Your Complete Carpet Care

After the expense of putting a carpet into your home, it is a worthwhile to take good care of it.  Keeping a clean carpet also assures a healthy living environment.  Regular vacuuming alone does not always ensure that your carpet is clean.  There are several different ways to care for your carpet.

Vacuuming regularly may not keep carpets perfectly clean but, it does prevent dirt from getting embedded deep down into the fibers.  In a perfect world, those who really care to keep their carpets in the best shape possible would be able to vacuum everyday.  But, in the real world, vacuuming a high traffic area at least twice a week is more realistic.  For the best results, vacuum slowly over an area going back and forth and side to side in parallel rows about seven strokes for a high traffic area.
But, carpet cleaning goes beyond vacuuming.  Shampooing a carpet is a popular method to get carpets clean.  A shampoo solution is sprayed onto the carpet which loosens and absorbs deep down dirt.  Allow the carpet to dry and then vacuum.  Another popular method of carpet cleaning is steam cleaning.  This process uses a liquid-based cleaning agent and a steam-cleaning machine which brings dirt to the carpet’s surface. 

Shampooing and deep carpet cleaning are great ways to get dirty carpets clean. But what about keeping carpets free of stains?  There is no way of avoiding stains no matter how hard you try.  At one point or another, someone is going to track mud into the house, spill a drink or drop a piece of food. The trick to getting carpet stains out is acting quickly.  The longer the liquid is left on the floor the more of a chance it has to set in.  Blot up any extra liquids as best you can.  Never rub the carpet fibers.  Rubbing only will cause the carpet fibers to weaken and could create a worn spot.  Several different brands of carpet cleaners work very well in removing stains but, there are also a few home remedies that will work just as well.  Blotting club soda on a stain with a clean, dry cloth works wonders.  Baking soda and corn starch have been known to remove oil spots.  Straight vinegar has also been known to remove chocolate and coffee stains. 

Knowing how to clean a carpet once it gets dirty is important but, there are also a few simple things that you can do everyday to keep your carpets clean.  Make your home a “shoe free” home.  It is no surprise that shoes ruin carpets but, what some people may not know is that bare feet also ruin carpets.  So, if you are going to have a “shoe free” home make sure to wear socks or slippers in the house as well.  Plus, place an entrance mat by the front door.  Make sure that the mat is long enough to be able to give guests room to come in, wipe their feet, close the door, and take off their shoes.  You should also place a mat outside the house.  This will remove the larger particles of dirt before anyone enters the home.  But, don’t forget to keep this mat clean as well.  When a mat reaches a point when it can no longer hold anymore dirt, the dirt ends up making it into the house anyway.  As long as you give our carpets the time and energy they deserve, you will be able to enjoy this investment for many years to come.