Think back to when your carpets were brand new. How do they look now in comparison? Is it impossible to tell what the original color was? Carpets are walked on so often they usually get a dirty, dingy color, which lowers their value. If you know the right steps, though, you will be able to keep your carpets looking fresh, new, and stain-free fairly easily.

Vacuum you carpet on a regular basis. Vacuuming is the first step to cleaning carpets and also the step most often avoided by homeowners. You shouldn't procrastinate vacuuming because vacuuming your carpet not only improves the appearance of your home, it stops things like sand, dirt, toxins, and crumbs from working their way deeper into the fibers. This is why vacuuming every other day or so is important.

Dirt is like sandpaper; it grinds away at your carpets. The chance of grinding dirt into the fibers is always present whenever you walk across the carpet. What you want to do is catch the dirt while it is still on the surface of the fibers and before it gets too ingrained. Vacuuming on a daily basis ensures that dirt is picked up with ease, since it can be repeated frequently. It can also have many health benefits, like removing allergens and sucking up any potentially harmful debris. After all, while clean carpets are helpful from an aesthetic point of view, they also promote healthiness.

Maintain your carpets with a proper rug shampooing. Shampooing should be done twice a year, more so if there is someone living in your home that is often around toxins such as paint, pool supplies, laboratory chemicals, or heavy-duty cleaners. If someone who works around those toxins brings them home on their hair, skin, shoes, or clothing, shampooing becomes even more important to make sure they are removed.

Shampooing involves moving some furniture and purchasing or borrowing a carpet-cleaning machine. Many stores, including grocery stores, have carpet-shampooing machines that they loan out, so getting one shouldn't be a problem. The downside of these machines is that they can leave the floor damp or inaccessible for a day or two, so be careful not to use them during the winter months when mold might be a problem.

Look out for stains. As soon as you see a stain you should get it taken care of rather than letting it settle into the carpet. Press on the stain with a damp cloth until it disappears or shrinks. Carpet stain removal solution, which is easily available at all retail stores, can also be used.

However, you will need to watch out for potentially harmful carpet cleaning chemicals and stain removers. Read all of the warning labels before using anything on your carpet, as some chemicals are toxic to pets and children. Also, certain cleaning chemicals can cause discoloration and stiffness in your carpet and can even attract more stains than they remove. Stain removers vary and react differently on different types of carpet. For this reason it is wise to seek recommendations from friends with the same carpet type prior to selecting a cleaner.

Let the professionals do what they do best. It is recommended that you get your carpet professionally cleaned every 12-18 months, but most homeowners only do a carpet cleaning once every 5 or 6 years. Professionals use commercial solutions that are heavy duty, with deep cleaning and stain removal systems to get your carpets looking clean and fresh with every cleaning. They can also destroy any bacteria that may be harboring in your carpet padding. They have big suction machines designed to remove excess water from the cleaned areas, so you shouldn't have to worry about mold problems or delaminating your carpet backing. Also, the majority of professional carpet cleaning companies guarantee their services to ensure customer satisfaction. There's really no substitute in the long run for a thorough professional carpet cleaning.