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Carpet Care Tips
Extending the Life of Your Carpet
Here you will find tips on extending the life of your carpet. Carpeting
is expensive so make it last by following a few simple carpet tips.
Vacuuming Your
Carpets
Frequent vacuuming is probably the single most important thing you can
do to lengthen the life of your carpet. Dirt is an abrasive which acts
like sandpaper wearing your carpet. You should vacuum your carpet a
minimum of once a week. Two to Three times would be the best. Not only
should you vacuum often, you also need to vacuum properly. The common
zigzag pattern most people use is not very effective. Your vacuum is
pulling out the most dirt on the backwards stroke. To vacuum correctly
pull the vacuum back slowly in a straight line and then move it to the
next section and again pull it back slowly in a straight line. You want to
make sure that all of your carpet is gone over with a backwards stroke.
Rearrange Furniture
If your furniture is in the same position for the entire life of the
carpet, people walk and stand in the same areas all of the time. This
means that sections of the carpet will wear out quicker than others.
Rotate your furniture so that people will be forced to walk on different
sections of the carpet. This spreads the wear around, increasing your
carpets life.
Entry Rugs
You should place an entry rug or mat at every doorway. This gives
people a place to wipe their feet before they step onto your carpet. Even
if they don't wipe their feet, they will deposit some dirt on the mats by
simply walking over them. This is dirt that otherwise would end up on your
carpet.
Area Rugs
Area rugs can protect areas of your carpet that get the worst wear, for
example in front of your couch. If you do put an area rug over carpet
however, make sure that you pull it up from time to time to vacuum
underneath it and when you have the carpets cleaned. Otherwise if you ever
decide to remove the rug you may end up with an outline around it.
Frequent Carpet Cleaning
You should have your carpet cleaned at least every 12 months. If you
have pets or children you may need to clean the carpet more often, maybe 2
to 3 times a year. Remember that when carpet begins to look soiled, it is
actually very dirty. It is designed to hide soil and can carry its weight
in dirt. |