carpets for too long, so make sure to be thorough with this step.

Step 4: Use a Fork to Lift the Dents

Once all the excess water has been removed, use a fork to lift and fluff the carpet fibers.

Be careful with this step, and make sure not to poke any holes in the carpet.

Fluff the Carpet Fibers

If the dent is not too bad, it can sometimes be removed by just fluffing the carpet fibers. This can be done using a coin, the back of a spoon, or your fingers.

Simply rub the tool of your choice up and down the carpet fibers in multiple directions. If the dent is not too ingrained, the fibers should pop back up to their original shape and height.

Use Steam on the Dents

Steam isn’t only effective when it comes to cleaning, but it is also great for removing dents in carpets. However, make sure that you only use this trick for Berber carpets, as some rugs are more sensitive. For example, you can’t steam clean oriental rugs as it could lead to damage.

Step 1: Dampen a Clean Cloth

Wet a clean cloth and then wring it out so that it is damp.

Step 2: Place the Cloth on the Dent

Place the damp cloth flat over the area of the dent.

Step 3: Hover an Iron Over the Cloth

Place the iron on medium heat and hover it a few inches above the cloth for about a minute.

get dents out of berber carpet

Step 4: Fluff the Fibers Up

After a minute, remove the iron and cloth and use a coin or spoon to fluff up the carpet in multiple directions.

If the dent is quite severe, you may need to repeat this process several times.

Conclusion

Thanks to their durability, Berber carpets are quite easy to clean, just like cleaning woven rugs.

They can withstand a lot of different products and can be cleaned by you at home. A lot of other carpets have to be sent to professionals to clean.

But, thanks to our professional carpet cleaning products, you can administer a professional clean to your carpet from the comfort of your home, without needing to get the professionals in.

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