Helpful carpet care advice from the Carpet Foundation and the Carpet First Retail Flooring Group.

Caring for your Carpet

Regular cleaning and routine maintenance will help your new carpet keep its beautiful appearance for years.

Regular vacuuming helps prevent the build-up of dirt and grit so deep cleaning is less frequent. An easy way to protect your new carpet is to place a doormat or even a left over piece of carpet at entrances to a room or in areas like in front of fireplaces.

Denis Parkinson Carpets stocks a range of rugs, entry mats and rubberised office mats to help protect your carpets and enhance your decor. Remember that these mats need to be cleaned regularly as well otherwise they will not prevent the transfer of dirt and grit to your carpet.

Vacuum Cleaning

Vacuum your carpet regularly, and certainly at least once a week. Heavy traffic areas should ideally be vacuumed daily.

When a carpet is first laid, there may be some ‘fluffing’ or ‘shedding’ as loose fibres work their way to the surface. This is perfectly normal and all new carpets should be vacuumed to remove these loose fibres before they become walked back into the carpet.

Your vacuum cleaner must be well maintained in order to be effective. For cut pile carpets, an upright with a beater bar brush is recommended or cylinder vacuums with a turbo head attachment. Loop pile carpets should be cleaned with a suction only cleaner to prevent excessive fluffing and matting.

Stains and Spillages

Accidents happen and no carpet is totally stain proof. As a guide:

• Always deal with a spill immediately.
• Liquid spills – always blot up immediately with a clean white cloth, kitchen roll or tissues – never rub.
• Solid stains: gently scrape away solids with a blunt knife or spoon.
• Use a dabbing action – never rub – and work from the outside of the stain into the centre to avoid spreading
• Use an appropriate solution to remove any signs of the spillage. Do not over-wet the carpet
• After cleaning, blot dry and brush up the pile to help the carpet retain its appearance as it dries out.
• Never use more than one cleaning solution on a particular stain as it could cause damage to your carpet
• Always try out a small amount of your cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area before use.

If you are in any doubt, we recommend that you consult a professional cleaning company.

Stain proofing

A stain proofing product can be applied to carpets: please contact us if you would like to know more about stain proofing.