
This serves as a consumer report on carpet cleaning and floor protection. Achieving longevity in your carpets begin during the time of purchase. If you are on a limited budget, buy the carpet of your choice but upgrade the padding immediately. All three commonly used materials for padding – solid urethane, rebonded urethane and synthetic fiber – will do. Take note of the density too. An ideal carpet pad is 3/8 inch thick.
Then learn the trick of visual illusion. Choose a color which blends well with the color of soil or common coffee stains. Or better yet, choose a carpet with multicolor. Nobody will notice the growing stains in your carpet if its colors are varied…and darker. But if your location is near a beach, I’d rather recommend a lighter colored carpet since sand can easily be seen in carpets of darker hues.
But then again, fabric of lighter colors may also be another subtle way of hiding the fading of your carpet. The choice of which trick of visual illusion you want to achieve is solely yours. All I can offer are options.
And speaking of the fading of carpet, make sure that no direct sunlight can penetrate your carpet since the ultraviolet rays of the sun can also contribute the fading of your carpet easily.
The tactic of rearranging your furniture every now and then so as not to focus the containment of dirt in an area does not hurt too. You may also want to put rugs in areas of the carpet where you feel dirt builds up fast. But please clean the rugs oftentimes though using the best rug cleaning solutions is possible. Then make sure that the color of the rug must not bleed to the carpet. Also when moving furniture, you can prevent damage by placing cardboard between the wheels of the furniture and the carpet.
Above all, place mats at the entrance of your carpeted floor so the dirt will accumulate there. These mats are especially helpful during rainy weather.
Vacuuming the carpet twice every week is a must. When vacuuming, prioritize areas leading to the entrances of the carpeted floor. Upright vacuum cleaners are commonly used but if you have persons with respiratory problems in your household, using a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner is suggested. Also take note that when mopping hard floors leading to the edges of the carpet, the water must not touch the carpet.
Cleaning the carpet once every 18 months by a professional carpet cleaner is also highly recommended. Why? Because these professionals use hot water extraction treatment to let all the built-up particles escape from the carpet.
The characteristics of the persons in the household will also determine the longevity of a carpet. Remove your shoes before going into your carpeted room and change into flip-flops instead.
Cleaning food spills immediately using the best rug cleaning solution is also part of discipline. The first step is to contain the spill using tissues. The rest will follow. Then take note of the difference between soiling and staining. Always remember that stains leave sticky residues causing the area to be soiled.