carpet cleaning

Vacuuming is where the majority start when maintaining their carpeting.
That, then, is where we'll start this article on carpet-cleaning tips. But it isn't where the article will end. We'll present all sorts of tips for cleaning, removing stains and working with assorted other issues.
At present though, we'll get to the essentials :

* Carpets need to be vacuumed once per week and more often in places of heavy traffic. Frequent vacuuming extends the life of your carpet by forestalling a buildup of gritty particles which will cut the carpet fibres.
Every couple of weeks, take a little further time and use your crevice tool for cleaning around baseboards and radiators and in other hard-to-reach places.

* To vacuum wall to wall carpeting, divide the floor into imaginary square and vacuum a complete square before heading off to the next. .

* Take it slowly when you vacuum a carpet, particularly a plush carpet in which mud is sure to be well ground in. One pass with a high-powered upright cleaner isn't really enough. Go over each section of carpeting many times, and work slowly to allow the suction to shed all of the ground-in dust and mud.

* Pay more attention to the areas where folks sit and move their feet. Vacuum these areas of heavy-traffic with a crisscross pattern of overlapping strokes.

* Stain retardants can be applied to new carpets or to newly cleaned carpets. Follow manufacturers' advice. Apply stain retardants only with pro gear using the counseled application methods.

* Add baking soda to the bag in your vacuum to fight odours.

Odours are one thing -- spots and spills are quite another! Spots and spills happen to virtually each carpet and can be hard to get rid of. In the following section, we'll offer some pointers for banishing those blemishes!

A simple but highly effective tip to maintaining your carpet and preventing the need for calling in a carpet cleaning company is to use doormats at entrances to your home. It is also a good idea to have a mat at any transition from a hard surface onto carpet, as it greatly reduces the amount of soil transferred onto your carpet.

The most important piece of advice in carpet care is however, vacuuming. Vacuuming should be carried out regularly and thoroughly, particularly on areas where the carpet receives heavy traffic. Wear of carpeting is increased by the amount of soil that is trampled into it; oily soil being the worst offender. In our area around Bournemouth and Poole the biggest problem is that of sand being trodden in and wearing out the carpet fibres from the base, causing the carpet or rug to become threadbare.

Frequent vacuuming prevents the soil build up and thus giving you clean results each time. The longer you leave the vacuuming, the less clean you will be able to get your carpet. Slow and firm strokes with the vacuum will achieve more than hurrying, and should aim to complete four passes of the backward and forward motion over the same area for a thorough clean.