Carpet Care

One of the most important things you can do for your home is keep it clean and the most important part is your carpets-they hold the smell, the look and the traffic marks that will keep you cringing when guests come over unless you keep them looking fab.

An important aspect of interior decorating is the care and maintenance of your furniture, walls and flooring. A beautifully designed room can fall apart if a large stain, wear and tear or traffic marks sail through the middle of your well thought out carpets, especially if they are silver, tan or another light color that attracts disaster.

Carpet care and cleaning should be at the top of your "know how" or "learn how to" lists when you're delving into interior decorating and being a hostess, or even if you just want to have a beautiful home. Taking care of your flooring doesn't have to be a huge task and there are plenty of tips and tricks to get you started and keep you going for years to come.

We all know how easy it is to spot clean a carpet. Or is it? When you go to the store and purchase carpet cleaning chemicals it always says to test in a hidden area, but it could take hours for that hidden area to show damage and then, of course, the area is damaged and you can never move your furniture again. So do yourself a favor and keep a slice of carpet under your stairs or in a closet and test that instead.

Did you know that you're only supposed to have to have your carpets professionally cleaned about twice a year? If the track marks are coming back frequently or you're getting terrible allergies, you're not cleaning enough. You should vacuum your home at least three times per week in moderate traffic areas and up to 5 days per week or more in high traffic areas, especially on windy, dusty or other types of dirty days. And don't forget the ultimate clean rule: when it's wet outside, shoes NEVER touch the carpet!

Sure, it's pretty cheap to rent or borrow a carpet cleaning machine and buy the detergent and do it yourself because you don't have to pay for labor. But the downside is that these machines are not that well maintained or cleaned very often so they don't work as well as they should-they often pump soap in and don't take it back out. A professional company, especially a steam cleaner or residue free cleaner, will give your carpets life and luster, without the danger or the quick trip back to dirty.

This one may sound a little out of sorts in carpet care and cleaning. But truthfully, an area rug can eliminate wear and tear on your carpets and make your home easier to maintain. To clean a rug, you can simply pick it up and take it outside and beat it out. Plus, area rugs are not as expensive to replace when they get worn out.

The reality is that taking care of your home does require work. But if you nip it in the bud, you'll have less work later on.