Before you call Phoenix’s premier carpet cleaners there are some things you can do to ensure that those spills and messes don’t make an impression on the look of your carpet. Preventing stains before they even happen is something that is entirely up to you.
Sure you can call your preferred professional carpet cleaning service, but there are no guarantees as to whether or not they can eliminate those nagging stains that have been left behind by red wine, spilled juice, messy children, or pet accidents. Good prevention is all about being quick and proactive about tackling a spill or accident at the time it occurs and not even a minute later.
Time is of the essence and it is NOT on your side. Every wasted second is another opportunity for that dark liquid, sticky substance, or foul odor to become absorbed in the fibers of your carpeting material and remain there until you move out or tear the carpet up and replace with something newer, fresher, and cleaner.
Carpets can be a wonderful way to beautify the home, they can also be a source of contention among families and visitors in the home. Many of the more cautious homeowners with carpets in any room of the house will even keep foot traffic off the carpet entirely. But then why have carpeting put in, may as well go with hardwood and you won’t have to worry about stains and dirt being absorbed by carpet fibers.
Of course, you could just follow these simple prevention tips for stopping stains before they even occur.
Address the Mess
The most effective method for preventing stains from setting is to act fast and clean up any spills or messes the instant they occur. Good, timely spot cleaning is so important but how you do it is just as significant as whether or not you do it fast enough. So when that liquid or substance lands on your carpet grab a clean cloth or paper towel and gently blot at the mess.
For solid messes, carefully pick up what has been dropped and blot away any residual matter that was left behind. In both instances, blotting is far more effective at keeping those stains at bay because it allows for the cloth or paper towel to absorb what’s been spilled instead of allowing it to seep into the fibers of the carpet.
Refrain from wiping or rubbing at the mess that’s gotten on your carpet as these actions will only cause the stain to pushed further into the fibers, resulting in the stain setting and not lifting. When you’ve soaked up as much of the spill as possible, reach for your favorite cleanser or solution and clean up what still remains. Just be sure that the cleanser you’ve chosen is effective at preventing stains from getting into the carpeting.
In addition, be sure to use small amounts of your cleaning solution in order to avoid saturating the carpet.
Routine Maintenance
Another way to prevent stains is to stay current on your care. Stains don’t only occur due to spilled wine or thrown baby food, simple, everyday wear and tear can also do the trick. But typical dirt and grime need not cause long-lasting damage to your carpet.
Not if you remain up to date on vacuuming once a week and giving them a professional steam-clean at least once a year. Vacuuming picks up all of the potentially harmful surface contaminants that can get ground deep into the fibers of your carpet and cause discoloration due to excessive accumulation.
Much like with liquids and other messes, if you leave these things on your carpet for any length of time, they can start to stain the material .This will make it tougher to remove if left unattended for too long. It can get to the point where you have a professional carpet cleaning crew come by and they still can’t eliminate the stain entirely.
Even worse, the fibers of the carpet can start to suffer permanent damage from the jagged edges and points on dust and dirt particles that are getting stepped on and ground in with the more foot traffic the carpet receives. Every step is injuring the fibers and this damage will start to emerge visually as a dark portion that you won’t be able to remove.
So be sure to always vacuum your carpets on regular basis. Doing so will go a long way in preventing stains that you won’t be able to eradicate after the damage is done. Professional deep-cleanings are beneficial as well and should be performed at an appropriate interval to the amount of foot traffic the carpet receives over the course of a year.