CARPET & RUG CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Regular maintenance is essential to keep the quality and appearance of your rug/carpet and to extend its life for as long as possible.
- Vacuum your carpet regularly – this means that you should vacuum your carpet at least once a week, but as often as necessary – if usage requires, even on a daily basis.
- Do not allow spills or stains to set in – act while mark is fresh or wet – remove spills and stains immediately.
- Do not rub or brush a spill – blot up excess liquid quickly with a white absorbent paper or cloth. Work from the outside towards the centre of the spill, to avoid making the stain larger.
- Carefully pick up any solids using a knife, spoon or scrapper.
- You may also pat the cleaned area dry with a dry cloth/hand towel or dry it with a hairdryer on its lowest setting.
- Identify the stain and treated it according to manufacturers instructions normally supplied with the carpet.
- Remember that some carpets/rugs are made from materials that should only be dry cleaned, such as viscose.
- Although most stains will clean with water mixed with a small amount of detergent, some stains (such as blood) will be aggravated if hot or warm water is applied onto it.
- There are three methods of shampooing your rug/carpet:
- Wet Shampoo
- Dry Shampoo Cleaning Powder
- Hot Water Extraction – known as Steam Cleaning
- Never use household detergents or shampoo containing ammonia
- Wet Shampoo
- Vacuum rug/carpet thoroughly
- Follow shampoo and machine instructions carefully when shampooing
- Allow to dry overnight
- Vacuum
- Dry Shampoo Cleaning Powder
- Vacuum rug/carpet thoroughly
- Sprinkle powder liberally onto surface
- Brush lightly onto surface – no need to apply excessive rubbing, but make sure that the rug surface is well covered
- Continue lightly brushing/moving the chemically loaded powder over the surface until the active ingredient evaporates – a fine powder will be left on the surface
- Vacuum again
- Can be carried out as often as necessary
- Hot Water Extraction/Steam Cleaning
- For very dirty rugs/carpets, particularly cut pile carpets
- Gets rid of deeply embedded dirt
- This method should not be utilized very often as the rug/carpet becomes wet right through and it takes some time to properly dry.
- This method should not be necessary more than once or twice a year.
- If you experience problems removing a stain, you are advised to seek professional help