by Catherine Lear

Created on: April 20, 2009

Your carpet is an important feature in your home. It may not be the centre piece of your household but it can make a huge difference between your home looking and feeling fresh and clean or looking dirty and grubby. Our carpets come under daily attack from our family, our pets and the general day to day grime that gathers. Carpets are also great for harbouring harmful bacteria and can have their own ecological system buried right at the bottom of the pile. Therefore it is not only from an aesthetic point of view that we should keep on top of cleaning of our carpets but also from a health and safety point of view. By following a few simple steps your carpets will look, feel and smell great whatever is thrown at them.

First and foremost you will need to choose a vacuum to suit your budget and more importantly suit your needs. There are thousands of vacuum models out there and they all have different capabilities. If you have furry pets who just love to shed their coats everyday then look for a vacuum that has been specifically manufactured to pick up moulting hair and penetrate deep into the pile.

The frequency will all depend on your household circumstances, if you have pets and or children then it is recommended that you either vacuum everyday or every other day. Frequent vacuuming prevents the soil build up and gives you clean results each time. Slow and firm strokes with the vacuum will achieve more than hurrying, and should aim to complete four passes of the backward and forward motion over the same area for a thorough clean. Ensure that your carpet smells sweet by sprinkling baking soda on to your carpet followed by dried crushed lavender or basil. Leave for 15-20 minutes and then vacuum.

Stain removal

It is inevitable that your carpet will become stained at any given time throughout its lifetime The key as with any stain removal is to act quickly. Here are a few hints and tips to help you with some common staining.

Alcohol. The most effective way to remove red wine stains is by pouring white wine on top and let it soak up the red. Then wash with water and part ammonia finally making sure you rinse thoroughly. For white wine, sponge clean with cold water and ammonia. If there are any remaining marks, pour some glycerine on to the stain and gently rub, rinse again with warm water using a spray bottle. For stubborn and dried in stains, use a solution with equal measures of methylated spirits and ammonia. You will first need to test the solution on an unseen patch,

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