Independent Carpets

Regular Vacuuming
The most important step in caring for your carpet is vacuuming.Vacuum thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high-traffic areas. Bear in mind that walking on soiled carpet permits the soil particles to work their way below the surface of the pile, where they are far more difficult to remove and can damage the fibres.Frequent vacuuming removes these particles from the surface before this happens. A good quality vacuum cleaner is vital to prolonging the beauty and life of your carpet. A base model machine can remove surface dirt but will not effectively remove the hidden dirt and particles embedded in the pile.It is recommended to use either an upright or quality barrel vacuum cleaner, fitted with a power driven rotating brush orcombination beater/brush bar that moves around the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for removal by the vacuum.This is best suited for low cut pile carpet. To prevent excess fuzzing turn the brush off or change the head when vacuuming loop pile, cut loop pile or berber carpet. A light vacuum is recommended at least twice a week and a thorough vacuum weekly. A light vacuum is classed as three passes over an area. A thorough vacuum is five to seven passes over the area.

Steam Cleaning
Carpet should be steam cleaned regularly, approximately every twelve months to two years depending upon the usage and colour. A minimum of one cleaning every two years is required. Even though both light and dark colours attract the same dirt and grit, lighter colours tend to show soiling earlier. Steam cleaning should always be performed by a reputable professional steam cleaner. Your carpet retailer can recommend one. Steam cleaning when carried out should be in accordance with Australian and New Zealand carpet cleaning and maintenance standard AS/NZS3733. Reputable carpet cleaners are aware of and abide by this standard. Shampooing and do-it-yourself steam cleaning is not recommended.

Thanks to Feltex Carpets for this information