What steps should I take to maintain carpet in a high-traffic area on a daily basis, and to deal with spills and stains?
The following steps should be taken when dealing with carpet in a high-traffic area: It’s a good idea to keep sand, grit and grass clippings off walkways outside entries to prevent inward tracking of these abrasive soils. Purchase a properly sized entry mat (the bigger the better, but there must be room for at least two steps to sufficiently wipe soil from feet before encountering the installed carpet). Nylon face, vinyl back for better moisture and oils absorption, combined with the resiliency necessary to collect a quantity of particle soil. The IICRC suggests a rental mat, since that guarantees frequent maintenance. Place entry mats on hard surfaces rather than on carpet where they can trap moisture or cause plasticizer migration. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum; daily, especially after major events. The sooner you collect soils from the surface, the easier it is to remove them. For most carpet, you should use an upright vacuum with brush agitation, unless your canister vacuum is particularl
