A carpeted staircase adds color, texture, and extra tread for safety on stairs. While you can cover the carpet with plastic runners to protect it from gathering dirt, that is an unsightly solution that should only be temporary. Follow this advice to give the carpet on a high-traffic staircase some special attention to keep it looking new and clean. Just like the carpet in the rest of your home, the carpet on your staircase needs regular vacuuming. It removes dirt, tiny bits of gravel, and debris from the rug that can grind away at it and do damage over time. A standard vacuum cleaner really isn't designed for stairs. It can be heavy to carry and too big for the small steps, making it almost impossible to use properly. To vacuum the stairs, invest in a lightweight, handheld model that's about the size of a small suitcase. It should include different attachments. You can hold the main unit in one hand and guide the attachment with your other. When vacuuming stairs, always remember to start at the top and work your way down.

A hose is good for sucking up surface dirt and may even get some deeper dirt that's loose in the pile. For the best results, use the brush roller attachment, which is similar to the beater brush on your standard vacuum. Doing so loosens impacted dirt and can help your carpet last longer.best pool cleaner miami A stiff broom is also helpful for cleaning your carpeted staircase. best way to clean a pool with algaeIt is much more lightweight than any vacuum. carpet cleaning prices per sq ftDoing so will improve the appearance of the carpet, but vacuuming is still recommended for a deep-down clean. rug cleaner rental boston

To sweep the carpeted staircase, start at the top and move down. Sweep each step until any debris is on the bottom floor and can be vacuumed or swept away. You can steam clean the carpet on your staircase just as you can any carpet. You'll need a steam cleaner with a handheld hose attachment to do this. best upright vacuum cleaner for wood floorsIf you don't want to purchase a steam cleaner, you can probably rent a machine from a local grocery store. top rated vacuum cleaners 2011 for pet hairKeep in mind that investing in a home steam cleaner will save you money over time. You can also opt to shampoo the carpet by hand. It is also the best method of spot-cleaning. Some stains, like those with oil bases, may require a pre-treatment solution that loosens the dirt so it can be lifted from the carpet fibers.

Mix specially formulated carpet shampoo with water until you get a light foam. Work it into your carpet with a scrub brush. If you have a Shop-Vac or other wet/dry vacuum, vacuum as much water as you can out of the carpet. Otherwise, use a soft, absorbent towel or cloth to blot the carpet and remove as much water as possible. Once the staircase is completely dry, go over it with a vacuum.15 Ways to Fix Everything With Vinegar Despite your best efforts at cleanliness, your carpet will eventually become the victim of drops, spills, accidents, and whatever's on the bottom of your shoes. To learn how professionals handle problem areas and keep carpets looking new, we spoke with cleaning expert Mark Tarbox, the owner of Best Carpet Cleaning Experts in San Antonio, Texas, who has more than 30 years of experience. Blot Stains, Don't Rub ThemBlot Stains, Don't Rub ThemDab stains with a cleaning solution and a clean cloth, paper towels, or a sponge. "The key is blotting. Blotting puts a small amount of pressure on the stain to soak it up," Tarbox says.

"Rubbing causes the particles to get ground into the carpet fibers, and this can lead to the premature breakdown of those fibers." Always blot from the outside of the stain inward, as blotting outward can spread the stain. The Club Soda ProcessThe Club Soda ProcessYou may have heard that club soda is effective against beer and wine stains. It's true—if you use it correctly.Blot the area with the soda on a cloth. If that doesn't work, mix one part white vinegar with one part water and pour it into a handheld sprayer. Spray the solution on the entire stained area and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to soak in. Then press a clean sponge onto the area to soak up the solution and the stain. Tarbox says you may have to repeat this process to eradicate the stain.Once the stain is gone, rinse the spot with warm water. Use your hand to brush the carpet strands into their natural direction. Finally, lay white paper towels over the area and weigh them down with something heavy, like a phone book.

The towels will absorb the dampness from the carpet. Leave the towels in place until the carpet is dry, usually about one day. 3 Tough Chainsaws, Tested How to Fix Washing Machine and Dryer Problems What to Do When You Find Old, Disconnected Wiring Behind Your Walls How to Make Speaker Holes in Your Ceiling 4 Tips for Building Your Own Bar 8 Tips for Installing Laminate Flooring Who Knew Watching a Box Get Built Could Be So Satisfying? Stacked Wood Screens Are Certainly One Way to Cover Your Fireplace How to Install & Cut Crown Molding Easily Tips & Tools to Regrout Your Bathroom How to Build This DIY Workbench Home Carpet Cleaning: Grubby to GreatThere's certainly no lack of cleaning options, including buying a carpet-cleaning machine, renting one, or hiring a pro. We tried them all. While nothing beat the ease and performance of a pro, some of the machines we tested came pretty close for less money. Before we put the machines to work, we had to prep our lab.

By the time we were finished, it looked like a gang of kids wearing muddy sneakers had run amok. Panels of off-white nylon plush carpet treated with stain repellent were embedded with topsoil. After vacuuming, we tested each carpet cleaner with its manufacturer-recommended solution and passed over a soiled area 20 times. More Power, Deeper Clean Machines that were better at lifting embedded dirt have larger, more powerful motors. Almost all of the full-sized models did a better job at removing dirt. Bissell and Hoover, the two largest manufacturers of carpet cleaners, say you must use their cleaning solutions in their machines or you could void the warranty or cause electrical shock or fire by damaging the machine. The good news is that most of the manufacturers' solutions we tested performed similarly and were very good. Rental Pros and Cons Rug Doctor's Mighty Pro, which can be rented at stores nationwide for $20 to $30 per 24 hours, seems like a bargain. It cleaned as well as some of our top-rated machines, and you can clean a large area before emptying the dirty water.

But it was heavy and bulky and left the carpet pretty wet. So you'll have to wait longer to put furniture back in the room and walk on the carpet. Use a dehumidifier to speed up drying. Pros are easy but expensive Stanley Steemer, a nationwide chain, outperformed all of the carpet-cleaning machines we tested, removing all visible dirt. Even the best machine we tested left behind some dirt. Stanley also removed tough stains from a staffer's carpets. Even the best machines in our tests only lightened the stains. Embedded dirt requires deep cleaning. Check your carpet's warranty or manufacturer's website for suggestions on how often you should clean. Otherwise you could damage the carpet or void its warranty. Some companies, for example, don't allow a pro to reapply stain treatments. Then consider these tips: Separate tanks for hot water and cleaning solution make refilling quicker because you usually need to refill water more often. Smaller tanks mean more frequent refills.

Carry and push the machine before buying, especially if you'll be carrying it up and down stairs. Look for models with attachments if you'd like to clean upholstery or stairs. Working with water and electricity requires extra care, so if possible plug the machine into an outlet with a ground-fault circuit interrupter. Wear hearing protection when using any machine for an extended period of time. Don't walk or place furniture on carpet until it's completely dry. Select a company approved by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a nonprofit organization, to ensure the company carries liability insurance and employs certified technicians. Make sure they vacuum before deep cleaning, and ask about spot removal. Get a detailed written estimate, check references, and obtain an invoice. Some stain removers and cleaning solutions for machines emit fumes, so be sure to open windows and run fans when cleaning. That is especially important if someone in your home has respiratory problems such as asthma.

Classes of Cleaners – Things to Consider Homeowners who only occasionally clean their carpets may choose to hire a reputable professional or rent a carpet cleaner. But if you have a lot of carpeting and a house full of kids and pets, you might want to consider buying a machine. Here are the types of carpet cleaners to consider. Often available at a nearby supermarket, hardware store, or home center for about $20 to $30 a day, these upright machines combine a tank for dispensing cleaning solution, a second tank for holding dirty solution, a vacuum, and a fixed or moving brush into a single, heavy unit. As a result, they're cumbersome to push around. Performance and convenience varied from one machine to the next in our tests. In general, look for the cleanest, least-worn brushes on any machine that you're thinking of renting. They're lighter and less bulky than typical rental machines. Most work by scrubbing in a solution of water and detergent, then vacuuming up the water and dirt.

They can be expensive and take up a fair amount of closet space. In our last tests, they produced mixed results. All those that we tested also required you to use the manufacturer's special detergent. For small jobs or tackling stains, a compact cleaner is easier to maneuver than the bigger and bulkier full-sized model, and it takes up less closet space and can be stored on a shelf. One compact, the Bisell SpotBot, lets you push a button and walk away while it goes to work on stains. In our tests it removed the toughest stain from carpet treated with stain protector, but it didn't do as well on untreated carpet. Bissell's compact cleaner didn't clean as well as most of the full-sized models we tested and did little on tough stains. A Pile of Features Carpet cleaners can be a bit unwieldy, so look for features that will make it easier to maneuver, especially if you have carpeted stairs. Here are the carpet-cleaner features to consider. On upright models, they let you clean upholstery, stairs, bare floors, and tight spots between furniture.

As with vacuum cleaners, many carpet cleaners have a belt that, over time, needs replacing--a do-it-yourself task for some owners. Belt-free units dispense with this part. A moving brush tends to give a more aggressive scrub than no brush or a fixed one that moves only as you push the machine, though having one or more does not guarantee good cleaning. The larger the cleaning-solution tank, the less often you'll need to refill it if you clean a lot of carpet at a time--though the more liquid, the tougher the machine can be to maneuver. The heavier the cleaner, the harder it is to maneuver. A long vacuum hose can reach, for example, up a flight of stairs. This automatically dispenses the right amount of detergent with water, and it shuts off to allow rinsing with fresh water. These lights alert you when the clean-solution tank needs refilling--or the dirty-solution tank needs emptying. Some cleaners feature a sensor-operated cutoff that stops an extractor's suction when the tank storing dirty solution is full.