your carpetsregularly. Follow these carpet cleaning tips to get the best jobdone. Clean Frequently Carpets should be cleaned every 12 months. This ensures thatthe oil film doesn't get so thick it discolors your carpets. Ifyou live by yourself or there's just two of you then every 18months will probably be suffice. If there is more than 5 of youthen you'll probably need to do your carpets every 6 months. Hiring A Professional You should consider hiring a professional to clean yourcarpets. A professional cleaner is trained, that's why he or sheis a professional and they will know which type of cleaning isbest for your carpet. The professional will come with a heavyduty hot water extraction system which will be used to sprayyour carpets with water and detergent and then to suck back thewater and oil into a tank in their vehicle. Do It Yourself If you decide to rent...

... a steam cleaning machine and do your owncarpets you need to realize that the rental equipment is notnearly as powerful as the pro's equipment so you won't get asdeep a clean. You also need to realize that some of thesemachines can damage your carpet so be sure you know what you arerenting. Powerless Retail Rentals Choose your retail rental carpet cleaner carefully because manyof these lack power meaning you might land up with a carpetthat's too wet and not enough power to suck the water up. Thiscould end up damaging your carpet. Make sure you do yourresearch and that you know what you are renting Easy On The Water Pretend like there's a water shortage and use water sparingly.If you use too much water and your carpets are wet for more than24 hours you can develop mold and mildew growth which is bad foryour health. Never mind those interesting odors that seep out ofthe carpet. Leave No Trace Choose a solution that leaves no or little residue behind. ThePH of the cleaning solution should be around 9 and it shouldalways be less than 10. If you are left with that sticky residueyour carpets will pick up more residue and pick it up quicker. Wool Carpets Wool carpets are different than the synthetic blends. Theyrequire a special solution that is designed for wool and thenatural fibers. Make sure the solutions PH is no higher than 8and no lower than 5. Stop The Stains If your carpets are already treated with a stain resistanttreatment you need you use a cleaner that's designed to workwith this treatment. Any other cleaner will destroy thestainguard treatment already on the carpets which could causediscoloration and void the warranty. Less Dry Time After you've cleaned your carpet places fans around the room topush air across the carpet. This will reduce the time it takesto dry the carpets and the risk of mold and mildew. If you havea dehumidifier use it to pull the moisture out. An airconditioner will also pull moisture out. Your carpet should bedry in 12 hours or less. Following these carpet cleaning tips will have your carpetslooking fresh and clean and it will extend their life. Carpetsare expensive so the longer you can make them last the better! -----------------------John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buyingprocess and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. Tolearn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpetrugs website...