Is it worth cleaning an area rug?

Rugs are a great way to add warmth and personality to your decor, but after long-term use, they'll need a good cleaning to make them look like new. For most modern carpets, cleaning can be a DIY project that is done once a year and saves you the cost of professional cleaning. If your carpet is in a high-traffic area of your home, it's a good idea to clean it professionally at least once a year. Depending on the type of carpet, cleaning may involve the extraction of hot water and an anti-stain treatment, or perhaps a dry cleaning method if the carpet is delicate.

To clean a carpet regularly, instead of doing emergency stain removal, it's vital to vacuum both the top and the bottom. You may have chosen a rug and it was sold with a particular cleaning product, but as a general rule, most carpets, but not all, can be cleaned with a shampoo for carpets or carpets, although a solution of warm water and dish soap in a bowl or bucket may be sufficient if you need to clean one stains quickly. It becomes less cozy and comfortable, and starts to look shabby if you don't clean it professionally. If you've run out of professional products to try, it might be time to try some natural cleaning methods.

Pay close attention to the manufacturer's recommendations for deep cleaning and use a carpet shampoo or carpet cleaning machine. Cleaning a deep hair or a shaggy carpet can be done the same way as cleaning a wool carpet, but you can also use dry shampoo instead of cleaning with damp water. Fortunately, while you want to vacuum a carpet twice a week, you only need to thoroughly clean a carpet when it's dirty. Having your wall-to-wall carpet cleaner clean your carpet in your home or even with a Rug Doctor that you rent yourself can be a risky business.

For any liquid cleaning, always perform a spot test first and specialized cleaning companies must remove persistent stains, which will have the experience and knowledge necessary to solve the problem. Outdoor rugs are usually made with tough materials that are designed to be weather resistant, so you can be pretty sure when you turn a broom or hose on an outdoor rug to clean it. However, along with carpets, stains and dirt often come along, so it's important to know how to clean a carpet. A very mild solution of dish detergent and warm (not hot) water is the second best, but it's a good choice if you have to clean a stain before it dries.

Floor coverings exposed to outdoor shoes, spills and pets on a daily basis should be cleaned at least every two months, ideally; for carpets in other areas, deep cleaning is recommended at least twice a year.