Carpet Care Tips
The most important of my carpet care tips? You'll find it
at the top of the list below. Use the five other tips as well,
and you'll get years more use from your carpet.
Top Carpet Care Tips
1. Keep carpet clean. Dirt and sand act like thousands
of little razor blades that cut carpet fibers. Damaged carpet
stains more easily, and it's harder to remove the stains from
it as well. Vacuum often to remove dirt, and your carpet will
last longer.
2. Have rugs. Use rugs outside and inside the front
door, and any other entrances. They can catch much of the dirt
that people bring in on their feet. That means less vacuuming
and longer carpet life.
3. Take off shoes. This is a sure way to make carpet
last longer. If you have a nice home with nice carpet, people
usually aren't offended by this policy.
4. Clean up stains quickly and properly. If using a
cleaning solvent other than water, apply it to a cloth first,
and work it in from the outside of the stain to the center, so
you don't spread the spot. Apply the cleaner, extract (blot),
rinse, extract, and repeat until you can't get more of the stain
out. Extract solvents completely, and dry the carpet quickly
when you're done. If there is any stain remaining deeper down
in the carpet, quick drying prevents it from wicking up to the
surface.
5. Remove stains with a shop-vac. It's a great help
when cleaning stains. You can't just suck out the stain, but
you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck the solution
out each time.It's more effective than blotting up the water
with cloth, mostly because you won't have the patience to wash,
rinse and extract enough times if you're using paper towels or
cloth.
6. Vacuum before cleaning. If you use a portable machine,
at least get the water as hot as you can, and dry the carpet
quickly, using fans to move the air around. You won't match the
results of a good truck-mount hot water extraction unit. However,
if you want to save money, doing your own cleaning can lengthen
the time between expensive professional cleanings.
Do you want carpet clean enough for the kids to play on? Want
it to last for years longer than normal? Just use these basic
carpet care tips.
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