How Do I Clean or Eliminate Carpet Before Purchasing a Home?
Seeing stained, outdated or damaged carpeting can stop a potential home buyer at the front door. Besides being unsightly, health-conscious buyers are also aware that carpeting can be unsanitary. Carpet is a fertile growing environment for several biological pollutants. Many clever property owners are choosing to clean or remove carpet before putting their home on the market. Luckily, both of these projects are inexpensive and can be accomplished in a limited while.
Cleaning Carpet
Rent or buy a steam cleaner. Carpet-cleaning machines could be rented by the hour or day at leasing centers, home improvement stores and some grocery stores.
Remove all of the furniture in the room you are likely to clean.
Vacuum the carpet thoroughly.
Fill the cleaner with shampoo and water according to the instructions accompanying your machine. Run the head of the cleaner over the carpeting, alternately releasing the water/shampoo mixture and suctioning the liquid up. Work in one little segment at a time before the carpet is clean and you have eliminated as much moisture as possible. Continue the process to complete the entire area.
Wait until the carpet is thoroughly dry before walking on it returning furnishings. Place fans and a dehumidifier in the room to accelerate the drying process. In order to stop mould from growing in a damp carpet, try to get the drying period to 24 hours or not.
Removing Carpet
Put on your safety glasses and knee pads.
Remove baseboards or other moldings that hang over the edge of the carpeting. Slide a pry bar between the wall and the molding and pull back gently until the nails holding the baseboard set up loosen in the wallsocket. Work slowly and carefully in the event that you plan on reusing the materials once the carpet is eliminated.
Pry up the carpeting. Starting in one corner, pull on the carpet from the tackless strips underneath if they’re present. Work diagonally from one corner of the room before the carpet is totally free of these strips. Remove the tackless strips with your pry bar if you don’t want them for new carpeting installation.
Loosen a corner of the carpet and slide the pry bar under the carpet if tacks were used in setup. Wedge the border of the pry bar underneath a row of tacks and apply upward pressure to pull several tacks at one time. Repeat around the entire room before the carpet is totally free.
Roll up the carpet and remove it. Also remove the carpet padding if it’s not likely to be reused.