Having your home's carpets steam-cleaned before you try to sell the property is a sensible thing to do, as it can greatly improve the scent, texture and overall appearance of your home's carpeted floors and thus potentially make your home more appealing to buyers in general. Here are two tips to follow if you'll be doing this.

Use the carpet steam-cleaning service at least a week before the first viewing

Whilst you might want the carpets to be freshly cleaned before the first round of potential buyers comes to look at the property, it's important to use this service a week or so prior to the day on which you're expecting the first viewing of your home to take place, rather than, for example, the day before. The main reason you should do this is that it may take several days for the carpets to dry out after being steam-cleaned (particularly if your home is located in a humid climate).

During this time, some areas of the carpet may dry out faster than others, which may result in the damp areas looking darker than the other sections from which the water has fully evaporated. If potential buyers come to the property during this period, they might think that your carpets' patchy colouring is the result of stains (even if the estate agent tries to convince them that this isn't the case) or simply might not be able to fully appreciate the carpets' pretty patterns or colours. Similarly, if they stand on the carpet whilst wearing open-toed footwear and can feel that it's damp, they may again make (incorrect) assumptions about your home having a problem with dampness or they might think that some liquid has been spilt on the carpet and hasn't been cleaned up. Conversely, if you get this cleaning task done a week before, and ensure that the carpet is bone dry prior to the first round of viewings, the only thing the potential buyers will notice about the carpets will be their cleanliness and general attractiveness.

Ask for an unscented detergent to be used in the steam-cleaning equipment

Whilst some steam-cleaning equipment only uses pure water, most of them also use detergent. If the cleaner you've booked has equipment that uses detergent, you should ask them to use unscented detergent on your carpets. The reason for this is that it's difficult to choose a scent that is liked by everyone and there are also a lot of people whose bodies react badly to fragrances.

As such, even if the cleaner uses a detergent with a scent you think is wonderful, there is a good chance that at least some of the numerous potential buyers who may visit your home during the first few rounds of viewings might either be allergic to or dislike the fragrance that is embedded into your carpets. Whilst this fragrance will gradually fade, it's best to avoid using a scented detergent in the first place so that you don't need to worry about the first few potential buyers detecting and disliking it.

For more information on carpet steam cleaning, contact a professional near you.