Our carpets make up most of the floor space in our homes, and this is why it’s so hard to maintain them. They get stood on, walked on, have things dropped on them. The amount of abuse our floors receive is astonishing.
So, if you’re looking at your ragged carpet and want to make it shine, what can you do? You’re in the right place to have that question answered. The following post will run down ten top carpet maintenance tips for people of any skill level. Get on it!
1. As soon as you get a new carpet, vacuum it
Even though it’s brand new, doesn’t mean it’s clean. You never know where your carpet has been or what bacteria it contains. Aside from this, new carpets contain a ton of loose fibers which can be easily removed by giving the carpet a
quick vacuum. 2. And after that, vacuum it regularly
It goes without saying, but you really should vacuum regularly. At least
once a week. If you have pets like a cat or a dog, you should probably do it twice. If you have a fish, once will be fine. Obviously.
Dropped food, bedbugs, outside dirt and even our own skin and nails can all be contained by your carpets fabric trappings. So be thorough with that vacuum, for the good of your health!
3. Professional cleaning methods
Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do to those carpets without substantial help. Utilizing a professional
carpet cleaning service is a good way to get that help, and get your carpet back to 100 percent freshness.
So, whether you’ve a huge greasy stain or a patch of coffee on the floor, all is not lost. One benefit that professional methods often have over home ones is that they tend to last longer. So if you’re sick of constantly pruning your floor, consider this an option.
4. Getting rid of that chewing gum
That sinking feeling when you drop some gum on the carpet is horrible. Well, let it be horrible no more! There are a number of handy home solutions that can help you get it off the floor, fast.
Firstly, place a number of fresh ice cubes in a ziplock bag or a tea towel. Just make sure it’s thin enough to be able to let that cold through. Then, place the pack of ice directly onto the gum, for as long as possible. Once the ice cubes start to melt, you should probably stop. All being well, the gum is cold enough to simply be scraped off with a knife.
This method won’t get every tiny piece up, so be prepared to take the scissors to your carpet. You’ll only have to cut off a few of the uppermost fibers, so it should be unnoticeable.
5. Blot liquid spillages as fast as possible!
If you spill something on the floor, jump to action as soon as possible! Get some blotting paper or tissue to mop it up. The quicker you do it, the less likely it is to make a stain. If you want to
sell your home quicker, a dirty carpet will not help at all.
6. However, if a liquid spillage causes a stain…
If there is a slight stain, you can use a number of home cleaning methods to get it off. You can mix vinegar and soap, or use a store-bought cleaning product. A lot of these are actually quite good at getting rid of stains permanently, so don’t fret if you spill something.
7. No shoes in the house people!
Around
39 percent of shoes contain bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. I know right?! And all this time you’ve been allowing shoes in the house. There’s no telling just what they will bring in with them, and there’s no telling just what our carpets are harboring in their fibers.
So consider investing in a
shoe cupboard, or just insist on placing shoes by the door. On top of cutting the bacteria entering your home, this will have several other benefits. You won’t have high heels dragging along the floor, damaging your fibers, for starters.
8. Utilize a steam cleaner
You can use steam cleaners to clean almost every surface in your home, and carpets are no exception. They’re compact, easily storable devices that can turn even the most stained of floors into something fresh.
Steam cleaners heat up the water in their containers to over 200 degrees fahrenheit, so it’s hot hot hot. This high heat will then pick up any stains or marks on your floor, that previously may have been hard to remove.
Most surfaces are porous, and the steam can penetrate these pores like no other cleaning method can. The heat will weaken the connection between the dirt and the material on your flooring. So, think about adding a steam cleaner to your carpet-cleaning arsenal.
9. Carry appliances, don’t drag them
Whether you’re bringing a new cupboard into the house or are shifting the Christmas tree, don’t drag it along the floor. This can damage the fibers of the floor and make it down very, very quickly.
Always try to
lift heavy items off the floor and carry them that way. Your carpet will receive no damage this way and will look all the better for it. If it isn’t possible to lift it, or you’re on your own, then you can try something else too. Try sliding some cardboard or an old pillow underneath the part of the item that touches the carpet the most. This way, you’ll reduce the impact the weight will have on your carpet’s wear.
10. Put down a rug to take the brunt of the force
If you have a huge TV on a stand, or a large table, or indeed a couch, that heavy bit of furniture is slowly wearing down your carpet. One way to stop this constant wear is to move the furniture around, but if this isn’t practical, then you have one option left.
Put down rugs to take the brunt of the force. This way, your expensive carpets won’t be constantly under fire, and a cheaper rug can take more of the weight. Of course, the rug will then be worn down, but at least that’s easily replaceable.
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