Carpet, Rug and Tile Cleaning Tips by the Expert in Sun Valley

Rugs deserve the same care as wall-to-wall carpet and, in some cases, require special attention.

• Washing Rugs - If your rug is small and the label says “machine washable,” shake the rug outside first and then put it in the washing machine at the recommended tempurature. Use warm water (90 to 105 degrees) and a mild detergent. Tumble your rug dry at the lowest heat setting.
• Beating larger rugs- If your larger rug is easy to pick up, shake it outside first; then put it over a clothesline and beat it. Next, take the rug inside and vacuum it. If the label says dry clean only, then roll it up and take it to a professional rug cleaner. Save time and aggravation by calling first to see if the cleaner does rug cleaning- many do not.
• Vacuuming area rugs- Area rugs with fringe require special technique. Use gentle suction and start from the center of the carpet, vacuuming toward the fringe and being careful not to catch the strands in the beater bar. Lift the carpet edge to vacuum beneath fringe.
• Caring for Oriental, Turkish or Persian rugs- Clean imported rugs according to your carpet manufacturer’s specifications or bring in a professional cleaning service. Be gentle with fringe. For heirloom-type rugs, you need professionals.

Have you ever wondered if you are cleaning your floors and fabrics enough? Or too much? Are there frequency guidelines for professional cleaning? If so, where do you find them? Surely you have heard “Wait as long as you can before you clean your carpet…” or “Once you’ve cleaned your carpet, it’s never the same….”

These widely used comments have stemmed from unfortunate encounters with uninformed cleaners that have left the carpet with an overload of detergent residue. The consumer has assumed that this is the case with all carpet cleaning and resolved to wait until the carpet is in dire straights to clean it.

The good news is that a properly cleaned carpet will not re-soil as quickly and will actually last longer. Why? Because damaging soils are removed with effective cleaning. Soil that is not removed by vacuuming, even though it can rarely be seen by the naked eye, cuts and slices on the carpet fibers as the carpet is being walked on breaking down the carpet yarns in the traffic areas. The result is that even with restorative cleaning at that point, it will not correct the damage that has been done to the fiber. Fiber producers and carpet manufacturers recommend that a residential carpet should be professionally cleaned at least 18 to 24 months for best performance, more often in heavily trafficked and heavy soiling situations.

A Clean Carpet is a Healthy Carpet

Not to mention that a carpet that is not cleaned on a regular basis is an unhealthy carpet. Carpet is like a sink. It collects soils, pollens, insecticides, exhaust, etc. that gets tracked in or blown in from the polluted outdoors. This creates an unhealthy indoor environment.

What About My Hard Surface Floors and Rugs?

Hard surface floors can also be permanently damaged by not being professionally cleaned on a regular basis. For example, hardwood floors get deep scratch patterns. The grout on stone and tile floors isn’t sealed or the sealer has been affected by household cleaners and no longer repels the soil and spillage. Also, the grout is a “valley” that the soil gets mopped into on a daily basis.

And finally, a 9×12 Oriental Rug can hold up to 87 pounds of soil without looking dirty! This was demonstrated by a study done by the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company. So, get your rugs cleaned about once a year as well, including removing the dry soil.