Carpet Cleaning Tips

Your home's flooring gives each room its own distinct personality. Depending on the colors, material, and texture you use, you can achieve different effects and feelings in an area. The overall look and feel of a room can be changed depending on what flooring you choose.

Carpeting is a very popular flooring choice for many homes. Carpet is quite versatile, and it is available in all kinds of textures, colors, patterns, materials, and lengths. Whatever room you need to cover, there is a type of carpet that will complement it well.

Carpet isn't going to retain its beauty without a little help from you, however. You must take care of your floor by cleaning it regularly using the right methods. Using certain tools and helpful knowledge, you can learn how to keep your carpet looking amazing.

The following tips can help you keep your carpet in great condition:

• Vacuum the floor often, at least on a weekly basis. Even if the carpet doesn't look dirty, there can still be debris hiding in the fibers that can turn into a problem if left alone. Pick up dirt, dust, and debris with your vacuum cleaner to prevent stains and messes. Be sure to vacuum high-traffic areas more often.
• If something spills on the carpet, clean it right away. The sooner you clean up the mess, the less likely it is to stain. Scrape anything solid, and then absorb any excess moisture using a rag. Don't wipe the rag around—blot at the spill to avoid spreading a stain. Use a carpet spot cleaner according the package directions to remove what is left of the stain.
• Do a deep-cleaning of your carpet once in a while. This could involve the use of a carpet extractor, which uses steam to remove dirt stuck deep down in the carpet fibers. You can buy or rent the machinery needed for this task.
• Before you use any new carpet cleaner, test a little on a hidden spot of carpet. Make sure that the cleaner does not harm or discolor your carpet before proceeding to use it on other areas of the floor.

If you take good care of your carpet, you can expect it to last for a long time and look great for years. It just takes a few minutes of vacuuming per week, occasional deep cleaning, and cleaning up spills as soon as you can.