Week 1 - Keeping your carpet clean!

Who doesn’t want their home to look good year after year? Cleaning and maintaining your carpet properly prevents damage and extends its life- keeping your home looking fresh and current for years. What are the top ways to care for your carpet?

So what’s with the shoes? If you and yours are running around the house with your shoes on guess what!?!? You and yours are just grinding and pushing sand, dirt, grime and everything else you pick up outside into the fibers of your otherwise beautiful, plush carpet. Want to replace your carpet every two years? No one does. Take off your shoes. Your carpet will thank you.

No one is saying that you have to walk around the house barefoot. Actually, the dirt and oil that accumulate on your footsies also take its toll on it. So find some cute slippers and cozy socks to prevent adding to the damage. Isotoner makes cute ballet slippers that can look perfect with a lounge legging outfit. Or how about the mismatch sock market…appeal to your inner ten year old. And appeal to your carpet.
Remember Mr. Mom? If that is the kind of fear that surrounds your vacuum, it is time to get a new one. One of the biggest parts of keeping your carpet clean is to vacuum regularly. And don’t even think of using those liquid carpet shampoos. If you don’t get it all out it leaves a sticky, glue like residue that just attracts more dirt and grime. Use dry carpet cleaners or plain baking soda…or nothing at all. Just vacuum and vacuum often.

What if you have used those pesky old carpet shampoos in the past? Now everything you bring in from outside just creates more of a mess. The solution is pretty simple. If you have a home steamer use it. You can shampoo with hot water and let it dry. Then do it again. Using just plain hot water. This will pull out the old shampoo, clean the dirt and grime and not leave a residue making the carpet dirtier. Any of the left over shampoo will be activated by the hot water.

Key points: No shoes in the house. No bare feet in the house. Socks or slippers are a must. Vacuum and do it often. Use water hot water to clean especially dirty rugs.

Visit dickscarpetoneoakland.com for a full selection of flooring products.