Learn How to Extend the Life of Your Carpets and Rugs with These Cleaning Tips

Freshen up Your Home

Here are a few of the best tips and tricks for cleaning carpets at home. We will explain how to look after your carpets yourself, DIY carpet cleaning, and also when to hire professionals.

Good carpet cleaning is important for a number of reasons. It will extend the life of your carpets and lift the entire area making it look great and smell good. Regular vacuuming and carpet cleaning will also make the area healthier as it will trap and remove the dust, and allergens. This will improve air quality leading to better health.

Carpet Maintenance

Vacuuming

The first step in carpet maintenance and cleaning is regular and effective vacuuming. High traffic areas in the home should be vacuumed two to three times per week and all other areas at least weekly.

It is important to use a good quality vacuum cleaner with sufficient power to suck up all dust and dirt. You also need to set the vacuum to the correct height. Too low and you risk damaging the carpet as well as the drive belt and rollers on the vacuum cleaner. Too high and it will not clean effectively.

Start with a clean bag or filter for maximum power and clean at the correct speed. Some areas will need more than one pass over with the vacuum cleaner. Not vacuuming often and properly will lead to dirt being crushed into the carpet fibers which will be harder to remove.

Blot Spills as They Happen

To reduce the damage, blot stains and spills as they happen. Use a sponge, cloth or paper towel to absorb as much of the spill as possible. Always work from the outside in.

Schedule Carpet Cleaning

Do not wait until the carpets need cleaning — instead, schedule regular cleans ahead of time. The average household will need to have their carpets cleaned every six months, but if you have pets or lots of traffic it might need to be done more often.

Use Doormats

Effective doormats can prevent a lot of dirt and liquid from coming into contact with the carpets which make them easier to keep clean. A dirty doormat will not work well so be sure to keep them clean at all times.

Interior doormats can also be used if you have active children or high traffic.

DIY or Hire a Professional?

One can get a professional in to do the carpet cleaning for you. They have the correct equipment and materials as well as the experience and knowledge to do a great job. They will also do all the heavy lifting and get the job done professionally and quickly.

You can also choose to do it yourself. You will have to read up on the best way to remove stains and follow the instructions, but you can rent a carpet cleaning machine and get the necessary cleaning solutions to clean your own carpets yourself.

How to Clean Your Carpet Yourself:

• It is important to remove all furniture from the room when you clean the carpets as you don’t want patches when you do move the furniture in the future.
• As discussed above, it is important to do a good vacuum before cleaning the carpets. Then you need to treat the stains. Read up on the best way to treat the different stains. Often when you hire a carpet cleaning machine you will get a stain solution with it.
• Read the instructions and set the machine up accordingly. You will need to fill up the water (often hot water is required) and add the cleaning solution. Plug the machine in, switch it on and start cleaning.
• Work in a slow methodical way ensuring you cover all parts of the carpet. Dirty or stained areas might require that you go over them several times.
• From time to time, you will have to discard the dirty water and top up the water and cleaning solution.
• Allow the carpet to dry before moving the furniture back in and using the area again. This should only take a few hours.

When to Hire Professionals

It is great to do your own carpet cleaning. Provided you treat the stains correctly, hire the right equipment, and use the correct cleaning material and techniques, you can do a fairly effective job. This will keep your carpets looking and smelling better and help to extend their life.

Even if you know how to clean carpets and do the task diligently, it is unlikely you will do as good a job as professionals. These people specialize in carpet cleaning and they have the knowledge, skills, experience and commercial grade equipment to do an outstanding job. There is no doubt that a professional will do a deeper and more effective clean.

Over time, they have learned the best way how to clean carpets and they have perfected their skills. There is no stain they have not come across and they are experts are getting rid of them. They have equipment that is superior to the machines you can rent or buy for home use so it stands to reason that they will be able to do a better job.

If you have tried DIY cleaning and were not satisfied with the results then it is probably time to call in the specialists. If you clean the carpets yourself and they seem to look okay, it is probably still a good idea to call in professional carpet cleaners every 18 months or so (depending on traffic) to complement your efforts.

This will ensure the carpets get regular cleaning as well as regular deep professional cleaning.