7 Ways To Maintain Clean Carpets - Expert Carpet Care Tips

When it comes to maintaining your clean carpet, one of the most essential areas of focus are high traffic areas. If dirt & soil is not removed on a regular basis, the traffic areas will begin to wear excessively. The dirt is extremely abrasive and damaging against the fibers of the carpet as you walk back and forth on it. The 2nd area of focus is exact spot removal. You must react to "danger" spots immediately. Blood, urine, red wine, red beverages, etc. can cause permanent staining if not treated immediately.
Listed below are 7 steps to help you maintain your clean carpets.

1. Vacuuming
Vacuum your carpet often, twice a week at the least. Vacuuming removes the abrasive soil that can cut and slice the fibers causing premature wear. Much of this soil is not visible to the naked eye. Vacuum before the carpet looks soiled. Remove any loose particles such as loose food, leaves, pieces of crayon, bugs, etc. as these items can cause a spot on the carpet.

2. Professional Cleaning
As a general rule, carpet cleaning by a professional, certified carpet cleaning company should take place at least once a year. For heavy traffic areas, cleaning may be required more often. Proper professional cleaning will not leave a sticky residue behind and can be done as many times per year as needed. Many stain resistant warranties require professional cleaning every 2 years. Professional cleaning removes the damaging soil in traffic areas that vacuuming has not been able to remove. Warning: Some warranties may void unprofessional carpet cleanings.

3. Warranty
You can warranty you carpet or your carpet cleanings. You can also make the most of various stain resistant warranties. Stain resist warranties can vary from 5 to 20 years. All stain warranties require regular cleaning & immediate spot removal.

4. Spot Removal & Interim Cleaning
Immediate spot removal is the key to clean carpet. Great care also must be taken in how spot cleaning is performed. When a carpet is new, or has sufficient protector on it, plain tap water will remove many spots. However, for those spots that will not move easily with water, you must use a spot cleaner. Select a spot cleaner that is recommended by the carpet manufacturer or your trained certified professional cleaner. Most spot removers that are purchased over the counter leave too much soap residue and can cause yellowing. Avoid using foam carpet cleaners or any product that is not made specifically for carpet. (We have a great one, just asks your carpet technician.)
Apply spot cleaner sparingly to terry cloth and gently massage spot causing it to transfer into the cloth. Never pour spot cleaner directly on carpet. If the product that you are using seems to cause the spot to reappear over a few weeks, discontinue use. For any spot that you are not able to remove, such as pet urine or feces, call us immediately.

5. Protective Coatings
Residential carpets are treated with stain resist properties and soil resistors. The carpet manufacturers recommend that you re-apply protector after cleaning. The soil resistor will help the soil slide off the carpet easier when vacuuming, spots will be easier to remove, and professional cleaning will be more effective.

6. Rugs by Doors
Placing mats and dirt attracting rugs in front of your doors before entering your home can reduce carpet abrasion and high traffic staining greatly. Mats can remove dirt from your shoes before they get on your carpets. Just remember to keep those rugs clean!

7. Shoes of in the House
If you remove your shoes upon entering the home (assuming your socks are clean) you can prevent high traffic staining and dirt from entering your whole place. This may seem cultural in some homes. But, it's really one of the best ways to keep your home clean from outside dirt & germs that your dirty shoes could bring.

There you have it, 7 ways to keep your carpets clean. Just remember to hire a professional when doing the job. Many times a bad carpet cleaner does more long-term damage to your carpets than not even getting them cleaned at all. So hire professionals, so you only have to get your carpets cleaned once or twice a year, and so that they last for decades.