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There are many techniques in cleaning carpets. Here are a few things you can do between regular cleanings to maximize the life of your carpet.

Pre-clean

Pre-cleaning involves the simplest of activities like sweeping up dirt that is caught in the threads of your carpet. A broom with hard bristles will help make the nap stand in your carpet and loosen any embedded dirt. Simple sweeping will show noticeable improvement in the appearance of the carpet and perhaps will help you go a little longer between cleanings.

Neutralize

Observe any foul smell from your carpet. Cleaning carpet stain methods aren't always about washing or sweeping. Another thing to clean up is the air around the carpet. Some invisible stains let off an odor that can be quite unpleasant so although your carpet looks pristine, its smell may say otherwise.

To neutralize the smell, use cornmeal. Get some Borax and mix it with some cornmeal. Borax is a kind of salt that is used in detergents and cosmetics. You can sprinkle this mix over the carpet and let it be for an hour. It will absorb the smell in and around the carpet in that time and you can vacuum up the mixture afterwards.

Speed

The most important thing with spills on carpets is that you do something about it immediately. You don't want to end up cleaning carpet stain areas that have hardened and stand to cause damage. So as soon as a spill happens, make sure to get a few paper towels and perhaps some warm water to blot and clean it up immediately. Blot the area where the spill has occurred from the outside of the spill and towards the center. Do not let the spill dry especially if the substance spilled is something sticky or something that will cause odors to form.

Vacuum

Give the carpet a good once over with a vacuum cleaner. You might be surprised to find out that there are areas that were not stained to begin with. Sometimes, dust can accumulate in one area quite quickly and really just needs to be swept or vacuumed away. Use a broom to loosen some of the embedded dirt and then vacuum afterwards.