Blog Post

4 Ways to Maintain Your Carpet Between Professional Cleanings

  • By jhendricks@smith-mathis.com (Admin)
  • •
  • 23 Oct, 2017
Whether you have a large family or live alone, it can be hard to keep your home's carpeting clean, stain-free and smelling fresh. If you have kids and pets, you'll need to be even more diligent when it comes to maintaining and caring for your floors. Even if you vacuum your carpeting daily, you could still be missing dirt, pet dander, hair, food crumbs and other unsavory items.

No matter what type of carpeting you have, it's important to have it deep-cleaned at least a few times a year, such as during the spring and fall. In addition to looking and smelling better, your professionally cleaned carpeting will be healthier to live with because professional products can remove allergens as well.

Between professional cleanings, there are several ways to maintain your carpets and keep them looking great. Here are four cleaning tips to keep in mind.

1. Take Your Shoes Off

One of the most important things you can do to keep your carpeting clean and germ-free is taking your shoes off at the door when you get home. Have your friends and family members do the same when entering, and you'll greatly reduce the amount of dirt, mud and other debris that ends up in your carpet's fibers.

If you don't want to enforce a no-shoes policy in your home, consider placing dirt-trapping mats at the entrance to each door - including ones leading to decks or patios. Dirt will be left behind outside rather than tracked onto your flooring. Be sure to shake out or vacuum the mats regularly.

2. Treat Stains Immediately

As soon as you notice a food or beverage spill, clean it up immediately to prevent it from settling into the carpet fibers. Soak up any excess liquid with an absorbent item, such as a sponge or microfiber cloth, and repeat the process until the carpet is as dry as possible. Make sure you gently blot the fluid up to avoid pressing it further down into the carpeting.

If stains have already set in, use a spot treatment recommended for use on your carpet type. If you don't have any commercial cleaning products on hand, you can sprinkle some baking soda onto an oily stain and allow it to sit overnight before vacuuming it up. You can also try removing a carpet stain with an equal mixture of water and distilled white vinegar.

3. Vacuum Every Day

If you have a busy household and your carpet has a lot of foot traffic throughout the day, consider vacuuming it on a daily basis to remove both large and small debris. Remember to clean the vacuum's filter and bag regularly and set the cleaning machine at the right height for your type of carpet. If the rollers are too low, they may damage the fibers, but if they're too high, they might skim right over the debris without picking it up.
  
You can also consider only vacuuming the carpet's high-traffic areas, such as doorways and hallways, to save time each day. Consider vacuuming any areas that your young children play and crawl on more often as well.

4. Rearrange Your Furniture

To evenly distribute wear and tear on your carpet, you can rearrange your furniture a few times a year. Doing so may prevent heavy items from damaging carpet fibers over time, as well as redirect traffic to avoid wearing out specific areas of the flooring.

Having clean carpets can make a big difference in how you feel about your home. If you don't want to go through the hassle of renting a carpet cleaner and doing it yourself, you can hire professionals to do it for you. Feel free to contact Smith-Mathis Inc. for all of your carpet-cleaning needs. We'll arrive at your home with professional carpet-cleaning equipment and extract debris hiding deep within the fibers.

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