You love the warm feeling of carpet during the winter months. You like how the carpet in your bedroom matches your comforter and sheets. What you don't like is keeping the carpet clean and spot free. Stains and spills happen. The key is removing them before they set into the carpet. Taking care of your carpet doesn't have to be a difficult task. With a few tips, you can keep your carpet like new for years to come.
Prevent Carpet Damage
- One way to extend your carpet's life is to avoid moving and dragging furniture across the flooring. Use coasters intended for use with carpet under heavy furniture before moving the items. The coasters will prevent the carpet's pile from being mashed down. If you don't have any carpet coasters, use heavy cardboard to keep from damaging the carpet. Vacuum the carpet immediately after moving the furniture to restore the carpet pile. Also, use a chair pad if you have any chairs or appliances with rollers on them.
- Direct sunlight can fade your carpet. Protect the flooring by directing the blinds up instead of down so the sunlight is not coming in on the carpet directly. Don't open shades all the way to the top of the windows. If you have a room with no curtains, blinds or shades but it has carpet, consider installing an awning over any windows where direct sunlight flows in regularly.
- To clean spills and spots quickly, make a cleaning solution of ¼ teaspoon of mild dish washing soap (Dawn, Joy or other non-chlorine bleach soap) and 32 ounces of water. Stay away from soaps that are creamy or cloudy---those will leave a residue. Note: If your carpet is stain- or soil-resistant, the resistant coating only improves your ability to remove spots and spills. No carpet is 100 percent stain- or soil-proof.
- When a spill/spot occurs, remove as much of the food, drink or other substance as quickly as possible. Pick up food with a paper towel, spoon or butter knife. Remove spills with several white paper towels. Place the towels over the spill, and blot repeatedly. Never rub or scrub a spill. Blot from the outer edge of the spill inward. Next apply some of your cleaning solution onto a paper towel and blot. (See the above section.) Then apply a wet paper towel to rinse out the detergent. Place several paper towels over the wet spot to draw out any remaining water.
For food spots, use some of the cleaning solution also. Next, apply a wet paper towel to rinse out the detergent. Finally, draw out any remaining water by placing several paper towels on top of the spot and pressing down. - Vacuuming alone is not enough. Your carpet should be cleaned with a commercial carpet cleaning machine at least once a year. A commercial carpet cleaner removes any dirt buried within the carpet that vacuuming alone can't remove. Rent a carpet cleaner from your local grocery or retail store. Using a professional carpet cleaning service is another option for having your carpet cleaned.
