Carpet Cleaning - Doing It Like a Professional

While there is hardly any substitute for actually hiring a carpet cleaning professional when it comes to getting those fibers squeaky clean, most people can't afford to bring in a company like that more than a couple of times a year. Thankfully, you probably won't need to. But that doesn't mean you can't get the most out of your vacuuming routine. If you're tired of feeling like you live in a dirty house even when you spend hours fighting the dust and dirt every week, here are some tips to help you clean like a professional.

Vacuum Frequently

The longer you wait between vacuuming, the longer the dirt has to settle down into the fibers. If it gets stuck down there, your vacuum cleaner isn't going to be enough to get it up. However, if you do it at least once a week, you stand a good chance of getting more than ¾ of the loose dirt up and out of your floors. This may not seem like a lot, but it is more than you'll get with an irregular vacuuming schedule. Most professionals will also recommend moving with the grain to get rid of the dirt on the surface and against it to get the deeper dirt.

Rotate Your Furniture

Not only will rotating your furniture every so often keep you from getting bored with your decor, it can have a positive carpet cleaning benefit. One of the biggest drawbacks of a carpeted floor is the wear that occurs. Over time, that plush floor looks like it was chewed up and thrown in a dirty dryer. By rotating your furniture, you can prevent some of the premature wear from developing and will change the traffic pathways in your home. People tend to walk in the same spots, day after day. Changing things up will, at the very least, make sure your floors get evenly worn.

Cautious Steaming

It's not uncommon to skip calling out the carpet cleaning professional in favor of renting a steamer. Unfortunately, this can have poor repercussions. Yes, you can save money going this route, but you can also leave a lot of moisture in your carpeting. When this happens, it can get down into the padding, which is a surefire way to promote mold growth. If you thought you had a problem with dirt, you haven't seen anything yet. If your floors are taking more than a full 24 hours to dry, you went wrong somewhere. Call a professional next time and avoid a big problem from growing on your floors.