Having carpet in your home can be great. It adds warmth and comfort, and it helps to muffle the sound of footsteps so you can live more quietly. But carpet also attracts dirt and dust, which can accumulate over time if they’re not regularly cleaned up.
Below are some carpet cleaning tips that will help extend carpet life and keep it looking good.
PRO TIP: Before you get started, check out this article on 6 different types of carpeting you need to know. You will surely find helpful information that you need for your carpet maintenance!
When carpet first arrives, there is a chemical scent that can be overwhelming. It’s best to air the carpet out before bringing furniture into the room so as to avoid trapping some of the carpet odor chemicals under furniture coverings. If you do have a carpet with an overpowering initial odor, you’ll need to clean it twice in order to get rid of the carpet smell.
You can reduce carpet dust by vacuuming regularly with a good quality upright or canister vacuum cleaner. Vacuum at least daily, and preferably two or three times per week, in order to pull up much of the dirt before it has time to settle into carpet fibers.
If carpet is exposed to sunlight for any length of time, it will fade and weaken. To prevent carpet from fading or turning light and yellow, place carpet protectors under furniture legs so as to avoid indentations in carpeting that may occlude carpet fibers and allow them to wear more quickly.
It’s a good idea to test carpet for color fastness before using a carpet cleaning product on carpet.
If you have a carpet stain, it’s important to remove the stain as soon as possible. The longer the spill sits in carpeting, the more likely it will become permanent.
To deal with carpet stains, first use a spoon or dull knife to lift away as much of the carpet spill as possible. Then pour some carpet cleaning solution onto a clean white cloth or paper towel and blot the carpet stain to remove remaining carpet grime.
One way of dealing with carpet spills is to try and soak them up immediately using a clean, absorbent white cloth or newspaper, which will wick up the spilled carpet liquid without staining carpet fibers.
If the carpet spill is very fresh, you might be able to soak up carpet spills using a pet’s white absorbent litter. This can be removed later with a paper towel or cloth that has been dipped in carpet cleaning solution.
For older carpet stains, use an upholstery cleaner machine with a carpet cleaning brush. If you don’t have a carpet cleaner solution, try using a carpet stain remover product.
Pouring carpet shampoo or carpet cleaner directly onto carpet stains can make it harder to extract the carpet cleaning solution from carpet later on, so it’s best to avoid pouring such products directly onto carpet as much as possible.
Car carpet cleaning solution that is either mop-on or spray-on can be used at home. Follow the directions on the container and use a clean mop or bucket and sponge for application. If carpet stains are present, use carpet stain remover product first, and then carpet cleaner solution.
If the carpet is very dirty or has a lot of carpet stains that require special attention, it might be best to call a carpet cleaning professional. Ask your local carpet cleaner if he offers free carpet care consultations .
It’s a good idea to do some basic carpet maintenance yourself in order to lengthen carpet life, but carpet cleaning professionals are much more equipped to deal with serious carpet stains and heavy carpet soiling.
PRO TIP: To help you find out what you should look for in a cleaning company, read this article Who Are The Best Office Cleaners in New Jersey. This will surely guide you in choosing the best cleaning company in your area!