Carpets heavy traffic areas are easily prone to dirt and grime. Dirt gets further embedded into carpet with the increase in number of footsteps in the regular usage area. Muddy shoes as well as pets can make worse the carpet and it gets a worn out look.

Vacuuming frequently the heavy traffic areas of carpet can help to remove the loose dirt and dust, but dirt’s that are deeply embedded into the carpet cannot be removed with regular vacuuming and it needs carpet washer to deep clean it.

A mixture of water and detergent is used by carpet washers to suck out and loosen the hardened dirt present inside the carpet. These carpet washers look alike an ordinary vacuum and are simple to use. They are available in both canister and upright models; it has to be passed over the carpet or floor that has to be cleaned. One pass cleans the carpet with detergent and water while the other sucks it back with dirt out of the carpet.

Carpet washers are a worthwhile investment and cost almost equal to the price of a traditional vacuum cleaner; you can easily clean it once a week or as per your need. The money you invest on a carpet washer prolongs the life of your carpet and saves money from buying a new carpet. If you’re not interested in buying a carpet washer, you can contract or hire a professional cleaner so as to maintain your carpet as good as new forever.

]]> http://www.carpetshopper.net/an-effective-way-to-prolong-the-life-of-carpet-carpet-washer/feed/ 0 http://www.carpetshopper.net/tips-to-maintain-your-old-carpet-as-good-as-new/ http://www.carpetshopper.net/tips-to-maintain-your-old-carpet-as-good-as-new/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:39:54 +0000 Noah C. Rinkle http://www.carpetshopper.net/?p=18 It is necessary to maintain your old carpets daily to make it look as good as new.  Naturally carpets get soiled and worn out in course of time, but well maintained carpets provide hygiene as well as remain good for a longer duration of time. Here are few tips to maintain your carpet as good as new.

Entry mat to avoid loose dirt

Entry mat is necessary to avoid loose dirt and mud from entering into the room. This helps to maintain a cleaner carpet; also it protects the fibers from dulling and abrasion which are usually caused by loose soil or mud. The appearance and value of the carpet can be preserved if dirt is kept away regularly.

Modify Traffic patterns

Modify the arrangement of furniture pattern periodically and this change in traffic pattern can prolong the life of carpet. Furniture of heavy weight such as settee and sofas can crush or damage the carpet pile.  You could find deep indentations in carpet where heavy furniture legs were resting; by spraying little water on the affected area you can solve out this problem. Always use a pile grooming brush to raise or lift the compressed pile.

Keep away color destroying products from carpets

Medications such as syrup when spilled on carpet may stain the carpet and form as spots, so it is better to keep them at bay from carpet. Also chemicals and cosmetic can cause discoloration to the carpet. These products doesn’t show any color change immediately, but can change the color of carpet in course of time ranging from weeks to months.

Vacuum Frequently

More than 80% of the dirt is dry type and regular vacuuming helps to remove it completely. Starting from entry mats to carpets, regular vacuuming can help your old carpet to be as good as new one. Grit and dirt get embedded into your carpet’s pile daily, so vacuuming regularly helps to remove this from carpet. Daily vacuuming is necessary in highly dusty or traffic areas, also check the vacuum bags for dirt and dispose it regularly. Change the vacuum bag when it becomes worn out.

Maintaining your carpet regularly helps you to preserve your carpet as good as new for long time. Moreover it also helps to sustain the hygiene in home or at office.

The color of the carpet is a crucial issue. You need to select it wisely. It should match well with the color coding of the interior. Carpet comes in different colors, designs, patterns, shapes and sizes. You need to choose the one that is compatible with the décor of your house. Most of the carpet stores have varieties of carpet style and texture to choose from. Patterned, frieze, Berber, cute pile, luxurious carpet are some of the common options. You can go through the samples before selecting one carpet.

You need to think what function the carpet will provide. A durable and tougher carpet is required for a heavy traffic area. For a bedroom, you can opt for a less tough material. It is better to opt for a luxurious carpet in the bedroom. Apart from that, you also need to consider the maintenance issue. You will surely prefer to use the material that is easy to maintain and clear.

Remember, the texture and the color of the carpet will influence the overall look of the room. At the same time, the lighting conditions of the room will affect the look of the carpet. You can use the velvety carpets in the dining room. The tapestry weaves or oriental carpets can lend a formal look in any part of your house.

If you want to make your room brighter, choose the lustrous carpet fibers. However, the smooth carpets will likely to have vacuum marks on it. So, decide first whether you want to have the look or not.

Carpets can be laid on uneven surfaces as well. However, for that purpose, the look of the carpet should be tailored. You can combine different pile in different height to get a sculptured look. Naturally, the lights strike on such carpets from different angles. It shows no footprint.

However, if you are looking for carpets to lay in the high traffic areas, it is important that you choose from the low loop or basic piles. These are largely used in the offices. The maintenance is easy here and he wear factor is impressive as well.

Make sure that you don’t compromise with the quality. After all, you get in return of what you paid. So, be careful about that. Also, pay heed to the guarantee.

There are two types of weaving patterns – loop pile and cut pile. In loop pile, single strands of yarns are pulled through the carpet backing twice, which creates small loops. Berber, cable or sisal are loop pile carpets which are good for places that has high foot fall, like living space, or in shops .Cut pile carpets are made by cutting the loop on the top, which results to a bunch of yarn stand on the carpet. shag, textured, Saxony and velvet or plush are types of cut pile carpets. Cut pile is more durable than loop pile carpet.

Along with the weaving, the fiber is also very important thing. Wool, Acrylic, Nylon and Olefin are the types of fiber used. Among these, wool is the best and most long lasting fiber. It is costly but when you see the result and the comfort you will be satisfied that the cost is worth paying. It has a luxurious rich feel. Acrylic carpeting looks like wool carpet and is also moisture, fade, mildew, crush and stain resistant. Nylon carpet is very durable. Olefin is the cheapest fiber, but is color fast and easy to clean.

As for the color and pattern of the carpet, try to contrast and coordinate it with your wall color. Dark carpets make the room cozy and you can also choose light carpets as nowadays you have stain resistant carpets in the market.

Keep the above details in your mind while buying a carpet and you will never make a wrong choice.

Easy To Clean

As we?ve already touched upon, because carpet tiles can be lifted with ease, they can be much more easily cleaned than other types of flooring, or even replaced if a particular tile is ripped or damaged. Rather than having to replace the entire floor covering, carpet tiles allows for a more efficient way of replacing individual sections of flooring, and provides a number of advantages in this regard.

Versatile and Flexible

Carpet tiles are versatile in that they can be used for a number of different rooms in the home, as well as the kitchen area. They can be used for covering floors in bathrooms, utility rooms, conservatories and even bedrooms, and because they come in a range of different styles and designs, they can be suitable for a number of different purposes. Carpet tiles are flexible in that they can fit even the most awkward shaped rooms and can be used to fit into tight corners and odd-dimensioned areas.

Easy To Lay

Carpet tiles are, by virtue, extremely easy to lay. Rather than having to fit a large carpet across an entire floor, fitting a small tile of carpet is a piece of cake. Fitting a floor of carpet tiles is straightforward and much quicker than laying a one-piece carpet and even laminate flooring, and because it can be lifted and replaced easily as often as is required, it?s the ideal solution for busy households.

Cost Effective

Carpet tiles are generally much less expensive than one-piece carpets or laminate flooring, and because you can be flexible in your use of tiles, there is less of a requirement for skilled labour in the fitting process. The carpet tiles themselves are less expensive than similar sized one-piece carpets, and without the need to hire professional carpet fitters, there is a further cost saving to be realised for the carpet buyer.

Prevention Better Than Cure?
One of the main ways to ensuring long-lasting carpet cleanliness is to take measures to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place. Whilst it might seem like a pernickety old wives tale, taking your shoes off at the door really can have a tangible impact on the longevity of your particular carpet. Of course, you?d be ill-advised to require this of guests to your home, but where possible ensuring you don?t track mud or dirt through the house can be one of the first steps towards protecting your carpet for the long-haul.

If you have kids, you?ll know just how much of a mess they can make in any room. If you have kids and an expensive carpet, that?s just a recipe for disaster. Make sure that where you are looking to protect a specific carpet you brief your kids on what they can and cannot do, such as no colouring pens or crayons on the floor, or no food. That way (provided you have obedient children), you can minimise the risk to your carpet and prevent the damage spillages can do in the first place.

Likewise if you?re setting rules for your kids you should set rules for yourself ? no more red wine in the lounge, and no more smoking near the carpet. The stains from red wine, as many of us are unfortunately only too aware, whilst nicotine can do untold damage to carpeting and soft furnishings throughout your home.

Cleaning Tips
When it does come to having to clean your carpet, there are a number of effective tips for doing so. Firstly, if red wine?s your problem, you have two really good options for shifting that stain, but only if you act immediately ? white wine, and table salt. Pouring white wine on top of the red wine might seem like carpet suicide, but actually it?s a good way of shifting the red wine that might have settled enabling you to clean up more effectively. If you can?t bear to waste even more wine, try apply a covering of table salt to your carpet. The salt will draw the wine from the carpet, absorbing much of the stain, before you have to simply run it over with the vacuum cleaner before saying goodbye to that stain.

As for more general carpet cleaning tips, it?s important to try and clean carpets regularly as opposed to simply vacuuming. That means applying shampoo or steam cleaning the carpet, which will almost certainly require some kind of specialist equipment. However if you?re serious about your carpeting, that?s a small price to pay to ensure a long-life and vibrant, rich appearance for as long as possible.

Pros and Cons
Buying cheap carpet is an acceptable opportunity mainly because it is cheap. People tend not to care a great deal about the specifics of their particular carpet ? as long as it?s a bearable colour and the price tag isn?t too bad, they?re happy to go right ahead.

However carpet is often cheaper for a reason. Depending on the price of your carpet, the quality will vastly differ between acceptable and minimal, as will the thickness and its expected lifespan. Naturally there are some exceptions to this rule where more expensive carpets are overpriced for whatever reason, or where cheap carpets are in fact well made but aren?t branded and are ?no-frills?. However if you?re looking to guarantee something is of the highest quality and it well-manufactured, cheap carpet probably doesn?t present your best opportunity.

Getting Discounts on Your Carpet
When you do come to buy your carpet, there?s no need to opt for cheaper coverings ? instead, why not try to negotiate downwards on the headline price? More often than not small retailers have a significant margin for discount, depending on your specific circumstances. For example, would it really hurt if you said the store round the corner was prepared to offer you the same carpet for 20% less? Or how about saying you?re looking to carpet your entire house in order to get a little in the way of reduction? You?ll be surprised how much flexibility there is in transactions like this.

Alternatively, with the rise of shopping online more and more consumers are finding great deals on their carpet over the Internet. Rather than heading down to traditional carpet stores, those that elect to complete the transaction online are able to improve their ability to realise a saving as compared to more traditional retail environments. That way, you don?t have to skimp on quality whilst the price won?t be too great to cause problems for your bank balance.

DIY Carpet Fitting
DIY carpet fitting might seem like the best way to save a few bucks on the cost of professional installation, but that?s not always the case. In order to install your own carpet, and professionally, you need to have a great deal of equipment including a kicker, stretcher, seam cutters ? the list is endless. You also need to have experience in order to get it just right. One of the most common mistakes made by novice carpet fitters is cutting the carpet too short for the room size, which in the end can create an impossible fitting environment, thus ruining the carpet. Unless you know what you?re doing, you?re probably best to leave it to the pros.

Professional Help
Professional help isn?t a foolproof answer either, however. Of course, there are different degrees of professionalism depending on the carpet fitter you choose. If you can find a reliable carpet fitter, hold on to them ? they are like gold dust. Try to take recommendations from friends or family and make sure that you are aware before the carpet fitter arrives both how much he is going to charge and what kind of turnaround time he is forecasting.