10 Commandments of carpet care
Vacuum frequently and thoroughly - Most of the wear of
carpeting is caused by dirt. Oily soils attract more oily
soil and frequent vacuuming will reduce soil buildup.
Get at stains quickly - 99% of all stains can be removed
by one cleaning agent or another if they are cleaned in the
first few days. The longer a stain chemically reacts with
the carpet the harder it will be to remove it.
Test carpet before scrubbing, extracting or spotting -
All carpets are different. Some carpets are very sensitive
to acid type cleaners and will lose their color quickly.
Other carpet dyes are sensitive to harsh alkalis.
Use appropriate spotters starting with the mildest - Do
not use harsh spotting agents unless absolutely necessary
and always neutralize high alkaline or high acid cleaners
after use.
Never dig or brush spots -The proper procedure is to
scrape the spot towards the middle and then tamp the spot
into the white towel or cloth using a brush or other tamping
devices. A meat tenderizer makes a great tamping tool.
Do not overuse detergents -shampoos or spotters. Too
much detergent will result in residual left in the carpet
that even thorough vacuuming may not remove.
Do not overwet carpet - Our carpet detergents are
chemically active enough so they do not need a tremendous
amount of wetting. Over-wetting can cause brownout, carpet
shrinkage, adhesion problems and all other kinds of
nightmares.
Extract residual if possible - Rotary scrubbing will
clean the carpet fibers the best by encapsulating dirt and
detergent residue, which powders off the carpet. Periodic
extraction will flush out this dirt and other organisms deep
in the carpet.
Never "coat" a dirty or spotty carpet. After scrubbing
or extracting a dirty carpet, if you are not satisfied with
the results, do not apply a coat of carpet protector as this
will result in "gluing in the dirt" making it harder to
remove it the next time. Either re-scrub or extract the
carpet or leave the carpet until the next cleaning cycle
before you coat.
Vacuum frequently and thoroughly - It is so important it
deserves two recommendations. Vacuum frequently and
thoroughly.