Carpet Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

As carpet cleaning is always best done professionally, regularly cleaning your carpet promotes a healthy indoor environment. Maintaining your carpet may seem to be a difficult feat, especially if you have children and pets, as they may soil and spill drinks more often. To prolong your carpet life and avoid premature wearing out, vacuum cleaning your carpet at least three times a week, focusing on areas where heavy traffic occurs.

When doing this, vacuum the area multiple times in different directions. This will ensure that deep-seated dirt will be removed and absorbed by the vacuum cleaner. It is helpful to check on your vacuum cleaner and see if it has High Efficiency Particulate (HEPA), to clean your carpet more effectively.

On areas where heavy traffic is, it is best to have a rag to slow down the process of easy wear and tear. It is also helpful to move the furniture around to evenly distribute the effect of heavy traffic around the room. Generally, this will improve the overall appearance of the room, as it will avoid exposing areas already worn out. After all, those areas may not look as clean as it should be even when vacuumed, due to material deterioration.

While dirt is one problem, stain is another. It is always helpful to have an absorbent cloth around the house, particularly where food and drinks could get spilled. Have an absorbent cloth underneath a side table on your living room, where spills are likely, especially when there are guests. This will help you quickly remove stains when spills occur for immediate carpet cleaning and maintenance. Blot the area possibly while it is still wet for ease in absorption. 

Depending on the kind of material that your carpet is made of, carpet cleaning may be easy or hard for some. Synthetic fibers are easier to clean, and are more water resistance. The same goes for acrylic and nylon. Wool however, absorbs water easily and is best for areas where food and drinks are less likely to be served or consumed. How the carpet was manufactured also determines how surface stains can be absorbed easily, when cleaned. A tightly woven carpet leaves the stains and on the surface, avoiding it to seep through and settle into the carpet further.

Apart from keeping the dirt and stains, disinfecting and deodorizing is also a part of the carpet cleaning process. There are carpet disinfectants available in the market to avoid mold and mildew to build up, and reduce bacteria especially on areas where stain and dirt are. At the same time, deodorizers help keep the unwanted smells from the carpet being soiled. This is very helpful especially if you have pets that would run around the house with dirty feet.

A more organic option to reducing odors is baking soda. Add a few to your vacuum bag to reduce smells. Additionally, to reduce stains and smells upon carpet cleaning, apply soil retardants for protection. This is also applicable to new carpets to help repel dirt.