A carpet will suffer a high amount of abuse during its lifetime, with dirt, dust and stains (mostly caused by you), pet urine and other similar stuff negatively affecting its looks and durability. The truth is, most of the above problems are unavoidable but it doesn’t mean that you won’t have to clean it up though.

A good way to work around this issue is to make your own homemade carpet solution. Let us show you how:

Natural Carpet Cleaners

Making your own homemade natural carpet cleaner is not that difficult, you just need to have some stuff handy:

• Some baking powder
• Cornflour
• Bay leaves (dried)
• Potpourri

You mix up around 1/2 lb baking powder with 2.5 oz to 3.5 oz cornflour and add in the dried bay leaves, after crumbling them. Lastly, you should add a handful of potpourri (1.75 oz or so) for the smell and the fresh look.
Mix everything up in a covered container, shaking the blend thoroughly. Spill the newly created natural carpet cleaner on the area where the stain is and leave it overnight to meld in. In the morning, wipe it off clean and vacuum the area to get the residue off. Hopefully, your stain is now history!

Vacuuming

A first step to prolong the life and appearance of carpet is to not undervalue vacuuming. Dry vacuuming is the best way to remove dry soils; as much as 80 to 95% can be removed if done on a routine schedule. Dry soil – particles such as dust, dirt, sand, clay, gravel, even animal or vegetable fibers – is removed most easily and economically with dry vacuuming. It is important to remove particle soils before they sift downward into the carpet’s pile and become more difficult to remove, or damage carpet fibers. Vacuuming with a CRI-approved vacuum helps clean carpet effectively and prevents particles like dust, dander, and other bio-pollutants from being redistributed back in the indoor air, potentially contributing to respiratory ailments and allergies.

Spot Cleaning

Removing spots quickly will aid in preserving the life and appearance of carpet. When dealing with a liquid spill, blotting – not rubbing or scrubbing – with a clean white towel will help to remove much of the spill. For tips on addressing particular spots or staining, see the CRI Spot Solver or the HousekeepingChannel.com’s Stain Removal Wizard. Also check out the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Seal of Approval (SOA) tested cleaning solutions to improve your chances of removing a spot without harming carpet. Be sure to note any warnings and follow the directions stated by the cleaning solution manufacturer.

Interim Cleaning

Interim cleaning helps maintain the “surface” of carpet, as well as improve its appearance. As stated earlier, dry vacuuming does help remove a large percentage of soils, but not all. Some soils and particles are “sticky” and remain in the fibers, causing carpet to look dirty or dingy. Using a CRI-approved carpet extractor between restorative cleanings will aid in soil removal and increase appearance level. Still, interim cleaning should not be viewed as a replacement for restorative cleaning. If done regularly, however, interim cleaning can help extend the period between restorative cleanings.

Restorative Cleaning

To get the most life out of carpet, a carpet owner should include restorative cleaning. This is best handled by qualified professionals using a variety of methods. Locate a CRI Seal of Approval Service Provider to help ensure the best results. The deepest clean can be reached by this level of maintenance. Nevertheless, how often a carpet owner needs to have has his/her carpet professionally cleaned depends on the level of daily maintenance and effectiveness of interim cleaning.

*Getting an in-home inspection and estimate*
Never go strictly by television advertisements or newspaper inserts or jump at the lowest bid. Have the cleaning representative come to your home for an inspection and estimate. Obtain a writen agreement before any work is done. Most final estimate will be based on square footage rather than the number of rooms.

Calling in the Pros…..
It’s best to find the cleaning pro that is out to help you! The cheapest isn’t always the best way cause it may end up costing you more in the long run. You can tell most of the time after speaking to the pro on the phone if they know what they are doing. Read up on the company that you are thinking of using and you can tell if they have good ratings!