Somewhere around month seven, most expecting parents get down on the nursery floor to assemble a crib and look at the carpet from about four inches away. That's usually when we get the call.
It makes sense. For the first year or so, the carpet is where your baby will spend a lot of time: tummy time, rolling, then crawling, with hands going into mouths after every bit of it. You don't need a sterile house. You do want the floor to be clean.
When to book it
Plan for the second trimester or early in the third. That's early enough that you aren't scheduling around a due date, and late enough that the carpet won't have months to get dirty again before the baby arrives.
It also lines up well with the nursery. Clean before the crib and dresser go in, so the technician can reach the whole floor and you only move furniture once. If the room is already set up, that's fine too. We can work around furniture. Pulled-out furniture just gives you a slightly better result along the walls.
Here's a simple order that works for most families:
- Second trimester: walk the house, note pet spots and stains, declutter the rooms you want cleaned.
- About eight to ten weeks before the due date: professional carpet cleaning, nursery and main living area first.
- Before setting up the nursery: let the carpet dry, open a window if the weather's nice, then bring the furniture in.
- After the baby comes: vacuum often, blot spills fast, and plan the next cleaning for around the time the baby starts crawling.
Which rooms matter most
Start with the nursery, your bedroom if the baby will sleep there for a while, and wherever the family gathers in the evenings. Those are the floors your baby will actually be on.
Hallways and guest rooms can wait. If your budget has a ceiling, put it on the rooms with the most floor time. A three-room clean is $88 on our coupons page, which covers the nursery, the living room, and one more for most houses.
If you have pets
Deal with pet spots before the baby comes, not after. Old urine in the pad smells worse on humid days, and you'll have plenty to manage without hunting down a mystery odor in August. Babies also get very close to the floor, which is a different relationship with an old accident spot than an adult has.
We can do the pet spot treatment at the same visit as the regular cleaning. It's an enzyme product applied deep enough to reach the pad, which is where old urine hides.
What goes on the carpet matters
Expecting parents ask about the cleaning solution more than anyone else, and they're right to.
Our process is soap-free and doesn't leave a residue in the fibers, so there's no sticky film in the carpet your baby will be lying on. It also uses very little water, and that matters in a house getting ready for a baby: the carpet dries fast, the nursery isn't damp for a day, and there's no moisture lingering in the pad to grow anything.
One thing to avoid in the weeks before: heavy spot cleaning with store-bought sprays. Plenty of them leave residue, and some have strong fragrances you won't want in a newborn's room. If you find a stain, blot it with water and leave the rest for the technician.
We should also be honest about what cleaning won't do. It removes the soil and dander that carpet collects. It's not a medical air-quality treatment, and if anyone in the house has asthma or serious allergies, talk to your doctor about the bigger picture too. A clean carpet helps. It isn't the whole answer.
After the baby arrives
Babies bring spit-up, leaky bottles, and eventually mashed sweet potato. Blot spills right away with a clean cloth, use plain water, and don't scrub. Vacuum the nursery and living room a couple of times a week once the baby is mobile. Ask visitors to leave shoes at the door; nobody minds when there's a baby in the house.
Most families find a cleaning every six months works well through the crawling and toddler years. Every job carries the same guarantee: 100% satisfied or it's free.
Congratulations, by the way. When you're ready to cross this one off the list, the online scheduler lets you pick a date that fits between all the appointments.