How to Clean Carpet with Kirby the Vacuum Cleaner

Other brands will include all fancy descriptions in their names to let you know what they can do. Then there’s Kirby Vacuum Cleaner – plain and simple!

Don’t be fooled by the name though. The brand is so versatile that you can do other things with it besides, well, suck up dirt.

It’s a two-in-one system that functions as a vacuum and a carpet shampooer.

Want to know how to clean your carpet with a Kirby effectively?

Keep scrolling, follow the steps below (no skipping, please), and see the results!

How Do You Clean a Carpet With a Kirby?

Step 1. Move the Furniture Out of the Way

Move all furniture that might get in the way, especially the bulky AND costly ones—avoiding any expensive accidents is a must! Not to mention, it can be a hassle moving things around while cleaning (although it’s a welcome addition if your aim is to work out while cleaning).

For those that you can’t move for some reason, you might want to consider placing either foil or wax paper sheets under each piece of furniture’s legs. This is to protect them from staining when they come into contact with the cleaning solution.

Step 2. Start With a Good Vacuum

Before any proper cleaning commences, make sure to vacuum first. Of course, you would want to eliminate any debris first like strands of hair and other solid materials that might clog in the machine.

Why, you ask?

Dust and dirt can turn into mud when mixed with liquid, which then turns into either slimy or crusted stains as time passes. Can you imagine how challenging it’ll be to remove?

Step 3. Pretreatment

If your carpet has a lot of stains or is heavily soiled, it is essential to do pretreat first. This extra step will make cleaning a lot easier since the blemishes and dirt will loosen up.

It will also ease up the machine’s effort and perhaps save on electricity costs since you won’t have to pass a specific area of the carpet several times to brush away the blemishes.

Before the next step, it’ll be best to switch on the feature of the machine to a shampooer.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 4. Fill the Tank

Fill up the clean water compartment with warm water and add the shampoo. Follow the instruction on the ratio of water to detergent.

The exact measurement of the solution will depend on the size of the area that you need to clean. A full tank typically can shampoo a 10×12 room.

Step 5. Apply the Solution

Plug in the machine and turn it on. Run the shampoo dispenser by turning ON the knob found on top of it.

You should see a light foam coming out onto the carpet. Adjust the valve according to how much foam you want to dispense.

Work on the carpet by passing back and forth; applying the foam in the process. Leave the area coated in the suds for about five minutes.

You should have turned the shampoo tank off by this time.

Step 6. Removing Excess Foam

After shampooing, remove the excess foam by turning the valve on top of the water tank OFF. Then pass over the foamy area by going back to your starting point.

Take note that Kirby vacuum DOES NOT suction the foam. Instead, the brush picks them up and accumulates them in the tray.

Be gentle when operating over the cleaned portion of the carpet. The tray where the machine deposits the collected foam is not sealed.

You wouldn’t want to spill the dirty liquid onto the floor and repeat the whole process all over again, would you?

Cleaning and Disassembly of Kirby Vacuum

Disassemble all the shampoo parts.

Rinse everything with clean water except for the brushes. You only need to pick up the debris that might have attached to it, like strands of hair and dirt.

Before putting them away, make sure that every part is as dry as possible.

Do not forget to put the vacuum head back since you will be using it as a final step in the shampooing process. You may leave it at that state after completing the cleaning task.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you turn a Kirby into a shampooer?

Make sure to unplug the machine before removing the vacuum head. To release the belt, turn its knob to match the red arrows.

Next is to remove the vacuum head, as well as the filter bag found on its right side. Set the belt into the open position by turning the knob at the front of the shampooer attachment, matching the red arrows.

You can then slide the shampooer into place and turn the belt to match, this time, the green arrows.

Attach the tank on top of the shampooer found on the right-hand side of the machine. Secure by locking it in place.

Be sure to connect it to the collection tray, which you can find at the front of the cleaner.

How long does it take for Kirby shampoo to dry?

Typical carpet shampooing does not require rinsing, although this has been frowned upon by many. And since the carpet wasn’t subjected to over wetting, you can leave it to dry within two to three hours.

Vacuum thoroughly once dry to ensure there is no debris left from the shampooing.

Last update on 2024-04-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API