Basic Carpet Maintenance and Cleaning

Basic maintenance of carpets and rugsStep one: absorb the spill
- Vacuum• Blot liquids with a dry, white absorbent cloth or
- Remove Spots and stainsplain white paper towels.
- Steam Clean your carpets every 12-18 months• Start at the outside of the spot and continue
Proper vacuuming is the easiest and most effectivetoward the center to prevent the stain from
way to keep your carpet clean. Vacuuming removesspreading. Continue step one until the area is barely
up to 80 % of loose soil from the carpet. It preventsdamp. Semisolids, like food spills, may need to be
loose soil and dirt from being ground into the carpetscooped up with a spoon. Solid, dried bits can be
pile, and it collaborates to improve the air you andvacuumed up.
your family breathe. How to vacuum: When you• Clean up new messes promptly and then follow
vacuum your carpet use slow, repetitivethe steps for spot and stain removal outlined in the
front-to-back motions in an overlapping sequence. If"Removing Spots and Stains".
you go to fast it will not do much. Go slowly and• Use small hand extractors for a quick cleanup of
move to the left or to the right every three or fourpet accidents but remember that these quick clean
strokes.ups don't take the place of periodic deep cleaning.
To avoid accumulation of dust, dirt, hair and blackStep two: treat the spot or stain
lines along the edges and corners use the• Use a carpet cleaning product or just warm
attachments like the brush and crevice. Edges andwater with a drop of dish washer. Though these
corners where vacuum won't reach should becarpet cleaning products have been laboratory
vacuum once a month.tested, you should still pretest any cleaner on a scrap
Remove and replace or empty vacuum bags whenof carpet or in a hidden area of your carpet.
they are half to two-third full. Remember you should• Follow the product's directions carefully. Apply a
vacuum once a week. Some traffic lines have to besmall amount of the cleaner to a white cloth and
vacuumed every day if you have heave traffic.work in gently, from the edges to the center. Blot;
Remove Spots and Stainsdon't scrub. Never use a brush. You may need to do
A two-step solution - With today's stain-resistantthis several times to remove the spot. When cleaning
carpet, treating spots and stains has never beenstains and spills, don't become overzealous. Mix the
easier. The key is to act quickly! The longer you wait,cleaning solutions according to the directions. In truth,
the higher the probability that a spill will become amore is not better. Don't use too much water; try to
permanent stain. No carpet is completely stain-proof.keep the carpet as dry as possible.