subject: How To Take Care Of Your Carpet [print this page] Cleaning your carpets regularly is not difficult, but it makes a world of difference to your house. Two basics to good carpet cleaning are frequent vacuuming and immediate stain treatment.
Vacuum your carpets at least once a week. Areas of heavy traffic, like the entryway or living room, will probably need to be vacuumed more often. By vacuuming regularly, you reduce dirt and dust particles, which will cut carpet fibers as they build up, and thus prolong the life of your carpet. Once in awhile, use your vacuum tools to clean around the baseboards and other places that are hard for the vacuum head to reach. When you vacuum, separate the floor into quadrants and vacuum one quadrant before moving on to another; this will help ensure that you don't miss a spot. Take your time, particularly if your carpet is thick. You'll need to go over the carpet several times in order to fully suck up all the dirt and dust.
You can add baking soda to your vacuum bag to fight odors, and if your carpet smells, you can sprinkle an odor remover before vacuuming. Buy one at the store or make one yourself: take one cup of dried herbs (rosemary or lavender are great), one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and one teaspoon of ground cloves. Let the mixture sit on your carpet for a few minutes, then vacuum it up.
If anyone spills on the carpet, clean it up right away. Taking care of the mess when it's fresh makes it easier to completely remove. Blot the area with a paper towel before you do anything else to soak up as much of the spill as you can. Don't rub it! That just spreads it around and pushes it deeper into the carpet. Make sure you test your carpet cleaners on inconspicuous areas before using them (preferably before a spill occurs) so you know they won't stain your carpeting. Spray the cleaner on the perimeter of the spill first and work your way in--this keeps the stain from spreading.
Soak up all the moisture afterward. Simply using water will also help remove the spot. Once the mess has been treated, use a clean towel to brush the carpet strands up. If the area looks too wet, place some towels (white is best) on the spot and weigh them down. Leave them there for a good length of time.
Vacuuming regularly and treating stains as soon as they occur will keep your carpets in excellent condition.
