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24 January 2014

Make Your Carpets Last As Long As Possible

By Suzanne Herrman


Carpet is a substantial financial investment, especially if you have purchased and installed carpeting in several rooms of your house. Depending on the type of padding and carpet you choose, a single room can cost more than $850 to carpet, so it pays to maintain this flooring as well as possible so that it not only lasts for years but also continues to enhance the look of your room. Here are a few tips to keep carpeting in good shape for as long as possible.

Vacuuming is extremely important, and you definitely need to make sure you get out the vacuum and clean up the carpet at least once each week. In some areas, it might be best to vacuum the carpet two times each week. If you live alone or it's just you and a spouse, once a week is probably ok, but if you have pets and kids, these little creatures tend to track in a bunch of dust and other dirt during the course of a week. To make vacuuming more efficient, spend the money to purchase a high-end vacuum, preferably with a HEPA filter to reduce dander, pollen and dust that can aggravate allergies and asthma.

Treat any stains immediately with a combination of cold water and white vinegar. Keep this in a spray bottle and dab up the moisture with a clean white cloth. You can also use plain ice water to remove many stains, but if you have a truly terrible stain and you are not sure what to do, contact your local Baton Rouge carpet cleaning service as they have top-quality equipment and solutions to remove the majority of stains that might affect your carpeting.

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.

Your home has an air filter, possibly two if you have more than one heater or central air conditioning unit. This filter can become clogged with dust and debris, so it is important to change it out periodically. Not only will this improve the air quality in your home, it will reduce the amount of dust in your home, which means that the dust won't become ground into your carpeting.

Another helpful tip is to be sure that you keep the drapery closed and blinds drawn when you are not at home. The sun fades your carpeting, as well as your furniture, so you will be prolonging the life of both of these things if you simply close the curtains when you are not at home. Consider also rearranging furniture slightly every few months, as this will prevent indentions from being set into the carpet.




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