Homes that have hardwood flooring tend to take a bit of sweeping and moping. A vacuum or carpet cleaner is strictly for carpet. Most homes, even those with hardwood, marble, or tile floors tend to have carpet somewhere. There is usually a rug inside the living room or sitting room in order to make it cozy. It is typical to have a rug inside of bedrooms, especially for those who live in cold or mild climates in the winter months. If you have patches of carpet in some areas of a mostly hardwood home, here are some ways to clean the patches of carpet effectively. 

Beat and vacuum the rugs well

In order for a rug to be properly cleaned via water, it will need to be free of all debris. First, use a carpet cleaner to dig up any small particles in the deep layers of the rug if your rug is plush. Next, take the rugs outside and beat them over a railing or balcony if possible. This is an old, yet effective method of removing dust and dirt that has settled into a rug over time. Finally, vacuum the rug with a quality vacuum to remove any leftover debris before using the carpet cleaner. 

Move removable carpets into one room 

If you have oriental rugs or other throw rugs placed around rooms of your home, you should bring all of the removable rugs into one room. This makes it easy to vacuum and then water clean all of the carpets at one time. Since carpet cleaners can be heavy, it is best to move all of the carpets into one room versus dragging furniture and moving the carpet cleaner from room to room. Lay the carpets as close to one another as possible in order to be able to move the carpet cleaner back and forth seamlessly, rather than doing each rug separately. 

Lay down a plastic barrier

Although carpet cleaners do not flood carpets with too much water, they do provide enough water to get into the deep layers of the carpet. In order to safely clean your hardwood floors, lay down a thick layer of plastic under all of the carpets that you plan to clean. You can purchase plastic similar to the plastic that professional painters lay across a room or you can cut heavy garbage bags in half and spread them across the room, underneath the rugs that you intend to clean. This will keep your hardwood floors clean as you clean your rugs. 

Contact a carpet cleaning service to learn more.