Taking Care of Carpet

One of the biggest determinants of whether your house looks clean is your carpet. Even if a house is kept sparkling clean; a dull, dingy carpet will make it feel dirty. Keeping your home looking great involves keeping your carpet looking great too. Proper care of your floor prevents damage, extends its life and keeps it looking new for years.

A good way to keep carpets cleaner is to keep outside dirt from getting in. Encourage everyone to leave their shoes at the door. Why remove your shoes? Take a closer look at the bottoms of those shoes and you'll find oil, dirt and who knows what else.

Vacuuming regularly also helps to extend the life and look of your carpet. Vacuuming on a regular basis helps keep the everyday dirt from building up in your carpet and since carpet wear is more from everyday use not from stains this can make a big difference. It can also help with allergies and asthma by picking up dust mites and other allergens that live in your carpet.

You can also rent a hot water “steam” cleaner to refresh your carpet by deep cleaning the ground in dirt out. If you’re worried about chemicals in your carpets, just run them with clean water; they’ll still get out most of the dirt.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on cleaners, or if you want to take the green friendly route, there are several household products that work great to get out stains. If you have a greasy stain, try putting baking soda on the stain and letting it sit for several hours. This should soak up the stain and you can just vacuum away the excess particles. If a stain requires more scrubbing, you can mix 1 part vinegar with 2 parts water and scrub. Just remember to clean it out well so you’re not left with the smell.

Stains can also reappear if you don’t get the pad of the carpet clean enough. To get out the deep down dirt, use lots of water when cleaning. Then, put a large amount of paper towels and a heavy object of the stain and let it set overnight. This will suck up any leftover dirty water that may have stayed in the carpet.

Before you try cleaning a carper on your own, please follow the proper cleaning instructions provided by the carpet manufacturer. Carpets made of natural fibers, such as wool or that are made with the need for special care from a professional. If you’re not sure if you should clean your carper on your own, contact a professional carpet cleaner.