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If you have sensitive carpet or a large floor area, using a professional is the best bet. That being said, smaller areas can be done on your own.

Advice on Cleaning Those Carpets

Whether you have wall-to-wall carpet in all the rooms of your home, or just a few carpet rugs ' there's one thing that every carpet owner has to deal with. We all need to clean our carpets. Most people who have indoor carpeting only need to do a couple of things to keep their carpet clean; vacuuming frequently and occasionally shampooing their carpet. There are instances, however, when regular routine cleaning doesn't get rid of all that's accumulated in your flooring.

The first bit of advice is the most obvious - vacuum. Even if you think that you're vacuuming enough, vacuum more frequently. This will help to remove dirt, hair and other particles from your carpet, and keep the surface of the carpet clean. Along with vacuuming, take your shoes off when you enter your home, and leave them at the door. That way, you won't be tracking mud, dirt and other things that have collected on your shoes onto the carpet. It will make your vacuuming job much easier, and you won't have to worry about rubbing dirt further into the carpet by walking all over in your sneakers.

A second piece of advice is to not use liquid shampoos to clean your carpet. Liquid shampoos, such as those used in home carpet cleaning machines, can collect in your carpet ' and then they act as a collection spot for more dirt and grime. Instead, choose dry carpet shampoo, which is available in stores that sell vacuum cleaners. Also, remove any liquid shampoo residue that may already be impregnated in your carpet. Use a heavy duty steam cleaner, and mix ' cup of vinegar to 2.5 gallons of water as your cleaning solution. This will pull out the shampoo residue as well as clean your carpet (although it may be a bit smelly).

Finally, a good bit of advice is to keep a few items on hand that are good for getting rid of stains in your carpet. Club soda, soaked on a rag and dabbed onto food and red wine stains, is very effective at removing stains and is cheap and easy to use. Hydrogen peroxide, diluted with water, can also get rid of stains, such as those caused by food dyes (check to make sure that your carpet is colorfast first). Finally, keep some baking soda around; a solution made with this can get rid of pet stains. Keeping your carpet clean takes some work, but with good care, carpet can last you for decades.