Vacuuming your carpet frequently and with a high-quality vacuum cleaner is one of the more important and easiest ways to ensure the life of your carpet. Walking on dirty carpet can push soiled fibers deep into the carpeting, making cleaning difficult and even damaging the carpet fibers. To prevent these problems, vacuum high traffic areas daily.

Additionally, investing in a high quality vacuum that is designed for your specific carpet type can also extend the life of your carpet. A vacuum with a beater brush will work dirt out of your carpet fibers, ensuring your carpet is as clean as possible. However, if you invest in carpet with longer fibers, such as shag, you may consider a suction-only vacuum so as to not damage your carpet fibers. Give your carpet the excellent treatment it deserves both by selecting the proper vacuum and vacuuming frequently.

There are several things you can do proactively to help keep your carpet clean and looking new. Keeping your carpet out of the path of direct sunlight as often as possible prevents fading. Using mats to wipe shoes upon entry is another easy step you can take; better yet, consider removing your shoes in your entryway before walking on your carpet. Occasionally moving large furniture ensures that areas of your carpet won’t succumb to pile crushing, and will keep things looking fresh in your home. Also, investing in the highest quality carpet pad that’s specific to your chosen carpeting not only makes walking on the carpet feel more comfortable and luxurious, but doing so can even help extend your carpet’s life.

For more general preventive carpet cleaning tips, go here.

Spills are best dealt with as soon as possible. However, did you know that the type of liquid spilled affects the proper clean up method? Follow these links for specific suggestions on the best approach to preventing stains from occurring.

Alcoholic Beverages
Asphalt
Beer|
Blood
Butter
Candy
Coffee
Red Wine
White Wine

Yes! Don’t panic. Wax and gum can both be safely removed–just follow these instructions.

Wax
Gum

Contrary to what you may think, installing a high-quality, long-lasting wood floor is relatively painless when you use an experienced flooring company. Read on for information on what to expect when having your wood floors installed or refinished.

Well, actually, both are great options! It really depends on your preferences. Solid wood floors are just as the name implies–solid wood. They can be refinished or resanded many times, and are ideal in just about any room in the house except the basement. Engineered wood floors are also made out of real wood, but they are fabricated using layers of wood veneers. Because engineered wood is more stable than solid wood, it withstands humidity and temperature fluctuations better, so it’s a great choice for below-grade flooring.

Find more information here!

First, be sure to clean your floors on a regular basis. Sweeping, mopping up spills right away, vacuuming (without the beater bars running), and avoiding the use of wet mops are great practices that on their own will keep your floors looking new.

You might also consider using scatter rugs throughout the house at entrances (avoid rubber backs!) and using floor protector pads underneath heavy furniture. Avoiding footwear with sharp or pointy areas on the soles, such as high heels, can help prevent scratches. Do keep in mind as well that generally, scratches in wood floors occur in the finish, not the actual wood, and are rather easily repaired. Even scratches in the wood itself can be fixed by having the wood sanded and refinished.

If your wood floors are beginning to lose a bit of their luster, wood flooring cleaner can give it a bit of oomph. Be sure to ask about this at Capital Carpets; we’ll recommend the right cleaner for your wood to prevent damage and keep your floors looking new!

Wood floors can fade a bit with time, but yes, you can prevent this with just a couple of simple steps. Sun exposure over time is a contributing factor to wood floors fading, so using blinds and awnings and rotating area rugs and large furniture can help prevent it. When choosing your finish, consider water-based, as they don’t tend to yellow over time the way oil-based finishes do.

They certainly can be! Just as high heeled shoes or soccer cleats might scratch the finish of your wood floor, so might your pets’ nails. While you can purchase scatter rugs to place in front of entrances, we recommend trimming your pets’ nails regularly, as this will help prevent them from scratching the finish of your wood floors.

Additionally, there are certain species of wood, such as Brazilian walnut, that don’t tend to show wear as much as others. Consult Capital Carpets for further information on the best wood species to have installed if your home has children or pets (or both!).

While the traditional hardwood look never goes out of style, some homeowners are more cutting edge and enjoy new trends and styles. If you fall into this category, you’ll be pleased to learn that hardwood flooring can be manufactured and installed in creative, trendsetting ways. Choosing planks wider in width is a simple way to open a room up, and installing them on the diagonal is an option for those looking for a bit of dramatic flair.

Using wood flooring in gray or darker tones is another timeless trend that works in just about any home. Gray wood flooring really emphasizes the grains in the wood, and complements virtually any style. For those who would like to show off their bold side, darker wood flooring is an attractive solution. Dark finishes with red undertones, such as mahogany, are a sleek, stylish option for homeowners ahead of current trends.

Lime wash, a type of white wash, is another hardwood trend that works with many types of decor. This type of low-luster treatment is less shiny than traditional finishes; it doesn’t show wear and tear as easily as higher gloss finishes, so in addition to having a unique look, this style is excellent for homes with children or pets.

Like the idea of trying out a new trend with your hardwood floor? Check out some more unique ideas, such as wire-brushed, recycled, higher gloss, and vintage woods here.

While ceramic tile flooring is one of the easiest flooring types to keep clean, there are still differences amongst tile types that should be noted when caring for your tile flooring of choice. Saltillo, glass, natural stone, quartz, porcelain (polished, matte, unglazed, or textured), quarry, and ceramic are some of the most popular and common types of tile flooring, and their different characteristics require different maintenance programs. Ceramic tile floors are installed and sealed with grout, and it’s important to care for that as well.

Learn about the maintenance and cleaning requirements for your chosen type of ceramic tile here.