Preparing for a Family Gathering

Many homeowners choose darker carpets because they think dark carpets won't show spills and stains as easily as light carpets. While this may be true, there are other challenges associated with maintaining a dark carpet. Whether your carpet is black, navy, brown, burgundy, or some other dark shade, following these tips will keep it looking presentable.

Vacuum more often.

While spills may be masked on a dark carpet, dust, pet hair, and other debris are actually more obvious on a dark carpet than on a light one. So, you'll need to vacuum more often to keep your carpet looking pristine. When you vacuum, go over the carpet once going one way, and then go over it again in a perpendicular direction. This way, you'll be sure to get everything that's hiding between the fibers as they get "pushed" in several directions while you are cleaning.

Keep cleaning solutions made for dark carpets on hand.

Many general-purpose carpet-stain removers and deodorizers are intended for use on light carpets, since that is what most people have. Read labels carefully to find products that are specifically intended for dark carpets. Otherwise, you might end up with a bleached-out spot on your beloved burgundy carpet! It's not a bad idea to spot-test any new cleaner in a hidden spot, like under the couch, before using it. Do this as soon as you purchase a new cleaner so you can be confident whether or not it works without bleaching when you need it immediately to clean up a spill.

Be very, very thorough when shampooing.

If you use a home carpet-shampooing system to clean your carpets, you'll need to be very careful to suck up as much water/shampoo mixture as possible at the end. Even a small amount of shampoo left on the carpet can give it a dull, dusty appearance. If your shampooer has a setting that makes it suck water without ejecting any new water, go over your carpet with the shampooer on this setting after you've otherwise completed the shampooing session.  Also, when you're diluting the shampoo for use in the shampooer, be especially careful to follow the instructions on the label. Using more shampoo than is recommended won't get your carpet cleaner; it may leave it looking dusty or encourage the color to leech out.

If you have any concerns about maintaining your dark carpet, contact the carpet manufacturer or a professional cleaning service such as Staub Cleaning Services in your area.