Top Carpet Maintenance Tips

There’s nothing quite like moving into a new place and seeing that flawless, steam-cleaned carpeting just waiting to be broken in. Of course, over time natural wear and tear can occur thus resulting in stains, tears and other damage to the carpet. That’s why proper carpet care is important.

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Preventative Carpet Maintenance

For most people, proper carpet care means vacuuming once or twice a week and then forgetting about it. But while vacuuming is certainly crucial, there are many other effective ways to maintain a carpet. Some may feel that worrying about their carpeting to such an extent is a waste of energy, but it is just this regular maintenance that can prevent extreme damage and save the homeowner quite a bit of cash down the line.

Some examples of preventative carpet maintenance include:

• Using padding under the carpeting. Good-quality padding prolongs the life of carpeting by adding more resilience. Carpet padding is especially vital on staircases.
• Rearranging furniture every so often in order to prevent prolonged carpet crushing.  Carpet coasters are also effective when used underneath table and chair legs. For those chairs with rolling wheels, the use of a chair pad is preferred.
• Cleaning area rugs on a regular basis.
• Prevention of carpeting from extended periods of exposure to direct sunlight. This can cause carpet discoloration.
• Placing mats at all home entrances and cleaning them regularly.

 Regular Vacuuming

While vacuuming isn’t the only step involved in proper carpet care, it is the most important one. The reason vacuuming is so crucial is because it sucks up dry soil particles that work themselves deep down into the fibers over time. Needles to say, these particles can be extremely damaging to carpeting and should be removed. To this end, carpeting that experiences a high volume of traffic should be vacuumed daily.

Some tips regarding vacuum cleaners include:

• Find a quality vacuum cleaner. This may cost more money, but oftentimes the less expensive models do not effectively remove hidden dirt and debris particles.
• Use a vacuum with a rotating brush in order to effectively loosen dirt and debris. To find the right brush or bar height, raise the brush or bar to its highest setting and then slightly lower it until it just touches the top of the carpet.
• Use high-efficiency vacuum bags and replace them when they become 2/3 full.

Spot and Stain Removal

One of the most common issues that affect carpeting is spillage, which can then result in spots and stains. Some tips for proper spill removal include:

• Using a small amount of liquid detergent mixed with water in order to clean up spills and stains.
• Using a solution of 1 part white wine vinegar and 1 part water to clean up spills and stains.
• Cleaning carpet messes with paper towels and cloths.
• Using nail-polish remover to remove stubborn stains.
• Using chewing-gum remover to get rid of stuck-on debris.

By following these simple tips, it should be possible to maintain healthy carpeting for years to come. And by using a quality vacuum with the requisite brushes, it is possible to keep this healthy carpeting looking its shiny best.

Wade Berth is a product specialist for Wholesale Janitorial Supply. He specializes in finding quality janitorial supplies at wholesale prices