Have Fresh Clean Carpets Between Carpet Cleaning

The single biggest part of a well kept home is fresh, clean carpets. After a professional carpet cleaning visit your carpets are sure to look brand new. But what about between carpet cleaning visits? Follow these tips and you will be sure to have fresh, clean carpets all the time!

- The first and best form of carpet cleaning is always prevention. Taking proper care and maintaining your carpet will save you money from having to buy expensive cleaning products.

- Most stains are removed best by blotting. Never rub carelessly at a carpet stain, this may only cause it to smear and become permanent. Also, doing this will weaken the fiber causing your carpet to wear out quicker.

Stains that are not treated correctly or quickly often reappeat at the surface of your carpets. You may have thought you've cleaned the stain, but soon after you'll see the same making its way to the surface of your rug. To prevent this, cover the stain with a thick cloth and weigh down with something heavy overnight, allowing the cloth to absorb the stain, then, clean as usual.

- Always let blotted stains air dry naturally. Never use an iron or a hair dryer to dry a carpet stain, this will only seal the stain permanently on your rug.

- Make sure to professionally deep clean the carpet often. Steam cleaners designed for rental use, if not used properly, can cause mold and mildew. Also, rental machines are not nearly as effective as commercial grade equipment used by most professional carpet cleaners. A thorough cleaning will be needed at the very least every six months.

- For mold and mildew, you can go in for a non-chlorine bleach or lemon juice and salt solution for colored fabrics. Just slightly brush the area with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (one part of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to five parts of water), provided you are sure that the solution doesn't harm the fabric of the carpet.

To maintain a clean carpet, watch for spills and take care of them immediatly. Just using water on the spill often works well. And, if that doesn't work, expand your search. You will find several products on the market that can help you to get rid of spills quickly. These products range in uses and can be helpful when you match them with the type of spill that has occurred. You can also use a mixture of water and vinegar to help you keep the stains out. Taking immediate action can help to prevent spills from becoming stains, leaving you with a clean carpet.

- A clean carpet is one that is taken care of. Vacuum 4-5 times per week for regular and high traffic areas. Take the time to vacuum often enough and make sure to do it correctly. That means going over the floor in several directions to allow the vacuum to pick up all the debris it can. A high quality vacuum is the best choice. Make sure to use it correctly as you are directed by the manufacturer. Also, make sure to keep the bags or containers empty and filters clean as well.

It is best to use the mildest cleaning products available on your carpets. Use only harsher ones with stubborn stains and certain spillages. Mild carpet shampoos are still always the best solution.

- When using a cleaning product, the trick is "read the label and follow the manufacturer's instruction" if not sure check the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

- The best tip of all tips: Shoes track most of the soil onto carpets. The proper use of an entrance mat can significantly reduce the amount of soild that is tracked on the carpet surface. When using entrance mats there are two very important considerations for making them as effective as possible. The first is the mat must be long enough length should be between 6 to 12 feet long, with 10 to 12 feet long being the best. There also needs to be mats placed outside the building. These will remove the larger particles of soil. The second is they must be cleaned on a regular basis before they reach the point of total saturation. When a mat reaches this point it can no longer hold the soils and they end up spilling onto the floors it is protecting. Monitoring areas outside the building and well positioned entrance mats are ways we can prevent most of the soils from entering the house or building. No matter how efficient your protective maintenance is, a certain amount of soil will get in.