10 Commandments of Carpet Care

1. Vacuum frequently and thoroughly. Most of the wear of carpeting is caused by dirt. Oily soils attract more oily soil and a frequent vacuuming will reduce soil buildup.

2. Get at stains quickly, 90% 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.and will attract soils.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.(apply scotch guard or teflon )

10. Vacuum frequently and thoroughly. It is so important it deserves two recommendations. Vacuum frequently and thoroughly.

Anything you want to know about carpet from the CRI

These are some of the house hold options to cleaning your carpet. 

Option A:

Make a solution of one part of white vinegar with one part of water.

Apply to the stain using a spray bottle to saturate.

Allow the stain to sit about ten to fifteen minutes.

Use a sponge to clean in a rubbing motion.

Rinse with warm water.

Brush the pile back into the natural direction is has.

Using layers of white paper towels, place paper towel on top of area, place a book on top of that. Allow to sit like this until it has dried.

Option B:

Ammonia solution: One teaspoon of clear, household type ammonia to a half of a cup of water. This solution can be used in a spray bottle or be applied to the carpet directly. It is important not to wet the carpets backing when apply. After applying solution, use white paper towels to blot. Allow to dry completely.

Option C:

Detergent solution: A detergent solution can be made of hand soap or dish soap. The combination is one quarter of a teaspoon of detergent to one quart of water. Make sure the soap does not contain bleach or lanolin.

Blot the stain with white paper towels to remove as much of the solution as possible.

Apply detergent solution from a spray bottle.

Rub the area.

Blot out the stain and detergent.

Option D:

Isopropyl rubbing alcohol can be purchased at your grocery store or department store.

Apply it by pouring some onto a clean, white towel or other cloth. Paper towels can be used as long as they are white.

Blot until as much as possible until stain is removed.

Be careful. If the stain is small, blot in one direction only so that you do not spread the stain.

Option E:

Often, good old fashioned water can re-hydrate the stain to help with removal. Large spills can be cleaned up with a wet dry vac or a steam cleaner. Dry as thoroughly as possible.

Option F:

Lemon juice can be used to remove some tough stains. To use it:

Store bought lemon juice is fine as long as it does not contain added ingredients.

Using a spray bottle, spray a good amount onto the effected area but do not wet the padding.

Allow to sit up to five or six minutes.

Blot with a paper towel to remove.