Carpet Care Guide
Following these suggestions will keep your carpets looking beautiful longer and help you receive the maximum life and value from your carpet investment.
Employ walk-off mats at all entrances to your home. A walk-off mat should be tough enough for people to wipe there feet on and absorbent enough to attract the dirt from the bottom of shoes.
Vacuum your carpets at least twice weekly. You should vacuum more often if the area is heavily trafficked. As a rule of thumb, you should vacuum more than twice weekly if there is debris visible on the carpet. Don't forget to vacuum the walk-off mats. They require more frequent vacuuming than any other part of the carpet.
Vacuuming is important because most dirt that can dull the appearance of carpet can be removed by vacuuming. Also, some dry soils scratch the surface of the carpet. The longer these soils remain in your carpet, the sooner you will need to replace the carpet.
Select a good vacuum to mainain your carpets. We recommend a vacuum with brushes for agitation and good filtration to ensure that contaminents are not blown back into your home by the vacuum.
Keep your vacuum in good working order. Empty the bag/dust container before it is two thirds full. Replace belts and brushes before they are completely worn. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Remove Spots quickly. Some stains cannot be removed if they remain on the carpet too long.
Blot liquids with a white cotton towel. If you don't have a white towel, avoid those that have printing on them.
Pretest any spotting cleaner in an inconspicuous area before using to test for any effect on the appearance of the carpet.
Apply a small amount of cleaning solution to a cloth. Work it in to the spot. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Work form the outside of the spot inward. Blot. Do not scrub.
Repeat this step as long as the spot is being transferred to your towel.
After the spot has been removed, rinse the area with cold water and blot dry with a white cotton towel.
Rinsing with a do it yourself steam cleaner is also recommended if you have one.
DETAILED SOLUTIONS TO COMMON SPOTS IS AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE:
Carpet and Rug Institute Spot Solver
If you cannot remove a spot quickly, call Kelly Cleaning for prefessional spotting or advice.
Have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once per 18 months if your carpet is lightly used. Once per year under normal traffic and for heavy traffic from kids and dogs, every 6 months may be appropriate. Some soils cannot be removed by normal vacuuming and the use of home carpet cleaning equipment. Having your carpets professional cleaned regularly will ensure that soils and spots are not becoming permanent. It will also keep your carpets from wearing prematurely.
Apply 3M Scotchguard after professional cleaning. Dupont Teflon will greatly increase your carpet's ability to resist soiling and stains. We have noted over time that our customers who use Dupont Teflon are able to have better looking carpets and keep them longer. This saves money in the long run.