Flooring Care
Taking the proper care of your floors will keep them looking their best and will help them to last longer.
Carpet Care
Vacuum at least once a week!
You can't vacuum too often. When dirt and dust are left in a carpet, they become gritty, sharp particles that grind down the pile of the carpet. Using a vacuum with a beater bar or rotating brush will loosen the dirt making it easier for the vacuum to remove soil. Vacuums with top-loading bags are preferred over bottom-loading bags. Change the disposable bag or empty the vacuum often.
Carpet with thick loop pile construction (Berber) may be sensitive to brushing, rubbing, or scrapping of the pile surface which may cause fuzzing and pile distortion. It is recommended that vacuums with suction action only be used on these styles.
Carpet sweepers and electric brooms are useful for picking up crumbs and surface soil, but it's important to know that they will not deep clean.
Use preventative maintenance
It's important to use runners at each door entrance. This will greatly reduce the accumulation of dirt.
Clean Spots and Spills Immediately
For best results, give prompt attention to spots and spills.
- Use a spoon or dull knife to remove solid materials.
- Blot up liquid spills with a white towel.
- Never rub, scrub, or use a brush. This may cause damage to carpet fibers.
- Use a cleaning agent and procedure appropriate for the type of stain being removed.
- Apply all cleaning agents to the cloth rather than directly to the stained area to avoid saturating the carpet when spot cleaning.
- Clean the fibers, not the backing.
- Do not rush. Deep stains might require repeat cleanings because they can "wick" back up after initial cleaning.
- Work from the outside to the center of large stains. This prevents spreading.
Most household stains can be removed using the Scotchgard "Easy as 1-2-3" method. Oil based stains, however, will require the use of a dry cleaning solvent prior to using this cleaning method.
