How To Clean Your Carpet And Keep It Looking Great

Over the course of your carpet’s lifespan, there are going to be clumsy guests, muddy boots, untrained pets, untrained children, and even the odd DIY disaster doing their best to make a mess. Despite your best efforts, sometimes accidents happen, and the best thing you can do is act fast! So here’s some tips and tricks to help you keep your carpet spotless.

How To Clean Up Stains

There are three simple rules to remember when it comes to cleaning up a spill:

1. Act immediately.
2. Never rub the stained area, always dab and blot!
3. If the stain is particularly tough or unusual admit defeat early and get a professional in.

If the spill is liquid, the first step is to apply dry kitchen paper towel to soak up the liquid – but make you sure you just press straight down on the carpet. Do not rub! It will press the stain further into the carpet and make it difficult to remove. Keep dabbing with paper towel until the area is dry. If there is still a stain, moisten a paper towel with warm and slightly soapy water and blot the stain until it’s gone. Dry with a final paper towel.

If the spill is food, or another solid, scrape the soiled area using the blunt edge of a spoon from the outside of the stain towards the centre to remove any residue. The apply paper towels, as you would for a liquid stain.

Keeping Your Carpet Clean

It’s also important to do a few other things to keep your carpet looking brand new. Firstly, try minimise walking over the carpet in shoes – dirt and grit get deposited from shoes onto the carpet and work into the pile, degrading the carpet.

Vacuuming Your Carpet

Regular vacuuming is also important! Modern carpets are very cleverly designed to look clean, even when dirty after years of use. Vacuuming your carpet regularly isn’t just good for the appearance of your carpet, it also makes your home healthier by reducing allergens trapped in the carpet. Try go over your carpet with a vacuum at least once a week, and areas with high traffic should ideally be vacuumed once a day to keep your carpet looking fresh. If you have a loop pile carpet, make sure you use an attachment without teeth or ridges!

Profesional Carpet Cleaning

Professional hot water extraction cleaning uses very hot water (anywhere between 50 and 120 degrees Celsius) to clean carpet, and is highly recommended every twelve to eighteen months to remove dirt and grit from the carpet. Hot water extraction cleaning is also extremely important because it pulls bacteria from your carpet and kills any dust mites living in the pile. For Harrisons Carpet, it’s a requirement of our warranty to make sure your carpet is properly cared for, including hot water extraction cleaning.