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Vacuuming
The first line of defense as a home owner against dirty
carpets is the most obvious: vacuuming. Heavy traffic areas
should be vacuumed daily. This may seem laborious but it will increase the
life and attractiveness of your carpets. Medium traffic areas should be
vacuumed twice weekly and minimal traffic areas can suffice with once weekly or
even bi-weekly.
Particles of dirt cause additional friction on the fibers
in the carpet when it is walked on and this creates additional wear, reducing
the life of the carpet.
When vacuuming you should assure that your beater bar is
set to the correct height for your specific carpet and that you move the vacuum
across the carpet at a reasonable rate. Moving the vacuum to fast will
result in dirt not being picked up, effectively making the entire process
useless.
Stain/Spot Removal
Stain removal can be a tricky business. Before using
any chemicals on your carpet you should try them out on an inconspicuous area to
begin with. This ensures that if there is any discoloration you know about
it before you go to fix a stain and make a much larger, uglier one.
Once that is taken care of its time to get down to the
stain. Using an absorbent cloth or towel blot up the excess of the
stain. Blotting is imperative as scrubbing will more than likely spread
the stain around. Apply an amount of cleaning solution to the stain
making sure not to over wet the carpet. Different stains generally have
largely different chemical make ups and as such require different cleaning
products to clean them. Make sure that you are using the appropriate
cleaning product for the type of stain that you have. Allow to sit for 10-20 seconds and
then blot with a clean cloth. Some stubborn stains may take multiple
applications and some may require professional help.
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