To keep your carpet clean, it is important to clean up spills as they happen. Blot up the spill immediately using clean, white paper towels or a regular towel. Do not rub as this will force the spill deeper into the carpet. There are several ways to clean spills that have turned into stains.

1. For fresh stains, use plain club soda. Pour a bit on the spot (don't soak it), let it foam and sizzle and let set for a few seconds. Sponge up thoroughly.
2. For older stains, combine 2 tablespoons detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and one quarter of warm water. Work into stain and blot dry.
3. Using shaving cream let it foam on the carpet and then rinse with a damp cloth. Blot dry. After any one of these methods, cover the spot with a clean towel or paper towels and place a heavy item such as a book on top of it. When the towel becomes damp, replace it with a dry one.

To keep your carpet in good condition, deep clean/shampoo about once a year. If you have pets and/or children, you may want to shampoo more often. There are several ways to deep clean your carpet: with an aerosol spray foam cleaner from the supermarket, a home carpet shampoo Hoover, a hot water cleaning machine and professional carpet cleaners.

Before any of these processes, blot up fresh and older stains with methods previously mentioned. It is important to vacuum thoroughly. By thoroughly, you should go over the same spot at least 2-3 times with the vacuum. It is best to take all of the furniture out of the room, if possible. If not, you could move furniture to one side, shampoo that section and let it dry for 24 hours by using a carpet dry blower or keeping the room aired. Then move the furniture to the other side and repeat the process.

If your carpet is not overly soiled, you could try aerosol spray foam. Before using, you may want to check for colourfastness and other chemicals that may damage your carpets fabric. You can do this by spraying a small piece of carpet with the cleaner. Leave for awhile, and then rub with a white towel. The longer you leave it, the better the test. If there is no colour bleed through on the towel or any sign of damage, go ahead and shampoo the whole carpet. Follow directions on the can. Usually the process involves spraying the foam evenly over the carpet; allow it to dry to a powder, and then vacuum 2-3 times over the area.