Carpet Tips

Tips For Keeping Your Carpet And Home Looking Great

By Scott Gray

The first of many carpet tips designed to help you extend the life of your carpets is to suggest that you buy a good one in the first place. Too late, you say? The carpet came with the house? You already purchased one? Don't worry. With proper care, a carpet will give you years of pleasure and will add to the attractiveness of your home.

Carpet Tips and the Meaning of "Proper Care"
1. Protect the carpet from unnecessary wear in high traffic areas and from the weight of heavy furniture. Place scatter mats and area rugs over spots that are subjected to a lot of traffic, and put protectors under the feet of heavy furniture to distribute the fiber-destroying weight better.
2. Vacuum your carpets regularly and as soon as a spill occurs or dirt is tracked into a room. If you don't have a vacuum, now is the time to invest in one. Compare vacuums and buy the most appropriate style for your home, and make sure it comes with all the necessary vacuum attachments.
3. Clean up wet spills immediately. If it's a heavy spill, cover the area with a white towel – fold to two inches of thickness – weight it down, and leave it over night.
4. Remove any stain as soon as possible.
5. Deep cleaning of carpets should be done by a reliable company. If you decide to clean the carpets yourself, read cleaning instructions carefully and make sure your carpet will respond well to the method.
6. Repair loose threads and rips right away. You may need professional help for this job.

Carpet Tips and How to Vacuum Effectively
1. The first step in good vacuuming is the removal of any objects on the carpet that are big enough to be sucked into the hose and could clog it.
2. Make sure vacuum bags are replaced, or bins are emptied so that your vacuum works at peak efficiency.
3. Vacuum forward as much as possible with three passes over lightly soiled areas and seven passes over heavily soiled areas, and overlap the strokes to make sure you don't miss anything.
4. Change vacuuming direction now and then to reduce matting problems.
5. Dust can accumulate along the edge of the carpet and a crevice attachment is needed to clean this area.

Carpet Tips on Buying the Vacuum You Need
1. Pick a canister vacuum cleaner if you have a mix of bare floors, rugs, and carpets. It is the best all-round vacuum and just what you need for your drapes and upholstery, as well as your auto.
2. An upright is the best if you have wall-to-wall carpets in most rooms.
3. Installing a central vacuuming system is wonderful if you can afford it, and is especially nice if you have a big, two-story house.
4. If you choose a canister, buy an attachment for cleaning carpets that has a separate power head with a good beater bar and brushes. If you choose an upright, there should be an attachment that allows you to vacuum under furniture and a switch to turn off the beaters and brushes when vacuuming floors.
5. All vacuums should come with three important attachments: a crevice tool, a round brush for dusting, and a tool for cleaning upholstery and drapes.
6. Replace bags and empty bins as soon as they are full; replace or wash filters when necessary; and use an old comb to clean bristles and brushes.

Carpet Tips on What to Buy When Carpet-Replacement Time Arrives
1. Pick a long-wearing carpet, like a Berber, and make sure it has a good warrantee.
2. A good, thick under-pad will extend the life of your carpet.
3. Spring for professional installation accompanied by guarantees.

Carpets add warmth and beauty to your home, reduce noise levels, and add foot comfort, and will give you years of good service with proper care and maintenance.

Scott Gray is a web site publisher and freelance writer who provides useful information and money saving tips about discount vacuum cleaners, hepa vacuum cleaners and related information.