If it is your wish to keep your rugs looking nice, clean, and new there are a few carpet cleaning tips and techniques that will make this possible. While stain cleaners and odor eliminators are quite popular and can be highly effective at their functions, if they are not used absolutely correctly they can cause more harm than good for your carpet.

By far, the very best tip for prolonging the life and beauty of your rugs and carpets is to vacuum them thoroughly and regularly (at least once if not more each week). In order to properly clean your carpets you need to slowly pass a high-powered vacuum cleaner over your carpets. Passing too quickly can result in your carpets not actually being cleaned.

Divide your carpet into quarters and clean one section at a time. You should pass over each section of floor at least once in two directions for the most effective cleaning. By doing this you will be much more likely to remove all the dirt, which left unattended can actually damage the fibers of your carpet.

Using soap based cleaners or too much water when removing stains from your carpet can actually create new stains rather than removing existing stains. Unfortunately, some of these cleaners will remain even after they dry, which allows them to potentially damage the floor even further. Damage can be caused when the soap remaining in the carpet removes the dirt from your shoes.

In addition, liquid cleaners can actually pull the dirt deeper into the carpet rather then removing it all together. While the stain seems to be gone, it is actually underneath the surface of the carpet.

You should immediately blot liquid spills with a towel in order to remove as much excess liquid from your carpet as possible. If you do not get these spills immediately they could become soaked into the bottom of your carpeting.

If you have pets, be especially aware of the damage their urine can cause to delicate carpet fibers. Use a mixture of 1-quart water, 1 tsp. vinegar, and 1 tsp. of mild detergent in order to attempt to eliminate stains that may be the result of pet urine.

It is important that you blot the stains on your carpet rather than rubbing them as rubbing carpet stains may actually drive them deeper into the carpet rather than lifting them from the carpet. Also be sure that you are using a clean towel in order to avoid the risk of introducing additional stains to your carpeting.