How To Clean Carpets On Stairs?

Cleaning a carpeted stair is just as important as cleaning a carpeted floor. Clean and pristine carpeted stairs help enhance the overall look and feel of your home. As staircases have narrow spaces, curves, and various angles, cleaning them can be a tricky task. 

But the good thing is that cleaning your carpeted staircase is within your reach, as this blog will explain to you how. Here, we will explain how to clean carpets in a step-by-step approach and ensure they look fresh, feel soft underfoot, and last longer.

Cleaning A Carpeted Staircase: Seven Simple Steps To Follow 

Step 1. Inspect The Staircase

So, first of all, all you need to do is inspect your carpeted staircase. A proper inspection helps you spot any damage signs, such as tears, burns, or stains, which require special attention to banish. 

Moreover, inspecting the staircase also reveals signs of pests, such as fleas, bedbugs, and moths, or potential hazards like sharp objects that might damage the carpet or hurt you while cleaning it. 

Step 2. Gather Your Supplies

After inspecting the carpet, the next step is to gather all your supplies. Collecting the materials beforehand allows you to grab a cleaning solution or tool the moment you need it and helps reduce as many interruptions as possible. Here’s a list of the required items you need to clean carpets on stairs: 

• Vacuum cleaner with a crevice tool attachment
• Carpet cleaner or carpet shampoo
• Soft-bristle brush or scrub brush
• Clean cloths or towels
• Spray bottle (if using a homemade solution)
• Pre-treatment solution
• Steam cleaning machine 
• Bucket of warm water (for rinsing)

Step 3. Brush The Staircase

As you’ve collected all the materials, it’s time to brush the staircase. Brushing helps to loosen dirt, dust, and other grimy particles. This makes it easier for your vacuum cleaner to effectively suck and remove them in the next step. 

Hence, grab a stiff brush or scrub brush and start brushing the staircase. Work from the top stair all the way down to the bottom stair. When doing so, pay special attention to corners or edges, as these areas tend to trap more dirt and soil heavily. 

Step 4. Vacuum Thoroughly 

So once you’ve brushed your carpet, bring your vacuum cleaner, fix a crevice tool attachment to it, and start vacuuming the carpeted staircase. Initially, focus on the edges and corners. 

After that, swap to floor attachment (a beater bar) to vacuum and start vacuuming the surface of each stair. Make slow, deliberate passes with the vacuum. Then, for a more thorough cleaning, go back up the stairs and vacuum the vertical risers of each step. 

Note: Carpeted staircases as well as floors are often the most neglected spots when it comes to cleaning, yet they endure constant foot traffic and other factors that grind dirt, dust, and other contaminants deep into the fibers and cause wear and tear. 

To keep them clean and fresh, it is crucial to understand how often you should clean your carpets and implement a suitable schedule accordingly for a healthier home environment. 

Step 5. Tackle Any Stains 

The fifth step is to tackle stains. Although it’s not quite common for the carpeted staircase to accumulate stains (unlike the floor), there are cases where homeowners accidentally end up spilling and staining the staircase. 

To remove stains from the staircase, mix one tablespoon of white vinegar and two cups of warm water in a spray bottle. To boost the cleaning power, you can add a few drops of mild dish soap. 

Then, lightly spray the vinegar solution over the stain. Allow the solution to sit for about 5-10 minutes. This resting time helps the solution to break down the stain.

After that, use a soft-bristle brush or an old toothbrush and gently scrub the stained area in circular motions. Once done, blot the area with a clean cloth to remove the loosened dirt and excess moisture.

For commercial solutions, buy good-quality commercial carpet cleaning solutions (as per the type of stain) as well as pre-treatment solutions. Read the instructions on the product label first and use them to work on the stain accordingly.  

Step 6. Deep Clean Your Stairs 

After cleaning stains, it’s time to give a final and more thorough cleaning to your carpeted staircases. In other words, a deep cleaning treatment. Shampooing is one of the best deep cleaning methods as is steam cleaning. 

But either way, the ultimate choice lies with you. Read ahead to learn how to perform both methods the right way. 

You Can Also Read: Common Carpet Cleaning Mistakes To Avoid

Shampooing 

Fill your carpet shampooer’s tank with water and a carpet cleaning shampoo as per the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are using a portable carpet cleaner, attach the stair attachment, which is made for smaller, detailed areas. 

Now, spray the solution evenly on the step and use the machine’s scrubbing action to work the solution into the carpet fibers. To scrub manually, you can use a soft-bristled brush. 

Continue the process step-by-step down the staircase. Using the machine’s rinse feature, run clean water over the step to rinse out any leftover shampoo. Most importantly, don’t forget to pay extra attention to the edges and corners, where dirt often gathers the most. 

Once done, use a clean towel and blot every step to remove excess moisture. This helps to speed up the drying time. If your machine doesn’t have a rinse feature, you can manually rinse every step with water (filled in a spray bottle) and blot it dry.

Steam Cleaning

In addition to shampooing, you can also opt for steam cleaning. Steam cleaning uses hot water and a detergent or commercial cleaning solution to tackle dirt, dust, deep-embedded stains, smells, bacteria, and other harmful elements to their core. 

So first, rent a steam cleaning machine from your nearby hardware store. If you already have, fill the machine’s tank with hot water and a solution (detergent or any commercial one) in its designated compartment. 

Now, hold the handle firmly, pull on the trigger, and start steaming every step of your carpeted staircase. Apply firm pressure on areas where the staining or soiling is extremely high. Keep steaming for a few minutes and once the job is done, ensure you blot dry every step with clean, white towels. 

Steam cleaning a carpeted floor is quite an easy task, but a carpeted staircase might turn out as an exception, especially if you have never done it before. In such cases, professionals at Beverly Hills Carpet Cleaners come as a handy help. 

Their well-trained and experienced cleaners use cutting-edge steam cleaning appliances and top-quality solutions to steam your clean your carpeted staircase, helping revitalize it and restoring its lost glory for good. 

Step 7. Allow It To Dry 

The final task is to ensure that the carpeted staircase dries up to the mark. To speed up the drying time, one of the best ways is to open all the windows and doors of your home to let natural air come and circulate. 

You can also use table fans. Place a minimum of two table fans – with one on the upper step and the second on the lower. Once the carpet fully dries, get it vacuumed to restore the fluffed fibers and its texture. 

A Few Final Words!

A clean and shining carpeted staircase helps boost the overall appeal of your home and increases its value as well. However, as happens with carpeted floors, the staircase often gets stained or soiled with time. 

Although it’s quite common, you can clean carpets on stairs in quite an easy way contrary to what you think. The solution is to know the right techniques to do so and help breathe new life into your carpeted staircase.