How To Clean Textured Carpet (Easy Hacks To Bust The Dust)

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Correct me if I’m wrong. Besides aesthetics, one factor that made you decide on the type of carpet to buy is cleaning and maintenance, right?

Textured carpets are some of the most preferred types by homeowners. Apart from the fact that they are perfect for homes with very high foot traffic, the intricate designs conceal dirt and don’t show dents and footprints.

However, just because dirt and stains aren’t noticeable, it doesn’t mean they’re not there.

And that’s precisely why cleaning thick and textured carpets is all the trickier. Especially because your family members won’t be thrilled if you ban eating on the couch just because crumbs love to fall down!

But, of course, you know you have to clean eventually. (Paying taxes and dying are not the only two things everyone has to do!)

So let me tell you why cleaning textured carpets is definitely not as bad as you might think!

Cleaning Textured Carpets: From Vacuuming to Dealing With Stains

Table of Contents

How Do You Vacuum Textured Carpet?

I know this question seems a bit weird. But hey! Your “no food near the damned rug” fridge sticker is weird too.

So what’s another weirdness if it gets the job done, right?

Note that this guide applies to living room or center carpets and area rugs only. Why?

Because you’ll probably have to turn the carpet or rug over. And you can’t do that with a wall-to-wall carpet without breaking your back.

So here are the exact steps:

If you have a backyard with a clothes line, it’s best to bring the rug outside. Hang it up and give it a good, grandma-style beating. (A carpet beater works best for this, especially with sensitive rugs. But I’ve seen my late grandma do it with a common cane!) Carpet beating is a dust buster, but it will also shake out all the crumbs and food particles.
If you don’t have a backyard and/or a clothes line, flip the carpet over inside.
Vacuum the backside with a conscious effort to avoid the fringes. You purposely just want to agitate the dirt and grime so that they fall on the floor. That’s the main goal.

You can vacuum the dust directly from the floor and return the carpet to its original spot. Using the brush attachment, you can address the remaining debris since this is a gentler tool.
For shag carpeting and cut pile, vacuuming without the beater brush is the best way to go. Set to the tallest height of the vacuum for the shag carpet.
For cut pile carpets, adjust the height to the actual length of its longest fiber. This prevents or at least minimizes the unraveling of the piles.

Setting the height of the brush correctly is the key to properly cleaning a textured carpet. When you set it too low, the beater bar would have difficulty moving the pile effectively to loosen up the embedded dirt. On the other hand, setting it too high would render the cleaning futile as the brush won’t nudge the fibers, leaving behind a lot of grime.

How Do You Clean Rough Carpets? (Spills and Overall Cleaning)

Use clean cloths to deal with any liquid spill. As a rule of thumb, do not rub the carpet when removing any fresh stains.

The rationale is straightforward. You don’t want to force the liquid deeper into the carpet’s pad and backing.

Plus, never use bleach and other stain removing solutions for colored fabrics. You don’t want a funny pale patch sticking out even from afar, do you?

Spot cleaning carpets with bleach is only ideal for pure white rugs. For near-white shades, you would have to treat the whole thing to maintain color uniformity.

Ideally, if you clean your carpet at least once a month, dry cleaning would be enough. However, dirtier carpets need something more invasive.

How Do You Clean Textured Berber Carpet (& Similar Rugs)?

Berber carpets are among the easier types in terms of cleaning and maintenance. This is mainly due to the fact that they consist of large loops.

This makes it hard for dirt and dust to really penetrate deep since the spaces are too far apart for embedding to take place.

Cleaning using your carpet cleaner wouldn’t be enough as this tends to clean only the top loops. After using the machine to distribute the cleaning solution and extract around 60% of it, I suggest that you scrub your carpet with a handled brush.

Once done, you can continue to extract the rest of the solution using the upholstery attachment of your carpet cleaner.

Using the same machine, rinse the carpet with clean water. Suction all of the liquid.

You may repeat whenever necessary to ensure all chemicals are gone completely.

Pros and Cons of Textured Carpets

Pros

They are typically cheaper

Footprints and furniture indentations are less noticeable
Some are stain-resistant due to some treatment
They can sometimes be better than other types when it comes to cleaning

Foods, drinks, and pet accidents are sometimes easier to get rid of compared to regular carpets
They don’t deteriorate fast
Odors are not as pungent after a spill

Cons

They can be prone to snagging, especially those poorly constructed ones.
Some can have synthetic fabrics and chemicals which can cause allergies
Some can have plastic components that can melt, especially if cleaned with hot water or steam.

Some types are untreated, making them less fire-resistant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Clean a White Textured Carpet?

Considering the color and the texture of the carpet, you need to take extra precautions when cleaning this. Here are the steps:

Vacuum the carpet to remove the dust and dirt on the top layer.

Prepare a vinegar solution. The standard measurement is equal parts of water and vinegar.
Spray the solution on the problematic parts.
Blot the solution with a soft cloth or paper towel.