Watch Your Feet! Keeping Your Carpets & Rugs Cleanliness

If you've got carpeting, it probably takes up most of the floor in your house. You walk on it everyday, your kids play on it, your dog sprawls all over it—it's a big part of your daily life, and one you might not think about too often.

Unfortunately, carpets love to hold onto dirt, and over time it can wear the fibers down, making the carpet look worn and promoting bacteria and smells. Yikes! There's good news, though: keeping the carpet clean doesn't have to be a horrible house cleaning chore if you know how to do it right.

If you can minimize the dirt coming into the house, you can minimize the damage it does. It might sound too simple to be true, but taking off your shoes when you come in the house is the best way to keep dirt from transferring to your carpet and larger rugs.

If going shoeless isn't the best option for you, your family, or your guests, the second best thing you can do is put two nice, thick doormats in: one exterior one and a thinner interior one. Trap that dirt before it ever makes it to your carpet!

Cleaning regularly does a couple of things for you: first, it keeps the carpet clean, but second, it keeps the cleaning easier. The more frequently you vacuum, the easier it becomes. Dirt has less time to accumulate and subsequent vacuumings will be easier. If it's too much for you to do alone thanks to a hectic schedule, a maid service can help.

If you have access to a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer, you probably want to do one of those things 1-2 times per year.

As you clean regularly, you can also improve the way you vacuum to make it even more effective. Here are a few tips for vacuuming:

• Vacuum your carpets and rugs once a week.
• Don't forget to occasionally turn your rugs over and vacuum the underside.
• Vacuum in an overlaying pattern.
• Pass over the floor a few times to ensure a good clean.
• Vacuum high-traffic areas two times a week