Maintaining High Traffice Areas

Another great answer provided by IICRC.org

The following steps should be taken when dealing with carpet in a high-traffic area:

* It's a good idea to keep sand, grit and grass clippings off walkways outside entries to prevent inward tracking of these abrasive soils.
* Purchase a properly sized entry mat (the bigger the better, but there must be room for at least two steps to sufficiently wipe soil from feet before encountering the installed carpet). Nylon face, vinyl back for better moisture and oils absorption, combined with the resiliency necessary to collect a quantity of particle soil. The IICRC suggests a rental mat, since that guarantees frequent maintenance. Place entry mats on hard surfaces rather than on carpet where they can trap moisture or cause plasticizer migration.
* Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum; daily, especially after major events. The sooner you collect soils from the surface, the easier it is to remove them. For most carpet, you should use an upright vacuum with brush agitation, unless your canister vacuum is particularly well designed. The wider the head, the more efficient.
* Use high-efficiency double-lined poly-fiber collection bags. This reduces periodic maintenance such as dusting of furniture, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filter exchange.
* Typically, deep cleaning should be accomplished on at least a semi-annual basis, with no more than two entry and high-traffic area "rinse" cleanings between the deep cleaning. This is dependent on traffic and daily maintenance as well. At a minimum, some attention should be given to primary entry areas on a quarterly basis.
* If spots are treated immediately, most will respond with plain warm water and very little mild detergent added.
* Make sure the HVAC system is slightly positively pressurized as well (air going out when doors are opened, rather than being sucked in). Proper air exchange rates can be calibrated according to ASHRAE regulations for the building with a trained HVAC contractor.
* Ensure proper air filtration through the HVAC System. High-efficiency pleated filters, rather than inexpensive fiberglass filters, are recommended.

How often should I get my carpets cleaned?

This material below was provided by IICRC.org.

Frequently used carpet should be professionally cleaned by a qualified technician at least annually - perhaps a little longer interval for infrequently used carpet and even sooner for carpet in homes occupied by respiratory sensitive or allergic persons; or in homes with indoor pets.

The following chart from the IICRC S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning serves as a guideline for recommending cleaning frequencies for carpet. They consider traffic, soil rating, vacuuming schedules, spot cleaning schedules, and professional interim and restorative cleaning.

(Click on the Image below to view cleaning schedule):

Remove Water Stains from Carpet

If you have a small water stain on your carpet check out the video below on how to remove the stain.

Upholstry Cleaning

As professional carpet cleaners, we spend a lot of time on our blog talking about carpet care for your floor and have neglected to mention upholstery care. Furniture can be a major investment and maintaining an upholstery cleaning schedule is necessary to keep your furniture looking clean and well maintained for years to come.

Busy schedules most often prevents people from spending time properly cleaning their furniture and drapes. If so, we recommend hiring a professional upholstery cleaning company every 6-12 months to properly maintain and manage your upholstery needs. For others, who have the time, the following are ways to safely clean furniture.

As with carpet, regular vacuuming is necessary. This is to prevent, dust, dirt, grease and oils from getting trapped deeply within the fibers giving your furniture an old, grungy and worn look before it's time.

Prior to vacuuming, make sure to search cushions and remove loose coins, threads, kid toys, and/or other items that will clog and possibly damage your vacuum.

It is always best to use the soft brush attachment, standard to most vacuums. If you use the soft brush for other parts of the house, you might consider purchasing an extra brush for upholstery so as not to transfer dirt onto the upholstery. The crevice tool should be utilized to remove crumbs and dirt that fall in between the cracks of your upholstery.

We recommend that you vacuum upholstery at least once a week.

Every 6-12 months it will become necessary to clean your upholstery. Due to the wide range in upholstery fabrics, make sure to read the instructions and purchase the cleaning product that is right for your upholstery.

Also, to help prevent future stains and to make life much easier, we recommend finding an upholstery cleaner that contains "soil retardant". After you purchase your cleaning product, always test the cleaning product on an small, hidden area of the upholstery to look for possible fabric discoloration.

If your furniture is being protected by slip covers always remove them before cleaning any spots to avoid damage to the fabric underneath.

Always clean stains and spills with a soft, white cotton cloth. As with carpet, remember to blot not rub stains. Remove as much of the stain as possible, then treat whatever stain remains.
If you are unable to remove the stain is it always best to call a professional upholstery cleaning company to remove the stain.

Remove Ink Stain from Your Carpet

We love these videos!! Check out how to remove ink stains!

Tips to Hire a Carpet Cleaning Company

Inviting a professional carpet cleaner into your home can be a tough decision. Looking for somebody who will take care of your carpets the way that you would doesn't always happen. You can improve your chances of finding the best carpet cleaning company in your area by making sure you get all the information you can ahead of time.


Make sure the company is certified. Certification ensures that your carpet cleaning professional has taken steps to educate themselves in the best carpet care and carpet cleaning techniques available. The largest is the Institute for Cleaning Restoration Certification (IICRC).


What kind of guarantee is offered? If there is a problem with the performance of the carpet cleaning professional, make sure the guarantee provides for a follow up cleaning at no charge. It is usually best to contact the professional right away as most guarantees last between 14-30 days.


Make sure to get a full list of services included in a price quote. It is best to have a list of all the basics steps the carpet cleaning professional will be performing such as pre-spraying or pre-treating the carpet and basic stain spotting. Find out ahead of time the charges for extra services such as such as pet odor removal or tough stain removals.


Who will be actually coming to your home and what are their qualifications? If employees come to clean your carpet important questions should be asked such as: do they wear uniforms? are all employees safely identifiable? does the company guarantee the work if it is a subcontractor?


Find out exactly what methods are used to clean your carpet. Understanding some basic differences in carpet cleaning techniques will help you to choose what is best for your carpet and ultimately who the best professional for the job is.


Steam cleaning may be best for those who suffer from asthma and allergies. With steam cleaning, you can get rid of most fungi, dust mites as well as viruses. It is recommended that you steam clean your carpets at least once every two years depending on how many people live in your household and how often they walk over a particular carpet.


Dry powder carpet cleaning is a method to clean your carpets without soaking them. A powder is spread onto your carpet, and is agitated and worked into the carpet with either an orbital floor machine with a round plastic bristle brush or a machine with counter rotating plastic brushes. This powder acts like thousands of little sponges scrubbing and absorbing dirt from the carpet as it is agitated. After the powder dries, in only a few minutes, the carpet is vacuumed to remove the sponges and the floor is ready to be used.


Shampoo cleaning, also referred to as encapsulation, involves the application of a shampoo to the carpet. This shampoo absorbs soil and then crystallizes. It is then agitated by a brush mounted on a floor machine and vacuumed up. Drying time is from one to two hours.


Now you know all the important questions to ask a carpet cleaning company before you sign any agreement with them. One last tip is to ask for references. If they do a good job, they won’t mind giving you references.

Good Luck

How to Clean a Laminate Wood Floor

Great Video on how to clean a laminate wood floor.