How To Easily Clean Carpet On Stairs

Are you looking for DIY ways to get your home clean? One of the places that can be forgotten, but really shouldn’t is your staircase. This post will give you DIY methods and options to make cleaning your carpeted stairs much easier than you may have imagined. 

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Carpets notoriously hold onto dust, dander, pet hair, and allergens. Carpeted stairs collect all that and more. It may have been a long time since you really tackled a deep clean of your wall-to-wall carpeted stairs or staircase runner.

Optional: Spraying hydrogen peroxide on the carpet can also help alleviate odors, but be sure to rinse the area quickly to avoid discoloration. Again, test this in an area first to ensure it is suitable for your carpet.

After Spot Cleaning

After tackling stains and odors, the next step in cleaning carpeted stairs is to dry-vacuum them. Use a lightweight vacuum or a hand-held device to remove loose carpet fibers, light dirt, pet hair, dust, and dander.

This should be done prior to applying an overall carpet shampoo. There are many lightweight vacuums and handheld vacuums on the market.

Best Vacuum For Stairs

Choose one that works best for your purposes. If you have small children and pets, your stairs will need more frequent cleaning. 

Finding a cordless stick-vac will be much easier to maneuver on a regular basis. We have a Dyson V8 Absolute vacuum and love it.

It comes with different attachments so we can easily clean our carpet and hardwood floors. It is so nice not to have to worry about the cords when vacuuming the steps.

Regardless of the equipment you use, here are some steps to keep in mind when cleaning your carpeted stairs.  

Dry Vacuum Method

Before You Begin

• Remove any items from the staircase. 
• Always start at the top of the stairs.
• Determine the cord length and the position of your vacuum, depending on if you are using a hose attachment or not.

Tip For Vacuuming Steps

• Dry vacuum each step from left to right as you work your way down. This can be done with the vacuum or hose attachment and brush attachment.
• Don’t forget to vacuum the risers under each step to pick up more dust and hair.
• Again, be very mindful of the cord so that it does not become a tripping hazard.
• Work your way to the bottom of the stairs. It is often recommended to repeat the process to pick up dust particles kicked up during the first pass. 
• Follow these steps regularly to keep dust particles to a minimum.
• Use attachments to get those hard-to-reach places.

How to Clean Carpet on Stairs with A Machine

When you are ready to deep clean your carpets with a machine, a hose-and-brush attachment can make the job much easier. If that is not available, just be mindful of the carpet cleaning machine’s weight and size, and the length of the cord.

Again, you will start at the top of the stairs and work your way down.  

In this step, you may need to stop and change the dirty water depending on how much soil your carpet cleaner picks up. Rinse and repeat as directed until the water in the machine is clean. 

Using clean water without detergent is recommended as a final step to ensure no residue remains on the carpet. 

Drying Carpet

It may take a long time before your steps are dry. Using a floor fan or a regular oscillating fan can help speed up the drying process. You can also press absorbent towels into each step, starting at the top and working your way to the bottom. 

Steam Cleaners

Using a steam cleaner can help freshen up your home. You should use the manufacturer’s directions. These also may come with a hose attachment and a brush attachment. As previously mentioned, always start at the top of the stairs and work your way down. 

You also need to account for excess moisture and a longer drying process before you begin using a steam cleaner. 

How to Clean Carpeted Stairs by Hand (without A Machine)

There are different methods for cleaning your stairs by hand. You might also find that doing this on the stair carpet is safer and easier than maneuvering heavy equipment.

Most commercial cleaners are not built for stairs. Depending on the amount of heavy foot traffic and the number of stairs in your home, you may want to have knee pads to make your work easier. 

Natural Carpet Cleaner Solution Without A Machine

• 1 C white vinegar
• 2 C hot water
• 2 tsp table salt
• 15 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

How To Use

1. Add this to a spray bottle, then liberally spray the carpeted stairs. 
2. Let it soak in while using a scrub brush in a circular motion.
3. Allow this to dry, then vacuum to remove any residue. 
4. With this method, it is not necessary to rinse with clean water. 

To help speed up drying time, we also blotted our stairs with an old towel. We were shocked at how much dirt the towel picked up after scrubbing.

Use Carpet Shampoo Without A Machine

Pro Tip: If you are going to use carpet shampoo on your stairs, make sure you have a separate clean bucket of water and a clean absorbent towel to rinse the detergent from the carpet as you go.

How To Use

1. Scrub with a stiff brush, then rinse with clean water and your clean towel. You may have to repeat this process twice.
2. Make sure the carpet is wet but not saturated so you don’t damage the carpet pad beneath. This will also speed up the drying process.
3. Let the carpet dry. Again, a floor fan at the bottom of the stairs will help speed up the drying process. 

Different Types Of Carpets May Need Different Cleaning Methods

Hand cleaning worked well on our patterned basement carpet because it has a very low pile and tightly looped fibers. Scrubbing into the carpet with a homemade cleaner worked really well.

On our upstairs steps, we knew that brushing our carpet with a homemade cleaner could have damaged its fibers. We have found that using our Bissell carpet cleaner after a good vacuum worked best for that carpet.

Cleaning FAQs

More DIY Cleaning Ideas

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• Best Homemade Vinyl Siding Cleaner
• How To Easily Remove Spray Paint From Glass
• How To Remove Carpet Glue From Concrete

You have just read about many different methods of cleaning your carpet and your stairs. Specifically, cleaning your stair carpet does take some hard work. However, I hope that next time you take on this task, you’ll find it well worth the effort.