Home Carpet Cleaning

Carpets act as filters for an entire house. All of the dust particles in the air eventually settle into the carpet, where they are vacuumed up and removed from the home. Carpets should be vacuumed weekly to maintain their efficiency in collecting dust, and it doesn't hurt appearance wise either. High traffic areas or entrance areas from outside or a dirty garage might require more frequent cleaning.

 Choose a good quality vacuum, and select a unit with a beater bar (or power head) and a HEPA grade filter if you or any members of your family have bad allergies to dust. Keep your vacuum cleaner itself clean and in good working order. An excellent choice for a vacuum is a built in canister style. These are great because they remove the dust completely away from the main living area. For spot cleaning check out our Do's and Don'ts of carpet cleaning. Always be sure to blot the stained area, and check for special instructions for removing different types of stains. Do not overwet wall-to-wall carpeting - excessive wetting can cause the fabric backing to shrink. Sometimes this shrinkage can even cause tears in the carpet.

For many non oil-based stains on water-treatable cotton and wool rugs, a good solution to begin with is ¼ teaspoon clear dishwashing liquid and 1 cup warm water. Dirt is a lot easier to get out than mud. That means if your kids track mud over your Oriental runner in the hallway, let it dry first. Then lift up as much as you can with a dull knife or the handle of a spoon and vacuum the rest. If there is still a residual effect, like a slight shading where the mud was, use the above detergent solution.