Cleaning

• 1). B­egin by vacuuming your carpet from front to back. Use any of the vacuum attachments that come with your vacuum to ensure that you get between furniture, behind furniture and into any little crevices where dust, dirt or food debris may be hidden. Use another attachment to vacuum along the edges of your baseboards.
  
  
• 2). Put on your rubber gloves.
  
  
• 3). Dip a sponge into warm water and squeeze on a few drops of mild dishwashing detergent.
  
  
• 4). Blot any old, stubborn stains or marks gently with the sponge. Work from the outside of the stain to the inside. Apply gentle pressure but avoid rubbing the stain which can embed it deeper into the fibers of the carpet. This method will work only for water-soluble stains. To remove non-water-soluble stains, you will need to use a carpet stain removal product, available at most hardware or grocery stores. When using the the stain removal product be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions to avoid damaging your carpet.
  
  
• 5). Blot the area with a soft, dry, white cloth dipped in water to rinse away any of the remaining soapy residue. Allow the carpet to dry completely before introducing any foot traffic.
  
  

Protect

• 1). Limit the amount of contact that your carpet has with shoes. The less shoe traffic on the surface of your carpet, the better the chances of keeping it clean. This goes as well for food and beverages. Keeping your carpet out of the way of stain causing agents, and other dirt will go a long way to protecting it from damage.
  
  
• 2). Apply a stain-preventing sealant such as DuPont Teflon Carpet Protector or Scotch Guard to protect the fibers of your carpet from any future staining. Check with the manufacturer of your carpet to be sure that such preventive sealants are appropriate for you carpet. When using any stain-preventive sealants be sure to closely follow the manufacturer's instructions. Apply the sealant in a well-ventilated area.
  
  
• 3). Dry carpet by opening windows, turning on fans, or otherwise creating ventilation in the space. Avoid introducing any foot traffic to the carpet until it has dried completely.