Here’s 12 Top Tips to Keep Your Precious Carpets & Furnishings in Pristine Condition.
1. Vacuum regularly: Vacuum your carpets and upholstery regularly. Your carpets act like a filter – they trap the dirt, and grit walked into your home and carried in on clothes. This grit and dirt grind into the fibres and slowly destroy them.
Regular vacuuming removes the vast majority of these abrasive elements. How frequently (daily or weekly) you need to vacuum depends upon your home circumstances.
2. Change direction: Change the direction of your vacuuming to lift the pile and grab damaging dirt hidden at the base of your carpet/upholstery fibres.
3. Keep other floors clean: Keep adjacent floor coverings clean to prevent grease from tiled kitchen floors or grit from driveways, patio entrances or wooden tiling being walked into your carpet.
4. Clean spillages immediately: Clean accidental spillages immediately to prevent staining. Discover the safest way to deal with accidental spillages – call our helpline (UK: 0800 191 0133, Republic of Ireland: 1800 932 650) and listen to our recorded Spillage Disaster Recovery Guide, or visit our web page: www.cleaningdoctor.net/spots.html. Alternatively, call me, your local Cleaning Doctor, and I will send you a printed copy.
5. Don’s use the wrong cleaning products: Be careful of the cleaning products you use. Never, ever, EVER, use household cleaning solutions on your precious carpets or furnishings. Dish washing liquids, sprays or other general household cleaners leave dirt-attracting residues that you cannot extract and, which can damage the pile or backing of your fabrics. This can reduce the life of your carpet or furnishings dramatically.
6. Use Industry Approved Products: Remove spots using a professionally recommended cleaning solution such as a product called Unbelievable. Call me for details.
7. Protect with entrance mats: Protect your carpets with entrance mats at every external door. Dirt-trapper mats trap the dirt walked in on shoe-soles and are ideal where you cannot insist on people wiping their feet.
8. Clean entrances mats: Clean your entrance mats regularly. If the entrance is used extensively, clean the mats daily to avoid excessive build-up, which cancels the benefit of the mat.
9. Remove shoes: Remove outdoor shoes whenever possible. Doing so minimises grit, dirt, oil (from tarmac drives) and other pollutants being carried in on the soles of your shoes.
10. Get professional help: Choose expertly trained carpet and upholstery cleaning professionals who use environmentally friendly cleaning materials and professional cleaning equipment. Doing so vastly improves the appearance and extends the life of your valuable carpet and furnishings.
11. Renew anti-stain protective treatments: Protective treatments applied to your carpet or furnishings eventually wear off through normal use; usually within 12 to 24 months. Ask your carpet cleaning professionals to renew your anti-stain protection.
12. Follow a plan: Follow a regular cleaning and maintenance plan that suits your family and lifestyle. Doing so extends the life of your carpet and upholstery by up to five or more years. It’s certainly easier than having the expense and upheaval of buying and fitting new carpets every few years.