If you are looking to move from a rental or sell up your home, one of the things you have to weigh up is which improvements or maintenance tasks to invest in and which to leave alone.

Some modifications can improve the value of the home. Beyond structural integrity, the appearance of walls and floors is an important consideration.

One of the most common problems is the carpets and rugs. They are prone to stains, discolouration and, perhaps worst of all – odours. On Property ranks caring for your carpets and floors among their top ten list of things you can do to boost the value of your home

If you have carpets or rugs in your house, then you know that they tend to look less and less appealing as they grow older. This can be through general wear and tear, pets, or just old age.

Either way, you would probably like your carpet or rug to look like it did the day you first bought it. And even though bringing it back to that state may not be completely possible, you can at least breathe some new life into it with these tips.

Removing Stains and Marks

It’s easy to mark or stain a carpet or a rug, and this is one of the most common things people need to fix in their homes. Thankfully, taking care of a stain can be surprisingly easy.

The best way is with carpet dry cleaning. Dry cleaning carpet, a method of carpet cleaning popularised in Australia by Electrodry, was specifically designed to destroy and remove oily stains and dirt, and it uses a lot less water than typical cleaning methods.

If you have a nasty stain on your carpet, try contacting your local carpet cleaners.

Odours

If you have a foul odour ruining your carpet, it can be a little tricky to get rid of, but you can still do it.

According to Cleanipedia, most odour fixes are spot cleaning methods, so you have to know where the smell is coming from. One home remedy is baking soda, which absorbs moisture and usually takes the unpleasant smell with it.

Sprinkle it on your carpet and leave it overnight to take care of most smells.

Improving Colour in Faded Carpet or Rugs

Carpet fading is something that’s tough to reverse, which is why you should prevent the problem rather than let it happen.

Keep your rugs out of direct sunlight if you can by placing them out of direct sunlight or just close your curtains when the sun comes around.

If you need to reverse some fading, however, simply vacuum your carpet first, then make a solution of equal parts water and salt. Lightly apply this to your carpet with a damp cloth, and you will see some improvement overnight.

Cleaning Methods for Diverse Rug Styles

While there are many styles of rugs out there, including Persian and Oriental rugs, cleaning them is usually not too different from cleaning the less elaborate kind.

Again, the best way to keep a rug clean is to prevent it from getting dirty.

Avoid walking on rugs with hard sole shoes. Socks and bare feet will bring in a lot less dirt, not to mention less wear and tear, especially on slightly delicate and expensive rugs.

Jacobson Rugs has a dedicated section on “Rug First Aid” for keeping oriental and speciality rugs in good condition.

Carpets and rugs are valuable home commodity and worth caring for. Not only that, but keeping your carpets and rugs clean is much easier than you might have thought.

The main point is to get ahead of any problems straight away by doing what you can to prevent them from getting dirty or faded.

David Trounce
David is a Small Business Consultant and Blogger living in Port Stephens, Australia. David also writes for Real Town and Real Living Homes.