Almost every home and car would be incomplete without the presence of a carpet. Besides adding that extra color, texture and style in your space, it serves as an additional acoustic tool to ward off noise.
However, carpets are often the source of headaches by most homeowners and car owners. Not only do they attract dust and other forms of dirt, but they also easily get stained. If you’re not too hygienic, you might end up with a carpet all worn out and damaged when you just bought it a few months ago.
So how do you make sure your carpet gets regularly maintained? How can you take care of it in the same way that professional carpet cleaners provide it with all the loving and pampering it needs? Here are a few tips to make your carpet last longer.
Beware of Blotting
Forget about blotting stains or spills. That’s only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. You can best get rid of the stain by sucking it. No, this doesn’t mean you should use your mouth or have your dog lick the stain off your carpet.
What you can do first is wash the stain with a cleaning solution and rinse it off. Then, vacuum the stained area, making sure that the cleaning solution is completely sucked off. If the solution and stain doesn’t come off, just repeat the whole process until the vacuum cleaner is able to suck everything off.
Once the carpet is thoroughly clean, use a fan to dry it right away. You can also hang it outside so the sun’s rays can do the drying task for you.
The Trouble with Detergents
Be wary when using detergents with your carpet. If you don’t get them completely rinsed off, they can easily attract all kinds of dirt. This is the very reason why you should use a vacuum cleaner to rinse off a cleaning solution.
For Sensitivity’s Sake
Most carpets are best cleaned with a powder-based cleaning solution. These solutions are not too harsh in treating carpet fabric. In fact, you can use them for carpets with silk fibers and others made of soft, natural fibers. Be wary of cleaning devices that use strong chemicals as well as hard brushes that run at high speeds, for they can damage your carpet in no time.