by Leslie Ann Campbell

Created on: July 21, 2008   Last Updated: July 22, 2008

Cleaning your carpets has never been easier as there are a multitude of products and devices to help you clean your carpets and throw rugs quickly and efficiently.

Your first line of defense is your vacuum cleaner. It is always prudent to keep a carpet sweeper handy to use between vacuuming. These devices have greatly improved in the past few years and can now almost do the work of the vacuum. Best of all, they can quickly be gotten out of a closet, used, and quickly be put away.

Robotic vacuums can be very helpful, but they don't completely take the place of a regular vacuum. Still, nothing is quicker than going to bed while your robotic maid cleans your house.

If you rent or purchase machinery, make sure you are getting a carpet steamer, not a carpet shampooer. A carpet steamer performs a deep cleaning. It uses hot water, and it sucks the dirty water it uses back out of the carpet. A carpet shampooer creates a lot of foam, but it leaves that foam on your carpet. It does not suck up the dirty water it used.

Most carpets can be safely steam cleaned. Still, it is important to read the manufacturer's directions. It may be that steam cleaning is allowed but that certain chemicals aren't. Knowing what chemicals are best for your carpet allows you to spot clean between steam cleanings and, hopefully, keeps you from having to steam clean as often.

While cleaning your carpet in an environmentally friendly manner might, in a few circumstances, take longer, it will keep this country's lifestyle down the road. Some ways you can preserve the environment yet maintain your carpet are:

1) use your carpet sweeper more and your vacuum less - this cuts down on the electricity used.

2) buy quality equipment from dealers who service what they sell. Keeping the landfills free of old vacuums, robotic equipment, and steam cleaners will help keep the environment beautiful.

3) only use environmentally friendly cleaning products. For example, plain baking soda is a good carpet deodorizer which hasn't been touched by additional chemicals and perfumes.

4) Take good care of your carpet so you can keep it a longer. Use slides under furniture and clean spots immediately.

Even if you try to follow an environmentally friendly approach, you will find that carpet cleaning is easier now than ever before.

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