How To Make Your Carpets Last Longer

By Suzanne Herrman


Carpeting is definitely not cheap, and this is especially true if you have bought carpet for many different rooms in your home. An average-sized bedroom can cost more than $800 to carpet and often more, especially when you figure in the cost of installation and padding. Proper maintenance will protect this investment and keep it looking its best for as many years as possible. If you have just installed new carpeting and need some tips on how to keep it like new for as long as you can, read the following information.

Investing in a high quality vacuum cleaner is always a good idea, but it's even more important to actually vacuum regularly at least once each week and perhaps twice each week in areas where there is a high amount of traffic. This is especially true if you have pets and children because they do tend to track in a great deal of dirt and debris. If you have allergy sufferers in the home, purchase a vacuum with a removable HEPA filter and a closed filtration system.

Even if you are careful about where you eat and drink and ask people to take off their shoes when they enter your home, stains are an inevitable part of life. Treating them quickly is always best. Begin with icy cold water and a clean white cloth. Spray the cold water on the stain and gently blot up the water. You also might use a vinegar-cold water solution. These are not only effective, but very safe to use. If you really are not sure what to do or the stain is particularly bad, call a Baton Rouge carpet cleaner and ask them to come out and clean up the area. Your carpet cleaner will have the experience to deal with a huge variety of stains.

Periodic deep cleaning also needs to be scheduled, and it's best to have a professional handle the job because they are experts at stain removal and ensuring that all different types of carpeting are handled appropriately. Your carpet cleaner also can clean your area rugs, which also need periodic deep cleaning, and many can even clean your Oriental rugs. Professional carpet cleaning should be scheduled at least once a year, but the Environmental Protection Agency actually recommends that carpets are cleaned every six months in order to minimize bacteria, fungi, dust mites and other toxic items in your carpeting.

Air quality has an effect on your carpeting, and when your home's air filter gets old and clogged, it's time to replace this filter. Otherwise this dust has nowhere to go other than your carpet. Replacing this filter also reduces problems associated with COPD, allergies and asthma.

When something rests on your carpeting for a long amount of time, it leaves indentions. Rearranging your furnishings can keep these indentions from become permanent fixtures in the carpet. Even you just move a bed or couch a few inches; it can help preserve your carpet. In addition, sunlight will fade your carpet, so when you are not at home, be sure to close blinds and drapes to keep this fading to a minimum.




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