Some days it seems that the task of cleaning the carpeting in your home is endless, and in fact it is in a sense. To keep the rugs and carpets that grace your home in the best of condition and looking and feeling their best you have to constantly be vigilant about vacuuming and cleaning them. And, dirty carpets can end up being a nasty breeding ground for all kinds of microorganisms and bacteria, which is another excellent reason for knowing how to clean a carpet the right way.

Homes that have a couple of children running around, a pet or two, and lots of visitors coming and going will need carpet cleaning more often. On the other hand, a home with just one or two people who don't stir things up much or drop food or spill drinks on the flooring will not need to clean the carpet as often.

One of the first tips for how to clean a carpet and maintain it well is to try to minimize the "dirty traffic" that tends to bring a lot of dust, grime and debris into the carpeted area from outside. Area rugs and carpets can help to protect high-traffic areas and in some homes, it might be better to use vinyl or tile instead of carpeting, at least in some areas.

There is another thing to keep in mind if you are considering new carpets. The lighter the color of the rugs and carpets you install, the more frequently the carpets will need to be cleaned. This is true both in terms of regular vacuuming and how often the light colored carpeting will need steam cleaning or shampooing with special carpet cleaning equipment.

Another basic tip for cleaning a carpet is to vacuum at least once a week or more if you can see debris starting to collect. You should think of vacuuming as being the first line of defense for keeping carpets looking new and pristine for as long as possible. With frequent vacuuming you will help keep dust, crumbs, dirt and other debris from becoming ground into the fibers of the carpet as foot traffic passes over the area.

The vacuums that do the best job at cleaning carpets are those that have strong suction and that also have an agitator or brush roller. A machine that has a lot of suction can pull dirt from deep inside the fibers and the brush roller will help to make it easier to detach debris from the surface of the carpet where it can sometimes become entangled with the looser fibers at the top.

In homes where the rugs and carpets are light colored and also get a lot of heavy foot traffic, it is best to add carpet steam cleaning or shampooing to your vacuuming routine quarterly. Areas with lighter traffic and darker colored floor coverings can often go a year in between these deep cleanings. The easiest answer to the question of how to clean a carpet properly is to hire the services of a professional carpet cleaning business that will bring experience and expertise to the job and save you a great deal of work.