Strategy #1: Banish dirt
Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. When you walk across a dirty carpet, you grind sharp dirt particles against the yarn, making tiny nicks in the fibers. All that fuzz mixed in with the dirt in your vacuum cleaner bags is your beautiful carpet headed out the door one bag at a time. When dirt scratches the fibers, it dulls the sheen, which is why high-traffic areas appear duller than the rest of the carpet. Over time, grinding dirt wears away the fibers too, which mats them down and makes them stain more easily. Follow these tips to keep your carpet as dirt-free as possible.
Vacuum often
To protect your carpet, vacuum entrance areas and high-traffic areas twice a week and the rest of the carpeting at least weekly. Oily soils attract oily soils, and frequent vacuuming will reduce soil buildup.

Strategy #2: Use a pro wisely
Most carpet manufacturers recommend professional hot water extraction as the primary cleaning method for synthetic carpets. Although it’s often referred to as “steam” cleaning, there’s no steam involved. The carpet is pretreated with a detergent solution, and then a very hot rinse solution under high pressure is forced into your carpet and vacuumed out. When done correctly, this process cleans deep and doesn’t leave behind a soap residue. Quality pros charge $300 to $500 to deep clean 1,000 sq. ft. of carpet. At that price, you might be tempted to skip professional cleanings altogether and just rent a machine to clean the carpet yourself. Don’t. Or at least don’t do only that. A rented or purchased carpet-cleaning machine will remove the surface dirt. But deep cleaning to remove allergens, dust and greasy residues requires the specialized equipment and training of a pro. The best strategy is to use our DIY cleaning tips most of the time and hire a professional every 12 to 18 months.
Don’t take bids over the phone
Quality pros will provide references, an in-home inspection and a written estimate based on the square footage, type and condition of the carpeting rather than the number of rooms cleaned, and a written guarantee of their work.
Strategy #3: DIY right
Carpet pros do a more thorough job than you can, but hiring a pro is expensive. So the next-best approach is to alternate between DIY and pro cleanings. DIY “steam”-cleaning machines can be effective if you understand how to use them and take the time to clean your carpet carefully.
You can rent a steam cleaner from a grocery store or home center. If you pick the machine up late in the day, many stores will charge you a half-day rate and let you keep the machine until the next morning. The detergent cost is additional. Typically you should use a tablespoon or less per gallon of water.
Strategy #4: Clean stains right—right away
Act quickly
If you get to a stain immediately, there’s a 99 percent chance you can remove it. The longer a stain reacts chemically with the carpeting, the harder it is to remove.
Try water first
Eighty percent of stains can be removed using plain tap water. To remove a stain, press a clean, dry, white cloth over the stain to absorb the spill. Repeat until the spill is absorbed. Then gently work water into the stain with a damp white towel and blot until the stain is gone. Change cloths when necessary. For a particularly stubborn spot, go to the online “spot solver” resource at The Carpet and Rug Institute (the carpet manufacturers’ trade organization) to find your stain and a suggested solution. Use a fan to dry the area if it’s very wet.
Related links: Carpet Cleaning Maple Ridge