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Dallas, TX – Carpets are one of the most common floor coverings found in homes and can be one of the hardest to keep clean. There are a few tricks you can use to keep your carpet cleaner and help it to stay looking new longer as well. Most carpets will last for 10 to 12 years if cared for and even longer if the traffic in your home is light. Taking good care of your carpet with regular cleanings will help it last as long as possible and keep it looking great.

The first and most important thing you can do for your carpet is a regular vacuuming. Most carpet manufacturers recommend that you vacuum your carpet a few times a week, but in truth a good vacuuming once a week will usually do the trick. What regular vacuuming does for you is capture the dirt when it’s still on the surface of your carpet and hasn’t had a chance to sink down into the fibers yet. Residential vacuums can’t get it once it has migrated from the surface of your carpet to deep in the fibers, so get it while you can with a regular Saturday morning vacuuming. When you are doing your vacuuming, be sure to vary the pattern each time as to not wear out a specific spot. Also changing from vertical to horizontal patterns will help you get more dirt that you might miss if you always vacuum the same way each time. When you buy a vacuum, be sure to get the strongest one you can afford and change the bag, or empty the canister often. Never wait until a bag is full as this can hurt the vacuum and will also severely limit its vacuuming power, and the same goes for the container. Also, since the air the vacuum draw in passes through the bag, it can send some of the smaller particles back into the room when the bag gets near its capacity. A good rule of thumb is to change the bag when it’s 2/3 full and empty the canister at about the same level or sooner.

Even if you vacuum regularly, you should still have a professional cleaning done at least once a year. This cleaning should be a hot water extraction cleaning and this will remove all of the dirt that got down deep into the carpet or was missed by your vacuuming. This method of cleaning is the safest and gentlest on your carpet and will do a great job of removing any deep-set dirt or grease if you have it done regularly. Avoid using a cheaper carpet shampooing solution as this can damage the carpet fibers and may also leave a soapy residue behind that can attract even more dirt. The hot water extraction method is the only way to go. Also, if you have a choice, try to find a company that uses a truck mounted unit as these tend to heat the water to a higher temperature and also have a better vacuum system for extracting the water.

If there are any stains or particularly dirty spots on the carpet, be sure to point these out before the carpet cleaning company starts their cleaning. This will allow them to pre-treat the area and give you the best chance of getting these areas clean.