Basic Cleaning of Carpets and Rugs

Your home is your castle and it should be kept clean to help prevent illnesses like asthma and allergies. The home environment is very important to your health. Keeping your carpeting, carpets or rugs contributes to a healthy home.

Weekly carpet cleaning:
All carpets need to be vacuumed often to keep them clean from dust and dirt. When your carpet is vacuumed one or twice a week it will help prevent a gritty buildup and the carpet will last for a longer period of time. Vacuuming your carpet will also help kill the dust mites that like to hide in the warm and dark places as well.

Every 2 or 3 weeks go around the room with the crevice tool on your sweeper and clean around the carpet near the baseboards. Dust mites and dirt will get in there and they are hard to reach with just the vacuum or wand.

When you are vacuuming divide the room into ¼ sections. Move everything over and vacuum slowly going over it three or four times each. Dirt and dust mites get ground in and they need to be suctioned out a little bit at a time. Repeat making sure all 4 sections is done.

In front of chairs where people sit be sure to move the vacuum sweeper in a crisscross motion overlapping as you go. Vacuum slowly to reach the ground in dirt that has come from shoes and people moving their feet from side to side. Vacuuming in a crisscross motion will bring the nap up to match the other areas.

Sprinkle a little baking soda on the areas before vaccuming to remove oders in the carpet and air. This will help to keep your rooms smelling clean and fresh.

You can also buy powders and sprays to help keep your carpet free from dust mites and to make your room smell fresh. These can be purchased at most grocery stores or anywhere that cleaning supplies are sold.

While you’re vacuuming the floor doesn’t forget the furniture-- dust mites and dirt build up on them too. The powders and sprays that you use on the carpet can be used for the furniture as well.

Cleaning up spots and spills:
When something gets spilled or you see a spot that need to be removed, do it immediately. Leaving it set might cause it not to come out when you do clean it. Catching it while it is fresh will make cleaning it easier.

Test your spot remover solution in a hidden area before using. Some cleaning solutions might be too strong and remove the color from your carpet. Always read the full instruction on the bottle before using any chemicals.

After applying your solution on the area with the spot don’t rub it. Always blot or scrape so you don’t rub it deeper into the carpet or it could spread to a larger area. Remove as much of the spot or stain as possible the longer it set the harder to remove.

Always remove your stain or spot working from the outside to the inside area. The stain could become larger if you clean it from the inside to outside of the area. Once the spot is removed blot the excess moisture up using a white bath towel and than brush the nap to stand back up with the rest of the carpet.

If too much moisture is still in the carpet and you want to dry it more; stack white towels about ¾ inch high in a layer over the wet area and then put a heavy object on it. This will help to draw the moisture up to dry the area.