Keeping Your Carpet Clean

Although there are so many carpet cleaning tips, its amazing how quickly you'll forget what they are when you have a spill. Fortunately, we've put together a quick reference for you to help you out.

 

Its important to remember that keeping your carpet clean doesn't start and stop with the stain. It actually starts well before the stain is created. It starts with vacuuming your carpets at least once a week, especially in heavy traffic areas. Remember, when you are trying to get a stain out, if you haven't vacuumed, its not just the stain you are trying to combat, its also all of the dirt, dust and build up in your carpet.

 

If you vacuum your carpet frequently, you'll find that it will actually prolong the life of your carpet, since you are protecting the carpet fibers from a build up of gritty particles.

 

The vast majority of the American population has carpeting somewhere in their homes. Despite the widespread use of carpet as a viable flooring material, you would be shocked and amazed to know how few people really know how to properly care for their carpet. The danger of this is the fact that unclean carpets are not only unsightly in appearance; they also breed germs, cultivate bacteria, and are a health hazard. Perhaps this article can help you properly care for your carpet so that it can be as clean as you believe it to be.

The first thing you should realize is that there are many different types of carpet. For each type of carpet, there is a cleaning technique that works best. Common carpet fibers include cotton, wool, silk, and other plant fibers. Each type of carpeting material will have specific care requirements as well as cleaning solutions, which will work best. For instance, wool should not be cleaned in the presence of heat and is especially susceptible to the damaging power of bleach. Having this little bit of information about your carpet can help you make wiser decisions when it comes to caring for your carpet.

In addition to the many materials that carpets are made of, there are also many different cleaning materials on the market for the cleaning of carpet. Carpet cleaning is not simply wetting the carpet down then wicking up the moisture. Carpet cleaning involves the gentle removal of deeply embedded dirt. The need to be both gentle and thorough is what often causes the most difficulty when it comes to properly cleaning carpet.

The hot water extraction method is a prime example of a method that is highly effective for most carpet cleaning needs. Although for reasons mentioned above this is not a recommended method for the cleaning of wool carpets it is a viable alternative for the cleaning of other carpet materials. In this method, which is also referred to as steam cleaning, heat is used in order to suspend dirt particles that have become embedded in the carpet. Then a cleaning agent is injected into the pile for the purpose of removing those particles. Heat and fans are used to quickly and effectively dry the carpet after this method is applied (be sure to check with your service to make sure this is included or find the cost of adding it as it is much favorable to waiting around for the carpet to dry).

If the wet method isn’t for you or you have wool carpet, you may want to consider the dry extraction method for carpet cleaning. This method engages the use of chemicals in order to accomplish without water what was accomplished with water before. After the foam dries or once the powder has set a powerful vacuum is used in order to remove the particles of dirt and detergent at the same time.