Very little equipment is required to maintain a carpet well. A good vacuum cleaner is essential as well as a small box of supplies including carpet shampoo, dry cleaning fluid and clean absorbent cloths or paper tissues to remove spills.
To keep your carpet looking its best,
Vacuum regularly - at least once a week and more often in heavy traffic areas.
Remove stains and spills immediately..
Wet clean as required (but generally not more than once every one or two years)
Vacuum your carpet regularly so that soil does not get embedded in the pile, accelerating wear by grinding at the base of the tufts. An electrically powered vacuum cleaner is much more efficient than a carpet sweeper, which removes only surface dirt, fluff and crumbs in between regular vacuuming. For long pile shag it is best to fluff up the pile daily with lightweight rake. A suction type vacuum cleaner should be used for weekly vacuuming..
It is important to use a neutral shampoo on wall carpets - certainly not one that is alkaline. Never use household detergents or shampoos which smell of ammonia. To check propriety carpet shampoos, leave a bit in a saucer overnight, pour off excess and allow to dry.
A range of cleaning powders are available, which are either solvent-saturated or detergent-saturated. Sprinkle the powder liberally on the carpet after it is vacuumed. Then brush it into a pile and vacuum thoroughly. However, it is virtually impossible to remove all the powder from the pile. .
Aerosal foam shampoo can be used for light cleaning of small areas. It is advisable to test the shampoo first for stickiness. Spray the foam sparingly on the carpet and work it into the pile with a moistened sponge or brush. After the carpet is dry, which takes less time with wet shampoos, um it..
This method is sometimes incorrectly referred to as steam cleaning. The carpet pile is injected with a hot water and shampoo solution under pressure so that the soil/dirt is suspended in the water. This is extracted almost at once by a high suction wet vacuum system..
Hot water extraction is particularly useful for a dirty carpet because it gets deep-seated dirt out, but it does not clean the surface ass well as other methods. It is also useful for removing excess detergent from successive wet shampooing - together these two methods can restore a very dirty, flattened carpet.
Although hot water extraction machines can be rented, it is best to have this type of cleaning done by a professional cleaner because a certain amount of care is needed not to over-wet the carpet and thus distort the pile and backing.
Professional factory cleaning is ideal for rugs and carpet squares because it removes all dirt effectively. It is not as suitable for wall-to-wall carpet as on-site cleaning because of the inconvenience and expense of removing and refitting it. However, it does get the carpet cleaner.
The most crucial part of carpet maintenance is the removal of spots and spills. The golden rule is to act quickly. Quick attention could mean the difference between absolutely no damage and a mark that ruins the appearance of a whole carpet.
The approved method is to blot up liquids with white paper tissues or clean absorbent cloths. Scoop up solids with the end of a knife or spoon and then treat the stain as follows:
For oily and greasy stains: Use a dry-cleaning solvent (perchloroethyene or methylated) or an aerosol spray of proprietary carpet stain remover.
For water-based stains: Use a solution of proprietary carpet shampoo or an aerosol spray of carpet stain remover for non-greasy stains..
If clean warm water does not remove all traces of a beverage, try a solution of biological washing powder...
Always work inwards from the edge of the stain to prevent it spreading..
Apply small amounts of cleaning agent at a time so as not to over-wet the carpet, blot between applications with paper tissues or dry cloths...
Do not rub the stain, rubbing, will spread it over a bigger area and distort the pile. Rinse the treated area with clear tepid water, especially if a bleach-like sodium hydrosulphite is used, and place a thick wad of white tissues on the treated area weighed down with a heavy object until dry...
Most of the recommended stain removal agents are easily available. However, if you can not get sodium hydrosulphite or hydrochloric acid from your chemist, call a professional cleaner instead.
Sodium hydrosulphite is a mild bleach that can be used safely on most light-colored carpets. In the case of patterned carpets, test it first on an inconspicuous corner of the carpet. One teaspoonfuls gives 2% and 5 teaspoonfuls,a 5% solution.
A freezing agent is available in aerosol sprays, but dry ice can be used to harden chewing gum in order to remove it.