Summer is a time of fun in the sun and outdoor activity. With outdoor barbeques, pool days, and trips to the beach you are to have a wonderful summer. However, when you are done having fun outside it’s best to leave all of the dirt and grime from a successful summer day outdoors. Here are five carpet cleaning tips to keep your carpet clean and looking fresh throughout the entire summer.
Vacuum Weekly at the Very Least
While vacuuming is a chore that not many people enjoy, its best to vacuum your carpet every three days. While we realize that most people do not have that kind of time, you should vacuum once a week at the very least. This will keep your carpet from holding dirt and allergens.
Sedentary dirt in sitting on your carpet damages the carpet fibers, which causes your carpet to lose that plush, cozy look. While some people believe that over vacuuming can damage your carpet, letting dirt sit on it will do far more damage than vacuuming ever will.
Clean Spills Immediately
Spot cleaning is essential to keeping your carpet looking fresh and new. Addressing spills or accidents as soon as they happen prevents the carpet from staining. Here are a few ways to quickly get up some common summer stains:
- Food and drink – ¼ cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap and water in a spray bottle.
- Pet stain – a mixture of ½ white vinegar and ½ water. Sprinkle with baking soda and let it sit for 24 hours, then vacuum it up.
- Mud and grass – 2 tablespoons liquid dish soap and warm water.
- Blood stains – liquid dish detergent and cold water. If necessary use Oxi-clean.
The key to getting any stain up is to make sure that you are blotting and not rubbing and to address the stain as quickly as possible. This will insure that the stain does not get embedded in the carpet fibers and does not set.
Deep Clean Once a Month
It best to use a carpet cleaner to deep clean your carpets at least once a month. This will help get any underlying dirt or address any spills or pet accidents that you may not have known about without letting them sit too long.
We recommend purchasing a high-quality carpet cleaner as opposed to renting or hiring a carpet cleaning service on a monthly basis. While the sticker price of a carpet cleaner is high, it will pay for itself after only three to four months of use.
Utilize Rugs
Rugs can be your best friend when trying to keep your carpets clean. Placing a few area rugs in highly trafficked areas can help catch dirt and potential stains before they ever hit your carpet.
You can clean your area rugs just like you clean your carpets, but ultimately, it’s a lot easier to replace an area rug if you can’t get up a stain, rather than replacing your entire carpet.
Keep it Clean
The best way to keep a clean carpet is by never letting it get dirty in the first place! Try to take your shoes off when entering the house. This keeps dirt and other natural elements from ever entering your home.
Another good tip is to keep a mat on the outside and inside of all entryways from the outside. Ask everyone to wipe their feet on both mats so that you can keep the dirt outside.
