If you’ve moved before, then you might be familiar with the new home deep clean. Even a seemingly tidy house or apartment can have dirt and grime lurking in unexpected places, and you can never be quite sure what the previous tenants did (or didn’t do) to take care of it. The bathrooms and kitchen will likely be top of your list, but it’s equally important that you clean carpets after moving and before you fully settle in—especially once you realize just how dirty they can really get.

Carpets harbor a surprising amount of debris and germs. Unless they’ve been shampooed and steamed before you moved in, they are highly likely to be harboring their fair share of grime, including bacteria and fungal spores. And while you probably weren’t planning on eating food off of your carpet, adding carpet cleaning to the top of your post-moving to-do list is still an important task for your health and comfort.

Here’s what to know, including why it’s so essential that you clean carpets after moving and how to do it right.

Just how dirty are carpets?

We hate to break it to you, but the carpets in your new home are probably pretty filthy.

A recently published report by HomeAdvisor did some digging into the various things hiding within a home’s carpeted floors, and what they found is enough to have anyone putting their local carpet cleaners on speed dial.

Key findings include:

• • The average carpet has 30.2x more germs than refrigerator door handle, 16.4x more germs than a cellphone, and 5.7x more germs than a toilet seat.
  • About 36% of an uncleaned carpet is made up of human hair. Another 5% is made up of skin cells, plant matter, and fungal spores.
  • As for cleaning habits, the average person goes 17 days in between sweeping or vacuuming in common areas, thus leaving plenty of time for bacteria and dirt to build up.

A final sobering statistic: the average person hasn’t had their carpets shampooed or steam cleaned in the past 15 months. All of this points to one clear fact: if you don’t clean carpets after moving, your home is almost certainly not as spotless as you think it is.

Benefits of cleaning carpets in your new home

Okay, so obviously getting rid of germs, hair, skin cells, fungal spores, and all the other gross stuff that might be hanging out in your new home’s carpets is a big benefit in itself. But it’s not the only reason to clean carpets after moving.

There are various other benefits to giving your carpets a deep cleaning treatment before settling in, all of which result in a home that’s both cleaner and more comfortable. Here are three of the big ones, just in case you’re not convinced yet.

Cleaning carpets improve air flow and quality – Based on the statistics above, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that there is a lot of potential for allergens to be hanging out in your carpets. This goes double if the previous tenants of your home were smokers, had pets, or didn’t remove their shoes inside. A thorough vacuuming (or even better, a professional steam cleaning) will remove those allergens and keep them out of the air so you can breathe better and cleaner.

Cleaning carpets gets rid of odors – Carpet has a tendency to trap odors, which in addition to being unpleasant, can also make your home feel less clean overall. If you clean carpets after moving, you can get rid of those odors and start with a blank slate. This is particularly important to do if pets previously lived in the home; and especially if you have your own furry friends, since the smell of previous animals could lead to post-move stress.

Cleaning carpets improves the overall look of your space – Even without obvious stains a dirty carpet can still look… well, dirty. Cleaning the carpets in your new home gives them—and you—a totally fresh start, and even older homes will have a little extra sparkle as a result.

Carpet accounts for nearly half of all flooring in the U.S., according to The Carpet and Rug Institute, which means that there’s a good chance you have at least some carpet in your new home. Clean it right away instead of letting grime and germs continue to build up and you’ll feel comfortable in your home a whole lot sooner.

How to clean carpets after moving

Now that you know why you need to clean carpets after moving, let’s talk about how.

It can cost around $600 to have your entire home’s carpets professionally cleaned, so it makes sense if you want to attempt this task on your own first. Here are some quick tips on DIY carpet cleaning, plus when you might want to splurge and hire someone to do it for you.

1. Clean your carpets before arranging furniture

   Since you just moved, it’s easier to not set things up before cleaning your carpets then to get everything arranged and have to move stuff around. Even better, if your timeline allows try to get in there and do your deep clean—carpets included—before move-in day. It will save you a lot of time and stress later on, and also means that you’ll get to fully relax when you finally do move in for good.

2. Rent a steam cleaner

   Vacuuming is great, but it’s not really enough on its own to tackle some seriously dirty carpets. For that you’ll want to use a steam cleaner, which you can rent from most home improvement stores and usually for less than $100. Make sure that your rental includes the additional things that you’ll need to get the job done, including pretreatment and cleaning solutions. Do keep in mind however that standard steam cleaner rentals don’t get as hot or work as well as the commercial ones. If your new home has really old or really grungy carpets, this might not cut it.

3. Apply some DIY deodorizer

   There are a couple of DIY methods for removing odors that you can use to get your carpets smelling fresh. The easiest one: combine a gallon of warm water with a ½ cup of white vinegar and put it into a spray bottle. Spray your carpets all over and let the area dry completely. The vinegar smell should disappear over the course of a few hours, along with any other lingering odors. If you’d like, you could also add a drop or two of essential oils to the mixture—just be sure to research which ones are safe for pets, if relevant.

4. Open the windows

   Ventilation is essential when cleaning your carpets, both for dealing with any of those aforementioned odors and letting any other solutions thoroughly dry out. It can also help reduce the amount of dust mites, dander, and other allergens that you have floating down to the floor.

5. Know when to call in the pros

   Hiring professional carpet cleaners to come in after you move isn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s a whole lot more affordable than replacing your carpets entirely. Major issues such as moving into a home where a smoker lived or where pets were not housetrained can’t usually be resolved on your own. Spring for a pro cleaning early on and you’ll have more time to focus on all of the other things involved with making your house feel like a home.

Keeping your carpets fresh

If you’re going to take the time to clean carpets after moving you may as well put in the extra effort needed to keep things from building up again. Here are some basic carpet care best practices you can follow so that your carpet doesn’t end up germier than your toilet seat or cellphone (yikes):

• • Never wear shoes in the house. Ditch your shoes at the front door and ask your guests to do the same.
  • Wipe pet paws. Keep wipes and a towel right by the door so that you can clean off your pup’s paws immediately after a walk.
  • Vacuum at least twice a week. This includes carpets and hardwood surfaces. If you’re struggling to find the time, consider getting a robot vacuum that can take over for you.
  • Tackle stains right away. The longer a stain sits on your carpet the harder it is to remove. Get rid of them right away by making a paste with ¼ cup salt, ¼ cup borax, and ¼ cup white vinegar and applying it generously to any stains, wearing gloves when you do. Let the solution sit for about four hours then vacuum it up.

You may also want to budget for a professional carpet cleaning once or twice a year. Combined with these practices it’s the best way to ensure that your carpets are clean enough to lay on—or at least to walk around on without worrying about what’s underfoot.