10 Carpet Tips For Longer Lasting Carpet
by
Debra Marks
Carpet can be one of the most expensive investments we can make to our homes. Having a good general knowledge of carpet care, and proper cleaning and stain removal techniques, we can keep our carpet looking nice and fresh, maintaining its quality for years to come. Here I will share with you 10 carpet tips that will help you to ensure long lasting carpet.
1. Placing rugs or mats at entrance areas and high traffic areas will cut down immensely on the wear of your carpet and its exposure to dirt.
2. Consider enforcing a “no shoe” rule to ensure that less dirt from the soles of shoes gets tracked into your home. This will cut down considerably on the amount of time you will need to vacuum.
3. Before vacuuming, note all the areas of the house where there is the most activity. Target these “high traffic” areas and go over them multiple times. Make sure to overlap your passes. Even if you don’t get a chance to vacuum often, as long as you cover “high traffic” areas you will accomplish much of the vacuuming your carpet will need.
4. Make sure to catch stains as they happen. The longer you let a stain sit in your carpet the harder it will become to remove. Club-Soda works wonders as a natural cleaner and stain-remover. But if you prefer commercial spot-cleaners these will be able to remove stains as well. When using commercial spot-cleaners make sure to stray away from heavy chemical agents – this might actually damage your carpet rather than help it.
5. When using any chemical agents on your carpet make sure to test the product on a small area of your carpet first. All carpets are different and some are sensitive to acid and alkali based cleaners and will cause the carpets to lose its color.
6. When removing a stain make sure never to try and rub it. Rubbing the stain will damage your carpet instead of help it. By rubbing the stain you are actually spreading the stain, and wearing out the fibers in your carpet at the same time
7. When applying a spot cleaner to a stain make sure to work from the outside of the stain inwards; this will help from spreading the stain. After applying your spot cleaner, blot up the stain with either paper towels or a clean, light colored towel.
8. If you have carpet that is very dirty, consider shampooing or steam cleaning it. This is something that anyone can do themselves, and all the required products can be purchased at reasonable prices at any home appliance store. If you intend on doing this yourself keep in mind to never over-wet any area of your carpet as this will cause adhesion damage, carpet shrinkage, and many other problems.
9. Avoid overuse of shampoos and spot removal cleaners. If too much of either substance is applied to the carpet when cleaning, it may result in left over residue in the carpet fibers that might be impossible to move without professional assistance.
10. To fight odors in your carpet, apply baking soda to your vacuum bag when vacuuming. Another method that you can utilize is to sprinkle baking soda onto your carpet and then go over it with the vacuum.
I hope these carpet tips and guidelines will have you well on your way to extending the life of your carpet. There are tons of websites and books on carpet care available to you that can also be great sources of information should you want to learn more.
Debra Marks is a House Cleaning enthusiast and Author. For more information on
how to clean a carpet
, you can visit
simplehousecleaning.com
a website dedicated to providing quality information on house cleaning.
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10 Carpet Tips For Longer Lasting Carpet
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