Keeping your carpets clean makes a big difference to your home. When your carpets are clean, they look good, smell good, and your whole home just takes on a much nicer ambience.
Wearing shoes in the house increases the amount of dirt and mess you track in over your lovely, clean carpets. Shoes also have a harder tread than slippers (and certainly harder than bare feet or socks), and will wear down your carpets faster.Keeping your carpets bright and fresh is a must for any home.
Robert Muller from Carpet Cleaners Cape Town, says keeping your carpets clean and fresh is simple when you follow these 8 easy steps:
1. Ditch the shoes
Make it a family habit to ditch the shoes as soon as you come in the door, and encourage your visitors to do the same.
Wearing shoes in the house increases the amount of dirt and mess you track in over your lovely, clean carpets. Shoes also have a harder tread than slippers (and certainly harder than bare feet or socks), and will wear down your carpets faster.
2. Add carpet protection
Adding an attractive rug in an area of your home that gets a lot of footfall will help keep your carpets clean. Of course, the rug will still need regular maintenance too, but taking up and deep cleaning a rug is a lot simpler than deep cleaning a whole carpet.
You can also add chair mats to save your carpet from chair legs or the wheels on desk chairs.
3. Use baking soda before you vacuum
Sprinkling baking soda before you vacuum is a simple trick that will keep your carpet smelling fresher for longer.You don't just want your carpet to be clean, you want it to smell clean too. Sprinkling baking soda before you vacuum is a simple trick that will keep your carpet smelling fresher for longer.
Sprinkle a light dusting of baking soda over your carpet, leave it to settle for a few minutes, and then vacuum as normal.
4. Vacuum regularly and well
Regular vacuuming is a simple way to keep your carpets cleaner for longer. You’ll see a difference in carpet cleanliness if you vacuum three times a week. Regular vacuuming picks up dirt and stops it from getting trodden in.
There's a trick to effective vacuuming - go slowly. The higher the foot traffic in an area of your home, the slower you should vacuum, as a quick pass won't necessarily pick up all the dirt.
5. Replace filters and bags regularly
Whether your vacuum is upright or canister, filtered or a traditional bag model, keeping it in good working order will help keep your carpets cleaner for longer.
There's a trick to effective vacuuming - go slowly. The higher the foot traffic in an area of your home, the slower you should vacuum as a quick pass won't necessarily pick up all the dirt.Make sure you change your filter or bag regularly. If you don't, your vacuum could lose suction and fail to effectively pick up dirt.
6. Deep clean twice a year
Nothing beats a proper deep clean when it comes to protecting your carpets and keeping them as clean as can be. Instead of waiting until your carpet looks dirty, make a twice-yearly note on your planner or calendar to give your carpets a proper deep clean.
You can hire a carpet cleaner for the weekend if you want to tackle the job yourself, or call in a professional for the best possible finish.
7. Keep an emergency kit on hand
Help protect your carpets by keeping a few simple items on hand in case of stains…
- Commercial carpet stain remover for those stubborn stains.
- Club soda is good for wine or beer spills.
- Shaving cream is a simple home remedy that works for most carpet stains.
- Try ice cubes for chewing gum, which help freeze the gum, making it easier to remove.
When mopping up your carpet, always blot. Don't scrub as this could work the stain in deeper.- Hydrogen peroxide is effective against blood stains.
- A few drops of dishwasher detergent in water for most spills.
Keeping a few things on hand means you can deal with any spills as they happen. You might have most of these items in your home already.
8. Deal with stains straight away
The longer a stain is allowed to set, the harder it’ll be to get it out. Prevent set-in stains by dealing with any spills or stains as soon as they happen.
When mopping up your carpet, always blot. Don't scrub as this could work the stain in deeper. If you're dealing with solid dirt like food or mud, gently scrape it off with a dull knife.
Take steps now to protect your carpets from dirt and stains, and deal with any spills or muck as soon as they happen.
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