How to Assemble a Toolkit for Better Carpet Cleaning

There’s an old saying about using the right tools for the job. Sometimes, that simply means spending just a few minutes assembling your tools in one spot for quick and easy access. Today, I want to discuss how to assemble the ideal toolbox to aid in carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning. Having the right tools on hand, and easily accessible, makes cleaning more efficient and makes sure you have what you need when you need it. The toolbox is designed to help you be prepared for carpet cleaning emergencies and have the tools to aid in regular cleaning and vacuum cleaner maintenance.

DIY Carpet Cleaning Solution Ingredients and White Towels

Primary to your toolkit is a way to deal with small carpet emergencies. The key to helping minimize the chance that spills and pet accidents become major carpet stains is treating them quickly, with the right tools. Our preferred treatment solution and approach, shown to the right, is available as a downloadable guide so you can print it out and put it in your toolbox.

While you likely already have the ingredients in your kitchen, assembling small bottles of liquid dishwashing detergent and white vinegar in your toolkit means less time searching, and less risk of finding someone used the last and didn’t add it to the grocery list. The same goes for keeping a stack of old white towels with your kit. While you can use rolls of white paper towels, cotton towels are more absorbent and after a quick trip through the laundry are ready to go again.

Utility Knife with a Hook Blade

As discussed in a previous post on vacuum cleaner maintenance tips, it’s a good practice to regularly check the brush roll for hair/thread/strings/etc. tangled in the bristles. If it’s checked regularly, it should be easy to pull out any debris with a pair of needle nose pliers.

However, if your brush roll looks like the neglected one in the picture, it’s time to break out the utility knife. A regular utility knife blade will work in a pinch, but you’re better off stopping at the local hardware store and picking up a pack of hook blades, which are sometimes called carpet hook blades. (A recent check of Home Depot shows a five pack of blades can be picked up for around $4 and that should be enough blades to cover you for years. The advantage of the hook blade is that it will “hook” the fibers and reduces the chance you will cut up the brush roll.)

Spray Bottle with Clean Water

One of our top upholstery cleaning tips is to mist clean water on a towel and lightly wipe down your upholstery to remove surface dust. Having a dedicated bottle of clean water in your toolbox makes this a quick process and reduces the risk of accidentally using a bottle that may have chemicals which are harmful to your furniture.

Tubes and Tights

While the items above are “must haves” for your toolbox, this group falls into the “nice to have” category as they make carpet cleaning easier. First, let’s talk about cardboard tubes. With a bit of a masking tape and some ingenuity, the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels or roll of gift wrapping paper can extend your reach and be squeezed to slide into narrow spaces. A more durable option is to build extensions out of PVC tubes. And while tights might not be an obvious vacuum cleaner accessory, they have a place. By sliding a pair over the wand, you can turn your vacuum into a retrieval tool to either reach into places where your hand won’t fit or to find small objects (think pieces of jewelry or small parts) that have become lost on the floor.

Essential Oil

A quick run of the vacuum freshens up your carpet, but with a little essential oil you can freshen up the smell as well without much work. All it takes is a small amount of essential oil on a cotton ball placed inside the cylinder.

Summary and Checklist

Here is a checklist of all the items you need to build your carpet cleaning toolkit:

• Small bottle of dishwashing liquid
• Small bottle of detergent and white vinegar
• White cotton towels or a couple of rolls of white paper towels
• Printout of our carpet cleaning guide
• Pair of needle nose pliers
• Utility knife and a pack of hook blades
• Spray bottle for damp dusting upholstery
• Cardboard (or PVC) tubes
• Essential oil and cotton balls

I hope this helps to make routine carpet cleaning quicker and easier. However, it’s still important to have your carpet and upholstery professionally cleaned twice a year. Top carpet manufacturers recommend the hot water extraction method, and in some cases require it in order to maintain your carpet warranty. We specialize in hot water extraction using our state-of-the-art equipment and environmentally safe supplies. You can trust that my son and I will deliver personalized service and we are backed by our A+ BBB Rating, IICRC Certification and 34 years of carpet cleaning experience. We will give you an exact estimate before any work is started and offer all-inclusive pricing – we WON’T tack on extra costs for fuel/trip charges. Click here to see our current special offers on carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning in West Chester, OH.

Elliott S. Fishman, Co-Owner
Extra Effort Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Inc.

About Elliott S. Fishman

Elliott Fishman, along with his son Brian, is the owner and operator of Extra Effort Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Inc.   We serve the residents and businesses of Greater Cincinnati to include West Chester, Mason, Maineville, Loveland, Wyoming, Fairfield, Indian Hill, Montgomery, Hyde Park and Anderson Township. Elliott started this company in 1984, based on the belief that it takes Extra Effort to make each job a success. The father/son team puts the extra time, extra care, and extra effort go into every task they undertake – no matter how large or small the job. Extra Effort’s quality equipment, trained technicians and safe products have made the company a top choice for residential and commercial carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, water damage / water extraction, fabric protection, odor control and spot removal.