Is there anything more beautiful than a clean and odor-free home? However, many consider once-a-week dusting and vacuuming sufficient enough and are oblivious to details such as regular maintenance of blinds, curtains and carpets. Regardless of whether you have smooth, texture or shag plush carpet from wall to wall or just few area rugs, regular maintenance and detailed carpet cleaning at least twice a year is of utmost importance. To learn how to properly care for your carpets to ensure they last longer and continue looking as new, read our tips below.
Vacuuming – This is an obvious one and many may argue they vacuum regularly. Unless you vacuum at least twice a week, you should do it more often. This will help remove dirt, hair and other dirt particles from your carpet and keep the surface clean. Also, avoid wearing shoes in the house. Get into the habit of remove shoes when entering the house and leave them either in front or near the door to avoid transfer of mud, road dirt and other debris on your carpets.
Spot Clean – Make sure you clean any spilled drink or food immediately to avoid stubborn stains and hours of scrubbing later.
Stay Away From Liquid Detergents – Another tip is not to use liquid dish or laundry detergents on your carpet since they are harder to get out of carpet and will thus stay in and attract more dirt. Instead, choose specialized carpet cleaning detergents which can be found in almost any bigger supermarket. Also, completely wash out liquid detergent. The best way to do this is with the use of a steam cleaner. Mix half a cup of vinegar with 10 liters of water and clean your carpet with it. This will remove any detergent residue that may be left in the carpet.
However, there are times when the usual routine cleaning does not help in removing all stains. The best is to contact professional carpet cleaners and have them clean your carpet. Even if your carpet is stain-free, periodic detailed carpet cleaning is recommended. Depending on your budget, you can choose between steam or dry cleaning. Both methods are efficient in removing any accumulated dust and dirt particles and will refresh your carpet. The difference is that dry cleaning uses dry chemical solutions and has very little drying time. Steam cleaning, on the other hand, uses steam and hot water to remove any dirt. It is recommended not to use carpet for at least 12 hours after steam cleaning to ensure carpet has dried thoroughly.
Regardless of whether you’ll have professional carpet cleaners clean your carpets and/or rugs or will do it on your own, regular maintenance is recommended. Vacuum at least twice a week and spot clean when necessary to keep your carpets looking new.