Getting your carpets professionally cleaned on a regular basis is one of the best decisions you can make for their longevity. It helps to remove damaging dirt, stale odours, ugly stains and unhealthy allergens from the carpet, whilst keeping the carpet looking good and in an immaculate condition for a long time. One of the most frequently asked questions when people search online for a carpet cleaning service near me is whether after a carpet has been cleaned, windows in the room should be left open? We’ve got all of the information you need to know about this burning question.
1. The carpet cleaning process
Most reputable premium carpet cleaners in London and elsewhere now use steam cleaning as their preferred method for deep cleaning carpets. The advantage of this process is that it’s relatively quick, taking, on average, around just 20 minutes to clean a carpet, depending on factors, like the level of soiling in the carpet and the size of the room.
Much lower levels of moisture are used to steam clean a carpet compared to traditional cleaning methods, which means that the time it takes for the carpet to dry is a lot faster. In general, it takes around 2-3 hours for a carpet to dry using the steam cleaning method, but this can depend on factors like the temperature in the room, humidity levels and how much airflow a carpet gets.
When you book to get your carpets cleaned, it’s important to ask what methods will be used on your carpets, so you know what to expect for the cleaning and drying times. Certainly, if you don’t want a long wait, using a company that offers steam cleaning is the most effective, time-saving option.
2.Increased airflow
Opening the windows after a carpet has been cleaned is a beneficial way to allow more air to flow in the room, thus speeding up the drying process for your carpets.
Letting fresh air in the room can also help to clear away any musty odours that can be emitted from damp carpet fibres, as well as to eliminate any stray particles of dust that might be floating in the air from the cleaning process.
If your carpet hasn’t been cleaned before or it’s relatively new, it’s also a good idea to keep the windows open afterwards to release any VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the carpet that may still be in the atmosphere. These can cause unpleasant health symptoms in some people, such as nausea, dizziness and headaches.
Having fresh air flow into a room is certainly important if you’ve used a cleaning company that might have applied any chemicals to the carpet during the cleaning process. However, it’s always preferable when booking a carpet clean in London or elsewhere to find a company that doesn’t use chemicals when cleaning, like at Carpet Bright UK. With steam cleaning, chemicals aren’t normally needed, as this process involves extracting the dirt from a carpet using a natural-based, safe, heated vapour cleaning system.
3. Create a cross breeze
To get the maximum drying benefits, open all of the windows in the room after a carpet has been cleaned. If you have windows at opposite sides of the room, open these, too, as this will create the perfect cross breeze, allowing as much air to circulate around the room as possible, helping to cut down the carpet drying time.
4. How long do you leave the windows open?
Ideally, you should aim to leave your windows open for at least 2-3 hours after your carpets have been cleaned, or even longer or until they’re dry.
Try not to walk across the carpet too much, however, whilst it’s still damp, or at the very least, wear clean socks or put footwear covers on.
If the carpet you have had cleaned is in a bedroom, don’t sleep in the room until the carpet is fully dry, and never put furniture back onto a carpet until it’s completely bone dry.
5. Consider the weather
Whilst it’s generally recommended to open your windows after getting your carpets cleaned, the weather can play a part in how effective the drying process might be.
The ideal conditions are when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and there is a slight breeze in the air.
If the weather is very still and hot, opening the windows might do very little to speed up the drying process, although it will still help to get rid of any musty or damp smells. Instead, if you have a ceiling fan, air conditioning system or an air blower, these might be more effective options for aiding the drying process. Reputable, premium carpet cleaners in London, like us, will be able to provide the use of air dryers, if needed, to shorten the carpet drying time for you.
Equally, your carpets probably won’t benefit that much if you open the windows on days when it’s really cold or raining outside, as the air may be too damp. In this case, it’s preferable to turn your heating on, instead.
Because using heating and cooling systems involve using gas and/or electricity, it’s much better to rely on the free flow of air from outside which won’t cost you anything, so try to pick a day to organise your carpet clean in London when you know the weather and temperature conditions will be just right.
6. Ask the experts
If you have any questions about how to speed up the drying process of your carpets, when you’re doing a search for a professional carpet cleaning service near me, pick a company that’s highly experienced and has a good reputation with its customers, like at Carpet Bright UK.
We’ll be able to advise you on what you can do to shorten the drying time of your carpets, and how opening the windows can help. Get in touch with our friendly and helpful customer care team if you have any questions or you’d like to book to get your carpets deep cleaned and dried.
