Carpet CleaningTips: Carpet Protection

Putting carpet in your home is an investment so it is just right to give it the care and attention it deserves. Aside from cleaning it because it's a costly possession, keeping it neat assures you of a healthy living space. At this point, you might be thinking of vacuuming it already if you haven't done it for a long time. But how sure are you that vacuuming alone keeps your carpet clean?

There are several ways to take care of carpets. Regular vacuuming no doubt prevents dirt from harboring deep down into the fibers. Daily carpet vacuuming will keep your carpet at its best shape. However, in the real world, you may not have the time to do daily carpet vacuuming especially in high traffic areas where kids and pets track a whole lot of dirt into it. Twice a week might be all the time you can afford for cleaning your carpet. If this is the case, vacuum slowly going back and forth and from side to side in parallel rows. Do seven strokes especially for high traffic areas.

However, as mentioned earlier, vacuuming is not enough for carpet cleaning. If you really want to keep your carpets clean, shampooing it is your best option. Spray a shampoo solution onto the carpet; this technique loosens deep down dirt. After shampooing, vacuum. If you have a steam cleaning machine, you can steam clean your carpet instead of shampooing it. All you need is a liquid based carpet cleaning agent to go with your steam-cleaning machine. The method brings all the dirt to the carpets surface for easier cleaning.

Stains can be a big problem when it comes to carpets. Shampooing and steaming may not do the trick. This will be a bit of a problem especially if someone just keeps spilling drinks and food all over the house; and not to forget smudges of mud from someone else's shoes. The main trick is to act quickly. Don't let liquid on the floor for a long period of time because it will set in making it more difficult to clean. Blot up liquid form the carpet instead of scrubbing to avoid the carpet's fibers from weakening. Make use of carpet cleaners to remove stains or baking soda and corn starch, especially if its oil that has been spilt. For coffee and chocolate stains, try using vinegar.

The line, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" can also be applied to carpet maintenance. If you are tired of carpet cleaning, then why not make your home "shoe free.” Shoes can ruin carpets, but so do dirty bare feet so implement a "wear socks or slipper" rule in your house. For guests however, place a long mat by the front door the house to give the impression that one needs to wipe their feet or take off their shoes. Remember to clean or change your mat every now and then since a dirty mat just makes the situation worse.

We hope that our carpet cleaning tips will help give your carpet the best care you can give and you will enjoy your investment for years and years to come.