Home improvement projects are all around your house and aren't limited to new floors or fresh paint. If you really want your home to look like you are envisioning, you will have to take some time to plan it out and research what needs to be done. The tips below can help you to improve your home improvement skills. You should save money and create the home you have always dreamed of.

Get your contractor's attention and make your needs clear. It is much easier to voice your concerns or see your vision put into play when you have a contractor whom you consider trustworthy. If there aren't clear lines of communication between you and your contractor, it's likely that there will be issues with the project. Make sure your contractor listens to you and your needs.

An air conditioning system is not very attractive on its own, but there are various ways to lessen its unsightly appearance. It can easily be disguised with latticework or a trellis. One other option is to use large, ornamental grass. Remember to leave space for the roots to grow.

Lampshades with simple designs give no life to the room. Use some basic stencils and paint to give your boring lamp shade something extra. This will add a personal touch, making the room reflect your personality. This can take a boring room and make it more exciting.

Are you tired of waking up to the same old dresser every morning? A great way to reinvigorate worn furniture is to sand down and re-varnish them. You can save a lot of money by refinishing the furniture you already have. There are an abundance of stains you can color your furniture with.

Locate your gas shutoff valve before beginning a project that involves your fireplace, kitchen appliances or anything else related to your gas line. You should also be extremely vigilant when working near the gas supply. You don't want to spark a gas explosion.

When you hire a contractor to do a home improvement project, his or her reputation is more important than the price he or she quotes. Someone who is not well-respected, but is inexpensive, will typically do sub par work with cheap materials. The substandard work will just mean costly repairs later. Not only does shoddy work have to be done twice, it can even put you at risk by making your home unsafe. Choose the right contractor the first time around.

Cleaning your carpets on a regular basis helps your house feel cleaner and cuts down on dust and dirt in the air. Renting a steam cleaner can be expensive, so the purchase of your carpet shampooing machine can pay off in the long run, especially if you own if you have a large house and shampoo regularly. Your house will both look and feel much cleaner. One excellent home carpet cleaning product is the Hoover F7452-900 MaxExtract All-Terrain Carpet Cleaner. In checking the Amazon website, I've found that this carpet cleaner has excellent reviews.

Home improvement is not a skill reserved for experts only. If you are just a novice, it will take an investment of your time, but your skills will improve. You will be able to show off your accomplished projects with pride once you put some time into it and a bit of attention to detail.

Your home should be a place of comfort and respite. Your home should be a place where you can avoid most of life's stress and discomforts. But what if your house is actually causing you stress and discomfort? Have you noticed sometimes you feel fine until you come home and then you start sniffling and sneezing? No one wants to think they're allergic to their surroundings. Surroundings you've taken personal care to create. Where do you look for answers?

If you find yourself feeling hypersensitive to your home because your eyes itch and you're sneezing and coughing whenever you're at home it may be time to look at what's causing this. Assessing the cleanliness of your home will be step one. Starting from the flooring up you should analyze what might be instigating these irritating reactions. Sure you're carpets look reasonably clean. But you wonder just how much dust has accumulated since you last had them cleaned. In fact, now you're trying to remember when you last had them cleaned.

Some carpets may appear to be fairly clean but underneath it may be a different story. Carpets can trap things such as pet dander, mold and fungus spores, bacteria and dust mites. Dust mites can be especially troublesome. These microscopic creatures live in carpets, beds and other furniture. Some dust mites can survive year round. Because of this, many allergies can persist no matter the season. A single dust mite produces 200 times its body weight in waste in its lifetime. The waste product they produce is a protein, which is what causes allergic reactions.

According to the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, "Approximately 10 percent of Americans exhibit allergic sensitivity to dust mites." This can pose serious problems for people who are prone to allergies or asthma. It can also be troublesome for small children that are still crawling as their exposure to these allergens may cause undesirable respiratory reactions. The answer lies in getting rid of the germs, bacteria and dust mites that are trapped in your carpet. You might find different home remedies simply don't work.

The best idea would be to call a carpet cleaning company that uses a truck mounted steam cleaning system. These systems utilize a hot water extraction method. This method will help loosen these particular allergens. With the combination of hot water and the right cleaners your carpets will be thoroughly cleaned. A deep down cleaning is the only way to rid your carpets of these pests. Using a portable rug shampooer will not have the power to loosen or remove dust mites or their waste product.

Find a company whose technicians are certified in using this particular method. If they aren't certified, the cleaning may not be done properly. Also find a company that stands behind their work. Find a company that guarantees your carpet will be cleaned to your satisfaction or you simply won't pay. When it comes to your family's well being you don't want to compromise. Try to create a home that is healthy and free of irritating allergens. Finding the right, reputable carpet cleaning company can help you reach this goal.

Red carpet shows are a great challenge for top international fashion designers because of their wide media coverage across the world. Celebrities love to participate in these events flaunting their dresses specially designed for these occasions so much so that these events have become a virtual fashion show exhibiting the designer clothes from world's top designers, branded accessories and flamboyant jewelries.

These red carpet events are the most eagerly awaited occasions for not just the celebrities but also their fans who throng these shows to have a glimpse of their favorite celebrities. The fans wait for hours that are surelyworthwhile when they see the elegant looking stars beautifully and elaborately dressed, getting down from their sparkling limos and walking down the red carpet; it is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

The celebrities do not mind in spending thousands of dollars getting that right dress to put on for such occasions and it is always in the back of minds of all celebs as to who among so many of them is going to steal the show this time. The gorgeous stars of Hollywood such as Sofia Loren, Kim Basinger, Julie Andrew and Nicole Kidman have played a crucial part in making the red carpet functions what they are today. The red carpet event has always been a crucial occasion and the fashion trends have gradually grown over the years right from 1950s, with every celeb playing his or her part in making the red carpet so important today.

The Golden Globe this year witnessed the rich range in fashion trends. While J Lo adorned a plunging golden dress just a few days after delivering a baby, Beyonce looked fabulous in her off-shoulder evening gown. Tina fey wore a sensuous look in a low-cut, while Renee Zellweger and Kate Winslet looked elegant in no-cuts. Just a year back, long one shoulder dresses and strapless evening gown were the trends and many Hollywood celebrities like Laura Linney, Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock showed their one shoulder off dresses. In jewelries too, the variations could be quite easily seen as many stars such as Beyonce chose chic diamond jewelries, while Megan Fox and J Lo put on a golden glitz, and many such as Angelina and Penelope Cruz chose to go for the demure silvery look.

The stars displayed a lot of colors as well at the previous year Golden Globe. While Anna Paquin and Anne Hathaway looked stunning in navy blue, Hayden Pannettier charmed in her navyish-purple. Rumer Wills charmed the occasion in her plum chiffon gown, while Cameron Diaz looked striking in pink ruffles. There were many who chose bright colors as well such as Eva Longoria who wore a red satin gown and Christina Applegate wearing a bright yellow strapless dress. Drew Barymore, Julie Benz and Mary Lousie Parker looked cool in blue attire.

With global coverage of all red carpet functions right from Golden Globe to Oscars to Cannes thanks to electronic media and internet, designers become busy the moment they are done with one. The coverage of these red carpet events is so huge that there are hundreds of television crews competing with each other to take the best shot for their viewers, apart from scores of websites that owe their existence to these events. All the latest fashion is now available to television audiences and internet users so easily that they can themselves dress up like celebrities by capturing the latest fashion trends followed by the trend-setting stars on the red carpets.

SMART Carpet specializes in customized shop-at-home full service flooring. SMART Carpet now offers a remarkable new Carpet product called Magic Fresh Carpet. Using a patented chemical combination, SMART Carpet’s Magic Fresh Carpet is beyond stain resistant; it is now odor repellent as well. Magic Fresh Carpet is the newest Carpet technology available at SMART Carpet.

Customers who have tried SMART Carpet’s Magic Fresh Carpet have been returning overwhelmingly favorable reports. SMART Carpet examined comparative product testing results that showed the impressive odor neutralizing capabilities of Magic Fresh Carpet. According to the experts at SMART Carpet, some of the most notorious and tenacious of household odors were no match for new Magic Fresh Carpet. SMART Carpet says that Magic Fresh Carpet even handled odors like cigarette smoke, pet accidents, and food spills.

The Magic Fresh Carpet compound has the dual strength of blocking new odors and eliminating old ones. In addition to its groundbreaking odor eating technology, says the team at SMART Carpet, Magic Fresh Carpet is also made with environmentally friendly materials. SMART Carpet says that the safety and effectiveness of this new product is a boon to customers with young children or pets. With Magic Fresh Carpet from SMART Carpet, parents can enhance the hygiene of their home without compromising the health of their family.

Another excellent quality of SMART Carpet’s Magic Fresh Carpet is that it is self-renewing. SMART Carpet explains that this makes Magic Fresh Carpet retain its odor destroying attributes for several years. By any measure, says SMART Carpet, using Magic Fresh Carpet in a home is a valuable investment. For any customers considering Carpeting as their flooring choice, SMART Carpet suggests the use of Magic Fresh Carpet technology. SMART Carpet explains that Magic Fresh Carpet works in tandem with ScotchguardTM and other Carpeting treatments. With this added feature, SMART Carpet has experienced a welcome increase in satisfied Carpet shoppers.

For a fresh look in your Austin area home, carpet cleaning can add a great deal of value. As carpet is the standard choice of flooring in many homes, keeping carpet clean becomes a task most often left to the professional cleaning company. But how do you find the right Austin carpet cleaning professional?

There are many factors to consider, price being one. To get an accurate price quote on carpet cleaning services, you'll need to provide the professional carpet cleaner a range of information such as; the square footage of the carpeted area to be cleaned, the type of carpet, if there is furniture to move, are there any spots or pet stains that need attention and whether or not carpet repairs or restretching services are required. The answers to these questions will help the professional carpet cleaner determine an accurate price quote for your carpet cleaning.

There are also questions you should ask to determine if the Austin carpet cleaner is right for you. You should ask if there are any hidden fees or charges. Be clear on what the price includes. You should ask what type of equipment they use and how long they have been in business doing Austin carpet cleaning. Ask any specific questions about areas you might be concerned about like traffic patterns or burn marks to see if they will be able to address those areas properly. And you'll want to check out the staff too.

Ask the carpet cleaning staff if they have done a lot of other Austin carpet cleaning projects similar to your home cleaning task. Listen for intelligent answers and examples of other jobs they've completed. cleaning companies that have established accounts with businesses is another way to ensure you are getting the best Austin carpet cleaner.

These steps will help you find the most qualified carpet cleaning company in Austin. Make sure the company you hire has been in business for more than a year. Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if they have a clean record of customer satisfaction. With so many websites out there that talk about cleaning carpets, there's plenty of information online and many companies to choose from. Choosing a qualified Austin carpet cleaning company that understands your needs is the first step in keeping your home looking its best.

Any carpet proprietor can attest towards the attractiveness that carpets add to their houses. Carpets not simply offer elegance to our properties but in addition carry a good deal of extra advantageous elements. They're very good sound absorbers which make our properties much less noisy, they act as insulators producing us preserve on our power payments, plus they also supply comfort once we stroll on them. Should you occur to get a carpeted flooring, then you understand that it really is an extremely very good investment. Like all investments although, we need to have to defend and preserve our carpets.

You can find a lot of approaches out there appropriate now to preserve our carpets. Getting a nicely taken care of and clear carpet tends to make our rooms fresh new and wholesome. Apart from hiring an expert carpet cleaner, we are able to clear and preserve our carpets ourselves. Let's go through the distinctive common techniques and pick the very best.

Vacuum Cleaner

A great deal of people today are utilizing vacuum cleaners to clear the carpets. Even though it does the occupation properly, it doesn't completely get rid of all of the dust which is deeply embedded inside your carpet.

Shampoo

This technique nonetheless makes use of a vacuum cleaner. What you do is use the shampoo throughout your carpet and produce a foamy floor. As soon as the foam has dried, you then run a vacuum cleaner around your carpet. This approach removes the grime deeply embedded within your carpets. Nonetheless not an excellent selection although, in quite a few people's opinions.

House Steam carpet Cleaners

This will be the technique which numerous property owners choose probably the most. Sizzling moisture is blasted into your carpet, then vacuumed out. Thus far, this can be probably the most efficient way numerous persons have discovered of cleansing a carpet.

Let's get to the particulars on how a property carpet steam cleaners operate. Essentially, a sizzling steam of moisture is injected to the carpet. This leads to all of the dust and filth to obtain dislodged from your material. As soon as they're dislodged, the vacuum cleaner would then do its task by sucking it from the carpet. These household steam cleaners are by much probably the most successful approach of deep cleansing your carpet with minimal anxiety utilized to it, in my viewpoint.

Household carpet Steam Cleaners - Purchasing Concerns

You will discover a lot of household steam carpet cleaners accessible inside the marketplace these days. If you are out to search for one, then right here are some suggestions to contemplate.

* Excess weight
* Household steam carpet cleaners are only successful in the event the individual making use of it might manage it. Attempt to verify in case you can truly carry the machine. If it is also major, then it could do you no excellent because you'll be obtaining a difficult time in working it. A steam carpet cleaner that feels mild to you'd be quick to function and navigate, thereby creating the cleansing method successful.
* Mobility
* Attempt to verify in case your household steam carpet cleaner has wheels to ensure that you may push it about very easily. Make certain that the energy cord is lengthy sufficient as to possess very good freedom of motion.
* Equipment
All of us realize that sooner or later some components in property carpet steams cleaners will put on out. Ensure that that substitute components could be very easily accessible.

If you are looking for efficient and affordable carpet cleaning services, dallas carpet cleaning has everything you need in cleaning services for your home or office. When you have invested in quality furnishings for your home and want it sparkle like new, it is necessary to invent time and money into quality cleaning services. Professional dallas carpet cleaners use the latest methods to help you achieve optimum levels of cleanliness of your interior furnishings.

High Standards Of Care

Dallas carpet cleaning services have a high success rate that is unmatched and a proven customer satisfaction rate. Their high standards and advanced cleaning equipment ensure that, they will deliver the best services. They follow the best cleaning procedures recommended by carpet manufacturers, so that you get a clean and healthy indoor environment.

Carpets and rugs can collect dust, dirt, pollutants and smells with use since it is a high traffic area in your home. You need to get the floor coverings cleaned regularly, to maintain the hygienic conditions. The trained experts of carpet cleaning dallas have the skills and equipment designed for a variety of requirements in carpet care.

Oriental Rug Cleaning

Your rugs are an investment and need special care to maintain its beauty and quality for years ahead. Fort Wort carpet cleaners have years of experience in cleaning any type of rug in highly effective ways to achieve the best cleaning results. You don't have to worry if your expensive Persian rug has a stain. Dallas carpet cleaning will take care of it and your rug will look as good as new in the least amount of time.

Carpet Cleaning

When you hire the services of carpet cleaning Tx, you get

* State of the art cleaning systems
* Experienced and trained technicians
* 24 hour emergency services
* 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed.
* Truck mounted extractors

dallas carpet cleaning services use the latest techniques including foam cleaning and steam cleaning which will not risk ruining of your carpets. Carpets can collect a lot of dirt, dust mites, pollutants, mold and other contaminants but they can all be effectively removed by the professional team of cleaners. The harsh smells can be removed to make it allergen free and rejuvenate the appearance only if it is done with expertise.

Carpet Repair And Stain Removal Services

Carpets can get damaged in so many ways:

* Pets chewing
* Glue, wax or gum
* Ripples
* Stretching
* Holes due to cigarette or candle burns
* Bleach stains
* Tearing from moving furniture

Getting a new carpet can prove expensive so by deciding to go with dallas carpet cleaners, you'll also save a lot of money as their rates are one of the most economical in the market. They use the best stain removal products and carpet care methods to completely restore your carpets and give it fresh new life.

Dallas carpet cleaning experts have the skills to deal with any carpet care, including installation of new carpets, water damage repair, color enhancement and pet odor removal among others. They can help you save by renewing your carpets using the latest technology, instead of resorting to expensive replacements when your carpet is damaged. They help your carpet to last longer, retain its beauty and guarantee satisfaction of their services.

Carpet Repair: An Introduction

Let's start with the basics: It is possible to do your own repair. If you would rather repair than spend hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars replacing then a carpet repair may be for you.

Although the average homeowner may be able to repair their carpet themselves, it's not necessarily the best choice.

A professional can help you in a small fraction of the time it would take an untrained person, all while making a hard job look easy.

If you are a homeowner and want to try to fix it yourself, I caution you that if quality really matters, then hire a pro.

For now I'll just skim the surface and describe the most common types of repairs. Later, I'll go in depth and explain in more detail about each type.

Here are some different types of carpet repair:

• Stretching

• Patching

• Transitions

• Berber

• Seam repair

• Pet Damaged (Including Removing Pet Urine)

• Repairing Flood Damage

• Reinstalling After Remodeling

• Removing

• Repair Stairs

• Stain Removal

When an original installation is done properly, you should never need to re-stretch loose carpet. Proper installation requires a tool called a stretcher or a power stretcher. (Not a kicker, kickers aren't nearly enough.) When you see ripples, wrinkles, or bunched-up carpet, that's when you know you need to have it stretched.

Most of the time, a loose carpet can be re-stretched without needing to take apart seams. If seams do need to be taken apart, it opens up a whole other can of worms.

If there's some furniture in the room, we can often use our carpet stretcher without having to clear the room entirely. Often we can move the furniture from one side of the room to the other and stretch one side of the room at a time.

If you have a stain that you can't get out or you have damaged carpet due to a burn (not the good kind), or your bad dog or cat thinks that carpet is a food group, then a patch may be the only solution.

Patching isn't as easy as it looks. The patch needs to be exactly perfect. If there's any overlap or gap at the seam (at all), you'll be sorry.

You can use a leftover piece of carpet from the original installation or steal a piece of carpet from a closet to do your carpet patching. One thing you probably can't do is go to the carpet store and buy a piece to match.

A carpet to floor transition is anyplace where the carpet ends and the floor begins. If it's at a tile floor we call it a carpet to tile transition.

Many people install their own tile but don't know how to finish the job with the carpet to tile transition. Often professional tile installers don't know how to finish their job with a proper carpet to tile transition. There are several good ways to do a carpet to floor transition that I will explain in the carpet to tile transition article.

When people refer to a Berber carpet, they're referring to a looped carpet with rows. It's not really a Berber carpet but for our purposes here it's okay to call it Berber. For an interesting read on the history of Berber carpet click here.

Berber carpet repair is often needed due to a snag in a Berber carpet or a pull in a Berber carpet. A pull in a Berber carpet happens when one or more threads get caught, either in a vacuum or some other way. Often times it's the family pet or a child that pulls Berber carpet and creates the snag or run.

If there is just one Berber carpet row that has been pulled, it can be re-burled (glued back into place). If the Berber carpet run is more serious, say for example a dog was trapped in a room and tried to dig her way out, then a patch is in order.
If your Berber carpet is loose then it will need to be stretched. Stretching Berber carpet isn't really any different than stretching carpet of any other type.

If a carpet comes apart at the seam it can be repaired in several different ways. One way is to glue it back together, another way would be to remove the old seam tape and do the entire seam over. If the seam that came apart is on a Berber carpet then it becomes a bit more challenging.

A seam needs to withstand a lot of use, and do so for many years. This is one place where it really makes sense to use the best products available. One thing you definitely should not use is the cheap two-sided carpet tape that some web sites sell. It won't last.

Repairing carpet that's been damaged by a dog or a cat may be as simple as using a solution to remove the stain and odor. Or it may require much more, such as removing carpet and replacing it with a patch, or even going deeper by removing and replacing the carpet padding and cleaning and deodorizing the floor below the carpet, the tack strip, and even the baseboard.

When a room becomes flooded, most often we will remove the padding, dry out the carpet and then replace the padding with new carpet pad. In most cases the tack strip does not need to be replaced. A flood damaged carpet can mildew quite quickly so it's important to take quick action.

Removing, replacing, or installing new built-in furniture, walls, floor heaters, toilets, cabinets, and other fixtures are just a few reasons that a carpet installer will need install the carpet properly into the room. This will require some new tack strip and possibly some new carpet and pad to add to the area. Many times the customer will have some carpet left over from the installation. If not, we can often take carpet from the closet.

Removing carpet and carpet pad is simple but sometimes strenuous. If we are trying to save the carpet to use in a different room or to re-carpet the hallway or stairway, we will want to try to keep it in one piece. If the objective is just to remove old carpet and old carpet pad, we will make it easy on ourselves by cutting the carpet into strips approximately two feet wide.

Sometimes we charge to haul the carpet and pad away but most often we leave it in garbage bags for the customer to feed into their garbage can over a period of a few weeks (no charge).

The first stair always wears out first. One way to save a LOT of money is to use a scrap of leftover carpet from the installation or from a closet to replace just a stair or two.

If more stairs need to be re-carpeted, and if the stairway carpet matches the carpet in the hall and the rest of the house, you can save a LOT of money by replacing the stairway carpet with carpet removed from a different room. It's far less expensive to replace just one room of carpet than to re-carpet your entire house, and the stairway carpet continues to match the carpet in the hall and the rest of the house.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of products that you can use to remove stains from your carpet. If you want some great tips on how to remove carpet stains click here.

In conclusion

The preceding information only scratches the surface of what's possible with carpet repair. In the future we do plan on writing additional articles describing in further detail every category that was listed.

We here at Creative carpet repair hope this helps you in your quest to learn about how to repair carpet and we are available during normal business hours to answer any question you may have. Good luck!

Throughout the last twenty years, in terms of the carpet underlay, sponge rubber has been the default choice for homeowners, renovators and interior designers when choosing which textile to use for their carpet pad.

The benefits of rubber underlay have been clear and obvious for all this time. It is very dense meaning it offers great underfoot feel. This fantastic comfort alone is the difference between a good feeling carpet and a great feeling carpet.

The density of the carpet underlay has many positive effects beyond increasing comfort underfoot. For instance, it has a higher tog rating than other types. This means that it is more effective at stopping heat from passing through and thus will keep your rooms warmer. This attribute in particular was beneficial because many people realised that they could save a substantial amount of money on their fuel bills. And later after the turn of the millennium, the environmental aspect also became a tick in the box for sponge rubber underlay.

When you throw in the acoustic benefits that added density brings, sponge rubber was a logical choice given what was available.

In recent years however, trends show PU foam becoming the dominant and market leading type of underlay for carpets, surpassing rubber, both in the industry and in the minds of many consumers. It's light and it's recycled, everything you would want in a modern underlay.

PU foam in its cushioned form as applied in underlay became commercially available in the late 1950's. Nowadays, as underlay the PU Foam comes from recycled sofas, bringing with it the obvious comfort benefits. While less "spongy" than its competitor its just as soft meaning the comfort benefits are highly similar.

The main reason for the advancement of PU Foam is durability. The vast majority of sponge rubber underlay simply cannot compare in terms of work of compression. Work of compression is how capable the underlay is of regaining its previous shape after a period of pressure, for example from heavy furniture. By its very nature PU foam is better at doing this and so it stands the test of time, in general, better than sponge.

There are few sponge rubber underlay still selling successfully today, however at the premium end of the market, there remains some outstanding sponge rubber offerings. These are thick enough that durability is not an issue and the comfort benefits win out.

The remainder of the characteristics between the two types are comparable but the lighter weight and durability of the average PU foam underlay mean it's a trend that is set to continue.

Carpet underlay seems like just another unnecessary expense when re-doing a room. Surely it can't matter that much, right? WRONG! The right carpet padding can make all the difference between a room that will be beautiful and comfortable for years to come and a room that will show its age and be uncomfortable right from the start.

Advantages of carpet underlay

The most obvious advantage of carpet underlay is the "cushiness" factor under bare feet. There is nothing like being able to walk in a room with a soft carpet that feels good under one's feet. A soft, plush underlay makes a good carpet irresistible to lounge on or for children to play on. It is also a comfort on sore feet at the end of a long, grueling day at work.

Another advantage of good carpet underlay is its ability to keep the floors warm in the winter. The right thickness of padding allows heat to penetrate the carpeting if you have underfloor radiant heating and, conversely, retains the heat in the room if your heat enters above the floor level. Good carpet padding will ensure delightfully warm feet inside no matter what the temperature is outside.

Acoustical insulation is another reason to get great carpet underlay, especially for the second floor of your home. Good padding will help to reduce cases of sound leaking from one floor to another. If you have ever lived in a house or an apartment where you can hear every step taken in the room above your head then you know what I mean by this. Also, a little extra padding in a room used by a teenager might provide just the sound reduction you need to retain your sanity when he or she is listening to a little music or playing video games.

carpet underlay isn't just a luxury. It will also help retain the beauty of the room in which it's placed for years to come. It can help hide uneven flooring and it will also extend the life of the carpet that is placed over it. It will reduce the wear and tear on the carpet and make it look new for much longer than a carpet with cheap padding.

Don't make the mistake of skimping on your carpet padding. Though it will never been seen directly, you will definitely see the difference that good carpet underlay will make in the beauty and comfort of the room in which it is placed.

There are many house cleaning issues faced by households all of the world. In many homes, the carpet comprises most of the residence with the exception of the kitchen and most bathrooms. Therefore it is important to keep the carpet clean for both aesthetic and sanitary value. When hosting guests, it is embarrassing to have stains or other unsightly marks on the carpeting. Also, carpets hold bacteria which can transfer to you and your family.

Common Carpet Treatment Methods

Carpet cleaning unfortunately requires regular maintenance, especially if children live in the residence. To keep carpets sanitary, there are a few common treatment methods you can follow. These include:

• Vacuuming regularly
• Using dust mats
• Treating spills

Vacuuming Regularly

Although this is not an ancient remedy, homeowners still tend to forget to complete this task on a regular basis. They simply wait for a spill or until the carpet looks bad. By vacuuming regularly, you are sucking up almost all the dirt, grime, dust and bacteria that leave within the strands. This will help you keep the carpet looking good and sanitary at all times. To help you stay on track with carpet maintenance, its advantageous to create a cleaning schedule that includes how often you plan to vacuum, your treatment system and who will be completing the task.

Using Dust Mats

A less common method of keeping the carpets tidy is to place a dust mat at entrances to all carpeted rooms. This will capture any excess dust from the feet of those entering thus making your routine vacuuming much easier and keeping the carpet looking presentable at all times.

Treating Spills

Once a spill occurs, it is beneficial to remove it immediately. First soak up the spill with a paper towel or rag (do not grind into the carpet). Next, dampen the carpet with a wet rag and spray or sprinkle carpet treatment on the stain. Then let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes and vacuum it up. Then rinse and repeat until it disappears. The longer you let it sit, the more difficult it will be to remove from the carpet.

Cleaning Systems

There are two primary carpet treatment systems that will help you cleanse your carpet more effectively and in a shorter amount of time: steam treatments and dry carpet washing. When performed properly, each of these will effectively remove grease, oils, dirt and whatever else stains the carpet.

Treating the carpet on a regular basis is an essential aspect of house cleaning. Creating a schedule will help you fall into a routine and be diligent with this chore. Also, using dust mats is a great way to drag less scum onto the carpet. Finally, removing spills immediately after they occur will leave less of a stain after. Carpet treatment can be a daunting task but having a plan will make it much more streamlined.

Are carpet squares a good option for floor covering? With so many different options, what do you need to know about carpet tiles and squares to make a great purchase? carpet tiles or squares have been around a long time. I remember my parents using carpet squares in our basement 35 years ago as a cheap way to cover the concrete floor for a play area. However, squares and tiles have come a long way in the flooring market since then.

Carpet squares and tiles, manufactured from carpet goods, are used most commonly in the Do-It-Yourself market segment. A very typical use is in a playroom. Other areas that you will see carpet tiles installed are bonus rooms, basements, and spare rooms. Almost anyone can install these themselves with a level, clean floor and a sharp carpet knife!

Many tiles and squares now have an integral padding with an underside that has a tacky finish to keep the tile in place. To install, you simply start with a level layout and work your way throughout the room. Not only are they easy to put down, but if one ever gets soiled enough that needs changing, you simply pull it up and replace it with a spare (hint, buy extra when you purchase to have extras later on down the road, you will thank me later!).

The most predominant and popular carpet squares come in 18"x18" tiles and have a residential look and feel of a cut pile or trackless design carpet. You will see a variety of different yarns used in manufacturing ranging from Nylon to Polypropylene. Another type of square available is a commercial loop design. This commercial style will usually come in 3'x3' squares and have a little heavier rubbery backing than the residential styles. You can use either one depending on the look and style you like.

If you are using a solid tile, consider doing a checkerboard design! A checkerboard design looks great when down and can give a room a little more flair than just a solid square. If you don't like the uniform look of the checkerboard layout, try mixing two colors in the squares to create a contemporary design. You can do this by using a primary color square for about 60-70 percent of the room and then randomly use another contrasting colored square every thirf or fourth tile you install.

When shopping for carpet squares and tiles keep in mind this hint, convert the price per square foot to price per square yard (take the price per square foot and multiply by 9). The price per square foot may be a little deceiving. For example, if the tiles are $3.00 a foot, that's $27.00 a yard! For $27.00 a yard you can get much better carpet and padding including installation for less money. Just keep a watchful eye out for the discounted deals under $.99 cents or so per foot if you are looking for an inexpensive solution. The concept of using carpet squares centers around being able to do it yourself, not necessarily saving a lot of money on the materials. Don't get me wrong, you can find great deals out there, just be sure you make an informed decision when looking at options.

Why carpet stretching is necessary:

Carpet stretching is, generally, done in two different situations: During the initial installation and for a carpet repair. The initial stretch, during installation, ensures that the carpet is taught, secure, and even across the entire floor covering. Taught carpet will stay in place and stay smooth and flat to the floor where it belongs.

What causes carpets to ripple or buckle:

Poor installation: The carpet may have been improperly installed. In most cases of a bad installation the installer didn't use a power stretcher properly or at all.
Excessive wear due to traffic: Sometimes a carpet will need to be re-stretched because of wheelchairs, walkers, tricycles, etc. Even when installed to perfection it can become loose from excessive wear.
Sliding heavy furniture: carpet is made of layers of fabric. When heavy furniture slides across the carpet it's likely that it will cause rippling.
Latex: if the latex holding the backing together deteriorates it's called delamination, the carpet essentially loses its grip on itself, resulting in buckling and loss of fiber.
Improper padding for carpet type. Certain pile types require specific padding types; if these are paired improperly, the right amount of grip and support may not be present, resulting in carpet buckles. Make sure you consult a trained professional or manufacturer's guide when purchasing carpet so you get the right padding to accompany it.

If your carpet is Rippling:

(to stretch or not to stretch)

If you have carpet that looks more like the ocean than a flat carpet, you may have a problem. As soon as it begins to loosen up and become rippled, it wears faster. The bigger the ripples, the faster the ripples grow. This is because carpet is designed to lay flat and not move at all. When you walk on carpet ripples it causes the carpet to move up and down, further loosening it.

If your carpet is loose it's time to take action. In most cases, carpet stretching can fix the ripples and buckles, and there's no need to waste money replacing the carpet because of how it lays.

Carpet stretching is a common type of carpet repair that essentially involves pulling the carpet up from around one or more edges of the room, re-stretching it to proper tightness, cutting the carpet to the proper length, tacking back down into place and finally tucking it in along the edge.

Like any type of carpet repair, stretching carpet is more involved than it seems to be. stretching carpet isn't just a matter of smoothing out ripples and re-securing, or pulling at the edges by hand as you would a bed sheet. Carpet stretching comes with its own tools and techniques that help you do the job right.

Essential Carpet Stretching Tools

A professional who repairs carpet for a living will have all of these tools on hand. If you decide to try and stretch carpet yourself, most or all of these tools should be available for rental or purchase at a relatively reasonable price. Even contracting out your carpet stretching is far more cost-effective than replacing the carpet, so either way, these tools, in your hands or someone else's, save you quite a bit of money.

Partial list

Knee stretcher. A knee stretcher, also known as a kicker, is a special tool that has a grip on one end, to attach to the carpet, and a pad on the other end, for you to 'kick' with your quadriceps, (do not kick with your knee!)
Power carpet stretcher. In the trade we usually call this too our stretcher. The stretcher is the most important tool for stretching carpet. It's specially designed to adjust to any size room and help stretch carpet much more effectively than anyone could do by hand (or by knee). A power carpet stretcher features a very long pole with a carpet grip on one end, a wall brace on the other, and a handle lever in the middle. Don't even try to stretch a carpet without one. This is the most expensive tool most of us carpet people have.
Carpet or slotted blade knife. Involved in almost every carpet repair task you can imagine, a good carpet knife will never let you down. In the case of carpet stretching, the knife is used to trim excess carpet from the edge after it's been pulled tight.
Staple gun. An industrial carpet staple gun isn't a regular staple gun. The staples are far narrower so that they fit between the nap. carpet staple guns aren't always necessary for carpet stretching, but it's good to have on hand just to make sure. Because a properly stretched carpet is pretty tight, the tack strip alone may not hold it down satisfactorily, in which case the staple gun eliminates any doubt.
Stair tool. A chisel like tool used for tucking carpet in after cutting it to the right size.
Awl. Looks like an ice pick, used to dis-attach carpet from the tack strip
Hammer.

Carpet stretching: Do Your Homework First

It's important to keep a few other things in mind when your carpet repair task is to stretch carpet.

Just as carpet manufacturers specify the appropriate padding type for individual carpet types, so they also specify appropriate carpet stretching methods and amounts. What's right for some types may not be appropriate for others. For example, tufted carpet with a jute fiber backing needs to be a bit tighter than tufted fiber with a synthetic fiber backing. And some woven carpets will stretch in one direction but not the other. Consult manufacturer instructions or a carpet repair specialist so you have all the facts before you get started. After all, knowing what you're working with is just as important as knowing what you're doing.

The following is an over-simplified tutorial. If you don't already know what you're doing then you will be better off just hiring a pro. If you decide that you want to tackle stretching your own carpet I suggest that you take your time, use your head, keep your blades sharp, don't try to just kick it tight with a knee kicker and most of all be careful.

carpet stretching Technique

The first step is to empty the room of furniture. If you really know what you're doing then you can probably work around some furniture but if you're a novice I suggest that you do yourself a favor and empty the room.

Determine which direction the carpet needs to be pulled. In most cases the carpet only needs to be pulled one direction.

Remove any metal strips that will be in the way. Some flat metal strips need to have nails removed. Another type of metal strip is called a clamp down metal. To free the carpet from the clamp down metal, pry it open (just a little bit) with a flat chisel or a stair tool. There are too many different types of metal strips to describe here so you'll just have to figure it out.

Use an awl to lift the edge of the carpet. Go to a corner of the room and poke the awl right through the carpet about 6" from the wall. From here you will be able to pull the carpet up. If you don't have an awl you can probably use a pair of pliers.

Now it's time to unpack the carpet stretcher. Set it up so that the foot end is up against the baseboard and the head is a few inches from the wall that you are stretching towards. The power stretcher is more than strong enough to rip carpet so be careful to only stretch the carpet just enough to remove the wrinkles (and maybe just a little bit more). Over stretching carpet isn't a good idea because you will create ripples going the other direction. So again, only stretch the carpet as much as you need to in order to remover the ripples.

Use the kicker to make small adjustments.

Start at the center of the room and stretch the carpet at a slight angle towards the corners. Each time you push on the handle of the power stretcher you will pull the carpet.

Cut the carpet from the back using the slotted blade knife. You should cut it so that it is still going to belong enough to tuck into the groove between the tack strip and the wall. If you cut the carpet a little bit too short, you can probably stretch it a little bit more. If you cut it too long to tuck it in properly, then just cut some more.

Before moving on to the next area, push the carpet into the nails that stick out of the tack strip. If the carpet is hard to get it to stick to the tack strip then use the carpet staple gun.

If you use the staple gun, be sure to get the point of the gun down between the nap so that you are only stapling the backing to the tack strip and not stapling the nap down. Continue across the room stretching, cutting, tacking and tucking. Replace any metal transitions and viola!

Recent studies show that with the right cleaning and maintenance procedures your carpet can actually be a way to help clean the air inside your home. Experts say that installing carpet can result in a decreased amount of allergens and pollutants. This is due to the fact that carpet can trap these germs within its fibers until they are thoroughly cleaned out. This debunks the previous belief that carpet can cause asthma and allergies. These studies show now, that in fact, a clean carpet can improve the quality of indoor air in your house.

How is it possible? The explanation is that carpet can "catch" dust, everyday debris, pet hair, and other pollutants. Smooth floor surfaces such as marble or wood just bounce off allergens and spread them around. Internationally recognized studies of homes, schools, and communities show that less airborne particles were distributed into the breathing zone with carpeted areas than in non-carpeted ones. But the carpet cannot do this itself. To make sure the particles do not get redistributed, homemakers need to vacuum regularly to trap these pollutants and permanently remove them from the room.

Make sure you use a machine that is certified by the carpet and rug Institute (CRI) with its Seal of Approval for vacuums, steam cleaners, and other cleaning equipment. This guarantees effective removal and entrapment of the dust and dirt.

When vacuuming, make sure to use slow, repetitive, and overlapping strokes that will effectively extract all the germs from any given area. Give special attention to hard-to-reach areas to make sure that no dust balls or dirt are left in the nooks and crannies. Vacuum machine accessories, such as bags and filters also require their own rules for effective cleaning. So make sure you use them correctly also. For example, vacuum bags should be replaced once they are half-filled.

Also, make sure your cleaning products and solutions are effective and safe to use. The CRI Seal of Approval also applies to these items; so make sure to look for it when shopping for cleaners and other products. Many times products that promote improved air quality are also environmentally friendly. They use ingredients that are non-toxic and safe for houses with children, pets, and people with medical conditions.

Finally, a thorough, professional cleaning, done once a year, is essential to removing all the dirt and debris that can still easily accumulate in your carpet even with routine maintenance. With the right carpet cleaning habits, you can breathe in good air easily.

Tag : carpet,carpet cleaning,air filter

When you are choosing a carpet for your house, what do you look for? Many people dream of having a quality carpet in their home, but tend to stick with synthetic versions. Synthetic carpets are indeed generally cheaper and can be very useful, particularly if you have children and are worried about a good carpet being destroyed. Having a quality wool carpet, though, is a wonderful thing and they are perfect for use in any home. Here are some of the best reasons for having one.

Firstly, if you choose to have a wool carpet, you can be assured of excellent quality. If you go to top quality hotels and other places of luxury, you will often find that they use wool carpets. Having a beautiful, top quality carpet underfoot is a brilliant way of adding a bit of indulgence to your décor. This makes them especially excellent for bedrooms and lounges, where you'll be able to best enjoy their benefits.

As well as looking beautiful, the fact that carpets are of very good quality means that they are very durable. So, even if you are a little worried about them being more expensive than some other forms of carpet, the fact that you will get excellent wear out of them means they are more than worth what you pay for them. Just consider some of the oriental wool carpets you see in stately houses and museums: a lot of them are many hundreds of years old, proving that if you buy a good carpet, it will serve you well. Wool keeps its appearance better than manmade fibres. Tiles can be supplied in manmade and wool.

Oriental wool carpets are also proof that a carpet can be both durable and beautiful. Choosing a wool carpet opens many options that you simply don't find if you have a synthetic carpet. Wool is able to take a great range of dyes than other carpet material, meaning that you can achieve great subtlety of shading and even choose patterned carpets that will stand the test of time. This is perfect for the home: after all, if you are planning to build a life around your house, you want to know that the items you choose are going to last while maintaining their beauty. Wool carpets are the perfect way of doing that.

Another reason to choose a wool carpet for your home is the fact they are easy to clean: the wool has a greater absorbency than synthetic carpets, which means when you apply moisture (either water or steam) to it the wool fibres expand and release their dirt more easily. This means there is less reason to worry about accidentally staining your carpet, as long as you manage to remove the stain as soon as possible.

Wool is also warm underfoot, which makes it a great way of adding a little extra insulation to your flooring. Wherever in your house you choose to have wool carpets, you can be certain that you will have made the right choice. With their fantastic quality, durability and choice, you are sure to love your new wool carpets.

Tag : carpet,wool carpet,wool

Carpets can add appeal and elegance to any room. This is why most businesses choose carpets to make their facilities appear more welcoming for customers. However, to maintain the beauty of carpets, it is very important to implement appropriate cleaning methods to keep the carpets clean, well-maintained, and odor-free. The most effective method is the use of carpet cleaners or carpet shampooers.

Contrary to what most people believe, rigorous vacuuming will not suffice for keep your carpets clean. Regular vacuuming is, of course, an effective method to eliminate surface and dust particles. However, vacuuming will not eliminate stubborn stains, dirt, and grime on the carpet surface, fibers, or base. For comprehensive and deep cleaning of carpets, it is best to utilize steam carpet cleaners. Carpet cleaners utilizing heat are growing in popularity due to their ability to deeply clean carpets more effectively, while leaving them drier.

Benefits of Commercial Carpet Cleaners

Commercial carpet cleaning machines are second to none when it comes to effective carpet cleaning. These carpet extractors can achieve superior cleaning results that often surpass the cleaning services offered by carpet cleaning professionals.

Commercial carpet cleaners utilize the power of steam to provide thorough cleaning results. These cleaning machines allow you to eliminate dirt, dust, stains, and oil from deep within your carpets in a way vacuuming will never do. The advanced cleaning technologies present in the new versions of carpet shampooers are powerful enough to dissolve even stubborn stains caused by blood, coffee, tea, wine, or lipstick.

The super-heated steam temperatures generated by these cleaners can attain temperatures of up to 210º F, allowing you to dissolve stubborn stains more readily for easy extraction. For best results with an carpet cleaning machine, pre-spray the carpet with a green carpet cleaning solution. You may also wish to use a carpet cleaning solution in your machine as well.

The innovative low-moisture low-flow technology featured in these carpet cleaning machines enables quicker drying of cleaned carpets. In fact, while most traditional carpet cleaning machines require you to leave carpets out for drying for about 24 hours, low-flow commercial carpet cleaners available from top suppliers will clean and dry your carpets in as little as 1-6 hours.

The use of low moisture not only leads to shorter drying periods but also lower risk of nasty odors, mold, or mildew. In addition, low-moisture technology of these carpet cleaners ensures that the use of water is kept to a minimum during the carpet cleaning process.

The carpet cleaners offered by reputed suppliers will be high-quality, durable, and powerful with top-grade components and materials. These carpet cleaning machines can also feature solution tanks and recovery tanks of great capacity, so that you can use it continuously for long periods across large carpeted areas.

Another outstanding feature of the top carpet cleaners on the market today is that the temperature levels are adjustable. This is true for heated units and it means you can easily adjust the temperature sot that it becomes the safest and most effective level for your particular kind of carpet.

With proper care and maintenance, it is easy to extend the life of carpets. Try using carpet cleaners and you will be surprised at the ease with which they keep your carpets looking as good as new.

Tag : carpet,carpet cleaning,steam carpet,cleaners,maintenance

A lot of people know that carpets feel comfortable to lie-down on and provide a nice texture for your feet to walk on. However, you may not be aware of the fact that having a good carpet pad underneath your carpeting makes all the difference in the world in determining whether or not your carpeting feels soft and comfortable or hard as a rock. There are unquestionably some things you should know about your carpet pads in order to ensure that your carpeting provides you with a maximum level of carpet.

First of all, think about carpets that are void of all carpet padding. If you laid down carpeting on a hard floor with no pad between the carpet and the floor, there are a number of unfavorable things that would happen. Most likely, you would quickly notice that your carpeting does not feel comfortable to walk on, let alone lie-down on. There are some carpets designed for little or no padding underneath, but these are not types that are meant for your home. In fact, carpets without padding have are comparable in hardness to hardwood floors; they are both extremely tense.

If you buy a normal living room carpet without the carpet pad to go under it, then it would not take much walking on in order to really wear-out the carpet. Your carpet would wear-down very quickly because it would be rubbing directly on the cement underneath. In order to ensure that your carpet lasts as long as possible, it is recommended that you buy the proper-fitting carpet pad to accompany it.

If you want a carpet that feels comfortable to your friends and family, you will need to get a durable set of carpet pads. The purpose of installing carpet pads along with your carpet is in order to increase the overall durability of your carpet as well as to minimize carpet damage and maximize the comfort-level of people who are walking on the carpet or want to lie down on the carpet. Choosing a good carpet pad is also helpful because it serves as a buffer that allows your furniture to be set on top of your carpet without causing your carpet to damage.

If you are currently looking for a new carpet, you should always make sure that you are able to find good-quality carpet pads to go along with it. You don't want to ever make a big investment in new carpeting only to find out that you are not able to find any good carpet padding to put down before you install it. Always ask the carpet-company for good quality carpet padding to go along with it. Most people are so focused on how their carpet looks when they buy it that they completely forget about getting good carpet pads. They usually opt for having the standard carpet pads installed with their good looking carpet. If the standard pads are of relatively low quality, the carpeting is surely going to wear out much more quickly than it would have if you had remembered to pick out a better carpet pad.

Tag : carpet,carpet pad,protect

It seems it is that time of year again. We always dread it. It's time to clean the carpeting. Well, I have a few tips for you that will hopefully make your carpet cleaning chores a little less of a head ache.

The first thing is to gather all the chemicals tools and equipment you may need. Here's a list of the things I gather to get the job done as easy as possible.

  • A carpet steam cleaner
  • Carpet cleaning chemicals and shampoos
  • A small hand held scrub brush
  • A pail and sponge
  • Gloves and a respirator

A carpet steam cleaner

Getting a good quality carpet steam cleaner is essential to the cleaning process. Make sure you have one that is of good construction. It is very frustrating to keep fixing a machine that keeps breaking down throughout the process of trying to get the carpets clean.

A good carpet steam cleaner should also provide enough suction to pick up most of the water put down in the process. Your carpeting should be damp, not wet when the entire cleaning process is done. If your carpets are wet it will take a very long time to dry and it is also an indicator that the carpeting is not as clean as it could probably be.

The last thing to look at is the scrubbing action. Most new models of a carpet steam cleaner either use a rotating roller scrub brush or spinning scrubbers. I believe either is good, but I prefer the spinning brushes, because they seem a little easier to remove for cleaning. If you have pets that shed, you will probably be cleaning them several times throughout the project.

Carpet cleaning chemicals and shampoos

There are several good shampoos on the market, depending on the type of carpeting and how dirty it is. There are many different brands and options out there, so I really can't give a good recommendation as to which one is best, but I would start by reading customer reviews.

There are some things to consider that is being considered more and more in the cleaning industry and that is the harmful chemicals that are used many of the traditional carpet steam cleaner shampoos.

The two main ones to be conscious of are Perchlorethylene (PERC for short) and Naphthalene. PERC as a popular solvent used in carpet cleaning solutions and in larger exposure amounts can cause dizziness and nausea, can lead to kidney and liver damage, and is possibly linked to cancer. Naphthalene is also commonly found in carpet cleaners and has been known to harm the kidneys and liver as well as the central nervous system. Both of these chemicals are harmful if the fumes are inhaled; not to mention bad for the environment.

Becoming very popular on the market are nontoxic alternatives that do not contain these chemicals. Make sure you know what is in the products you are buying if you are concerned about possible health problems through exposure to these chemicals.

I would also recommend a good spot cleaner in a spray bottle to help remove stubborn stains.

A small hand held scrub brush

The small scrub brush is to help loosen stubborn stains that the machine has a hard time tackling. I would definitely recommend going over the entire area with the machine before determining the need for scrubbing. Getting on your hands and knees to scrub out a stain is not much fun, so I would avoid it if at all possible.

A pail and sponge

A pail and sponge is usually necessary to clean up small spills and messes.

Gloves and a respirator

If you do decide to use traditional carpet cleaning chemicals, a pair of rubber gloves and a respirator should be used to protect you as much as possible from exposure.

Getting Started

You should start by retreating any areas that you think will be a problem. Coffee or juice spills, heavy traffic areas, or pet mess areas are all potential areas for pretreatment.

One thing to note about pet messes; there are many good enzyme based cleaners that can be purchased at your local pet store that are great to clean pet messes. This usually involves cleaning the area several days or even weeks ahead of time to allow the enzyme formula to work. This schedule should be planned around the date you need to clean the carpet by.

If you really think some areas may be a problem, a little scrubbing with the brush to help release some stains would not hurt.

Be sure and read the mixing direction on the back of the product you purchase. A solution that is too diluted will not clean, and too much soap will leave your carpeting full of suds and will not extract properly.

The nice thing about many new carpet steam cleaner machines on the market is their ability to mix the correct amount of soap right onboard the machine, so you don't have to worry about measuring.

Cleaning furniture and small rugs

I would recommend cleaning furniture, drapes, and small area rugs first. Any over spray from cleaning these will end up on the carpeting and will be extracted later anyways.

Always check labeling before cleaning furniture to make sure that it can be cleaned with water. Also steer clear of soaking down furniture too much with the solution. Because furniture is contoured and uneven it is difficult to create a good seal on the extraction wand which can limit the water removal.

Be prepared, furniture can seem to take quite a while to dry.

Cleaning carpeting

Most carpet cleaners on the market today require a two step process to the cleaning action. Since the solution sprayers are located behind the agitating brush and the extraction head, the solution needs to be laid down first in a forward sweeping motion. Pushing down slightly and squeezing the dispensing lever, dispense the solution along the desired path you wish to clean. Then, following the same path in the return stroke, release the solution dispensing lever and pull the machine back to the point to where you first started the stroke.

The extraction head is in front of the agitator, so on the return stroke the fibers in the carpet are being scrubbed, then the excess water is being sucked up by the extraction head.

Many carpet cleaners intentionally make the front of the extraction tool clear so you can view how mush dirt you are pulling out of your carpeting.

Some people believe it is necessary to clean the carpet in two different directions to make sure that the carpet fibers are being scrubbed from various directions to insure to extract as much dirt from the carpeting as possible. That is really up to you how clean you really will need your carpet.

Caution! Carpet cleaning problems

Here are a couple things to really look out for when using a carpet steam cleaner. especially for the first time.

  • Over soaking your carpeting- Be careful not to over soak your carpeting. While getting caught up in the frenzy of getting you carpets as clean as you would like, you may want to go over spots several times until the water extracted will virtually run clean. The problem with this can sometimes be getting too much water soaked into the carpet pad which can then easily mold or mildew. Depending on several conditions that vary from house to house, drying can be a problem for some and not others. I would suggest, if you would like to get your carpets as clean as you can, breaking up the project into two different weekends to allow the carpet ample time in between to dry.
  • Loose fibers in the carpet- Watch out for loose fibers in the carpet. These can get snagged on the rotating brush roller and rip apart you carpet; or clog and damage the roller on your machine. If you know you have loose fibers in your carpet the easiest solution is to take a scissors and trim off the loose fibers as close to the base of the carpet as possible. This will hopefully prevent any snagging of the fibers on the roller.
  • Have a plan of attack- Planning your route or order of carpets can save some headaches at the end of the project. Carpet cleaning professionals have done this enough times that it becomes second nature, but you should plan your route so that you do not need to walk across already cleaned carpeting until it is completely dry. I usually plan my base of operations as the kitchen and work the entire project to end in the kitchen.
  • Cleaning your carpet steam cleaner- It seems one of the biggest problems I see with machines breaking down or not working after the first or second use is not taking the time to properly clean out your machine after use. It is very important to flush out the entire machine with clean water to ensure that no soap ends up clogging the solution discharge system, especially the discharge nozzles. Many manufactures view lack of cleaning as neglect and are hesitant to warranty any mechanical problems that arise because of it.

Carpeting is a nice way to decorate or make your home feel cozy and warm, but an occasional deep cleaning is necessary to keep it looking beautiful. Hopefully by following the list of above steps, your carpet cleaning experience will be a little less aggravating if not even a little pleasant.

Tag : carpet,steam cleaner,cleaner

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