Around 80% of the soils that enter a building or home are dry.  The remaining 20% are greases, oils, and starches.  Keeping a carpet clean will extend its life while keep it looking new for a longer period of time. A clean carpet will also reduce household allergens and dust helping to protect the health of your family.  Following are a few tips that will help you care for your carpet.

Tip 1 Vacuuming

The dry soil types are easily removed by vacuuming.  As long as they are removed on a daily basis, it will help to minimize the damage to the carpet. Regular thorough, deep vacuuming is surely the most important step when it comes to carpet care.  While non-traffic areas can be vacuumed quickly major traffic areas should be vacuumed in more than one direction as you run the vacuum slowly giving it time to pick up the deeper soil. Not all vacuum cleaners are equal and a good quality vacuum will do a better job of cleaning. A good quality vacuum is not necessarily the most expensive. Visit some of the websites at the Carpet and Rug Business Directory to learn more about vacuums that they have tested.

Tip 2 Walk Off Mats

Keep those dry and gritty outdoor soils from being tracked on to your wall to wall carpet. One of the best and easiest ways to do this is to use walk off mats and area rugs at entrances. Always use entrance mats outside of your doors and make sure that anyone who enters your home use the mats to help get debris and dirt off of their shoes before they enter. Where possible also use an area rug or walk off mat inside your door to help trap soil missed by the outside mats. All mats and rugs need to be vacuumed and cleaned regularly so that they are trapping dirt and not placing dirt on to your shoes.

Tip 3 Shoes

Many people prefer that their family and guest go shoeless on their carpet. This can be helpful, especially if you have slippers that are only worn indoors that you slip into upon entering.  The oils from oily bare feet will transfer from ones feet to the carpet.

Tip 4 Pets

If you have pets you need to understand that oil does transfer from pet hair to carpet. Placing an area rug in areas where your pets like to lay will provide excellent protection for your carpet.

Tip 5 Spots and Spills

Keep your eye out for spills and take care of them in a quick manner to keep your carpet clean.  Most spots and spills can be easily cleaned by blotting with no more than clean tap water and a towel. If water does not work you will need to use a cleaning product for the specific type of spot you are experiencing problems with.  See Spot Cleaning Chart.

Tip 6 Deep Cleaning

Have your carpet professionally deep cleaned before it becomes too soiled.  A good thorough cleaning for your higher traffic areas should be performed at least every 12 to 18 months. See More on Cleaning Methods

A well maintained home and clean carpet will not only add value to your home it will also extend the life of your carpet, protect your carpet warranty, reduce household and pet odors, assist you in keeping your family healthy and your friends and other visitors will be impressed at how nice your home looks.

Optical Brighteners

While optical brighteners can make a carpet appear cleaner, they have a harmful effect on carpet fibers. Technical people in the carpet industry have unanimously taken a stand against the use of brightening agents in the cleaning process. But, even with all of the adverse publicity, optical brighteners or color brighteners, as they are often called, are still used in some spot cleaning products, shampoo, dry-foam and extraction detergents.

Optical brighteners are actually dyes, which reflect the light and eventually cause yellowing in carpet fibers. For this reason alone, every legitimate carpet cleaning company should outlaw their use.

Tags: carpet, carpet protection, Cleaning, dry cleaning, spot cleaning, steam carpet cleaning, steam cleaning