Carpet cleaning

If you have carpet on your floor or floors, it will get dirty. This is just a fact of life. It doesn't matter if you take your shoes off as soon as you enter your home and remain barefoot the whole time you are inside your home, the carpet is still going to get dirty (maybe not as quick, but it will eventually).

Normal every day things such as our pets, the dander from our pets, little every day accidents and even the normal dust and dirt that will accumulate no matter how hard we try to keep our home clean, will eventually cause our carpet to become dirty and eventually warrant a good cleaning.

Cleaning your carpet is something every home owner should do at least once or twice a year. Of course, we know by cleaning our carpet it will look better. But it will also smell better and fresher. Plus, while we are cleaning it we are removing allergens such as dust, pollen and possibly pet dander that is not good for our health.

There are two ways in which we can have our carpet cleaned. We can hire a professional cleaning service to come in and clean it for us or do it ourselves.

The advantages to hiring a professional is that we don't have to do the work ourselves, they may have better and stronger equipment than we do (this equipment may be able to get out all of the water better than the cleaners we are able to afford to buy or rent) and they should be better trained at removing tough stains and dirt. The disadvantage may be the cost. To save money, you could watch for specials in your local papers or think about having your carpet cleaned close to the holidays (the time many companies will run sales).

If we choose to clean the carpet ourselves, we can either buy a carpet cleaner and thus have it on hand whenever we need or want it. If we don't want or can't afford to buy a cleaner, we can rent one at many department stores and hardware stores.

The main advantage of doing the cleaning ourselves is the savings in cost. Yet, another advantage is that we can do it when we want it, no worrying about schedules. Plus, some people just hates the thought of someone doing their cleaning for them or having strangers in their home when it is a mess.

If you do wish to try cleaning your own carpet here are some tips to keep in mind:

Test your carpet before cleaning, if you are using a new cleaning product. Not every cleaner will work with every carpet or every color pattern. Test a spot that isn't so obvious such as corner. Wait over night and see if the area still looks okay. If it does, you know the cleaner will be safe to use on your entire floor.

Try not to dig when you are working on a spot. The best method is to gently scrap the spot. Work your way towards the middle of the spot and then back out towards the edge. Use a damp towel to wipe up excess water and cleaner detergent.

Do not over do it on the detergent. If you use too much, it will be hard to get it all back out of the carpet.

Do not over wet the carpet with water, either. This will make it hard to dry.

Plus do not forget the basic carpet care tips that you should do regularly:

Vacuum frequently. This helps to remove the dirt before it gets ground into your carpet and helps to keep it cleaner and fresher between major cleanings.

Wipe up or treat spots as soon as they occur or are spotted. The longer a stain sits the harder it will be to remove.

As you all ready know, carpet is expensive. Plus, it may be hard to find another pattern or color you like as well as what you have. For these reasons, we all should do what we can to make our carpet last as long as possible. This means we should all take the time for regularly vaccuming and cleaning.