Cleaning Carpet
Like most pieces of furniture, carpet requires weekly maintenance. Doing so will prevent dirt and other grit from rubbing in to the fibers. It will also stop the dirt from cutting the fibers, thus ruining your carpet. High traffic areas are obviously more at risk, but you should still get in to those hard to reach places as well. If your carpet is thick, one pass with the vacuum might not be enough. Dirt can build up, and might require more than one pass at slow speeds. Baking soda can be added to your dust bag which will help prevent pet and other types of odor.
Spills happen, and are not the end of the world. One thing to remember is you don't want to rub the spill in to the carpet. It might rub it deeper in to the fiber, or even spread it to surrounding areas. Blotting on the other hand will soak up the liquid, and is overall more effective. To remove stains, spray the spot cleaner on the effected spot and blot with a white towel. Try to dry the area as much as possible after the stain is removed. If necessary, lay out the towel over the wet area and put a heavy object on it. This will soak up any excess liquid.
Eventually your carpet will become so dirty that vacuuming it will be futile. When this occurs, it's time to steam clean the carpet. Carpet cleaning services can be very expensive and not worth the time. A basic Hover carpet cleaner can do a professional job without all the costs attached. Before shampooing the carpet, you should always vacuum it. Read your carpets instructions to make sure you're not using any chemicals that you aren't supposed to. Remember to test any chemicals you'll be using on a spare piece of carpet, or an area that isn't often seen. Carefully read your carpet cleaner's instructions before continuing. When done, you should wipe any low laying furniture. This would include the bottom of your sofa, or a chair's legs. Excess spray might have gotten on them during the shampooing and could ruin their finish. To maximize the carpet cleaner's effectiveness, never walk on the carpet until all of the moisture is out of it.
Sometimes your carpet has other types of damages besides stains. If you've had a heavy piece of furniture sitting on the carpet for a long time, it leaves impressions. To remove these all you need is an iron. Put the steam from the iron on to the carpet, but not directly on it. Once the fibers are moist, pry them up with a blunt object such as a butter knife or spoon. Other times carpet fibers can come loose and look out of place. Never pull out any fibers as that might start to unravel your carpet. Always cut them with regular scissors until they are at the proper length. Lastly, repairing cigarette burns. You can cut the burned fibers in question out of the hole. Find a spare piece of carpet, or an area which you never see. Take fibers from that area and glue them in the burned area. Remember this will only work with small burns. For larger burns you might have to replace that area of carpeting. To do this you can cut the area in question and replace it with a brand new piece. To secure it, use double sided tape, or consult a professional for other methods.