
| FOOD Clean spills up immediately. See below for exact directions. |
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| FURNITURE Place glides under heavy furniture to combat crushing. Rotate furniture to give carpet a rest. |
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| SUNLIGHT To prevent fading, avoid long hours of direct sunlight on carpet. Close blinds or shades periodically. Select a lighter colored carpet in sun-drenched rooms to minimize fading. |
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| TRAFFIC Change traffic patterns. Rotate furniture, so people have to alter their path through the room. |
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| OUTSIDE DOORS Place doormats inside and outside of exterior doors to minimize tracking in dirt. |
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| RIPPLING High humidity and heat can cause wall-to-wall carpet to ripple. Call a professional to re-stretch it with a power stretcher. |
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| ANIMALS Vacuum often and use deodorizer on previous "accident" sites. Some animals will have repeat "accidents" because they're drawn to the smell. |
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| CIGARETTE AND OTHER BURNS Place glides under heavy furniture to combat crushing. Rotate furniture to give carpet a rest. |
| Scoop up as much of the spill as possible, with a towel or a spoon. | |
| Blot the spot, don't rub or scrub. Gently press clean cloths into the stained area to remove moisture. Scrubbing can damage the fiber and set the stain into the carpet. | |
| Apply warm, not hot, water to the stained area and blot until the stain stops transferring to the cloth. | |
| If you can still see the stain, make a Detergent Solution by adding 1/4-teaspoon dishwashing liquid to one-cup warm water. Don't use too much soap, because it's difficult to rinse out of the carpet. | |
| Apply the detergent solution, let sit five minutes, rinse with clear warm water. Repeat until all the detergent is removed. | |
| Place layers of white paper towels on the spill to absorb the liquid. Weight down the towels with a non-staining glass or ceramic object. You can let them sit overnight. | |
| When the carpet is dry, vacuum to restore the texture. | |
| If you can see the stain after all this, repeat steps 3 through 7. It means the stain penetrated deep into the pile and has wicked up to the surface. |