Antique carpets represent enormous range in motifs color harmonies and you’ll simply lose yourself seeing the diverse combinations of rich antique colors and heavy intricate weaving.

Antique carpets and rugs are imported mostly from China, Persia, India, Afghanistan, Caucasus, and Turkey. Some of the famous weaving areas of such antique carpets include Kashan, Agra, and many other locations.Antique carpets have a more artistic integrity, as they are exclusively hand woven.  They are sold all  over the world, with clients more than willing to pay  whatever they have to in order to redefine their home and decorate in style.

If you are looking to add luster and glamour to your home or office and are ready to spend a fortune on the exquisite pieces of art, then you shouldn’t wait a single minute.

The first thing to do, is contact one of the several reliable, knowledgeable, and genuine art dealers and galleries who deal in antique carpets and have profound knowledge about the various aspects of a good and genuine antique carpet.  They can guide you in selecting the best one per your budget and tastes.

You’ve got a bit of work to do as well.  You should visit a lot of dealers and educate yourself about dyes, wools, design quality, and the many styles of weaving as well.  Touch the carpet and scrutinize them carefully.  Beware of the machine made synthetic carpets that some dealers will tell you are antique carpets.

Below are some tips to help you when buying antique carpet.

1.  You have to remain careful and thoughtful while analyzing each piece of antique carpet.

2.  You’ll also need to try and understand the age and origin of the carpet that will in turn give you a much better insight about the overall quality of the carpet.

3.  You’ll also need to look and see if the edge and borders are there in the antique carpet you intend to buy, as the end and edge borders are sometimes lost or even cut out on purpose.  Keep in mind that the borders will determine the overall value of your carpet.

4.  Keep an eye out for holes and moth attacks that are both common when dealing with antique carpets.  These problems must be attended to before you buy the carpet.

5.  You should always deal with dealers who have the prices marked on the carpet.  See to it that your dealer sticks to that price.

Make sure that you get a deep cleaning of the carpet as often as it is needed.  To achieve a clean carpet, you’ll need to have it cleaned by a professional or you’ll need to use a deep cleaning machine.  There are advantages and disadvantages to this method, although a thorough cleaning is needed every six months or so.

Tip 2

Keep your eye out for spills and take care of them in a quick manner to keep your carpet clean.  Simply using water on a spill will help most of them.  If that doesn’t work, simply expand your search.  You’ll find several products out there on the market that can help you get rid of spills quick.The products range in use and can be helpful when matching them with the different types of spills.   You can also use a mixture of water and vinegar to help you keep stains out.  By taking immediate action you can prevent spills from becoming stains that leave you with a dirty and messy carpet.

Tip 3

A clean carpet is a carpet that has been taken care of very well.  You should always take the time to vacuum your carpet often and make sure you do a good job.  This means going over the floor in several directions to allow the vaccum time to pick up all it can.  High quality vacuums are the best choice, as they get up the most debris.

Tip 4

The proper use of entrance will greatly help to clean off people’s shoes and keep most of the tracked soils off the surface of the carpet.  You should always use entrance mats outside of your doors and make sure that anyone who enters your home use the mats to help get debris and dirt off of their shoes before they enter.  You can also take off your shoes and request that guests do the same, prior to entering your home.

Around 80% of the soils that enter a building or home are dry.  The remaining 20% are greases, oils, and starches.  The dry soil types are easily removed by vacuuming.  As long as they are removed on a daily basis, it will help to minimize the damage to the carpet.

Maintaining and keeping a clean carpet is more than just healthy, as it can also help to prolong the life of the carpet.  If you have just laid the carpet, you are already aware of the expenses involved with doing so.

Even if you haven’t had this done, you probably know the benefits of keeping a clean carpet.  A clean carpet will add value to the home if it is maintained well.  It will also help to keep the home free from odors as well.  Also, it will help to make a comfortable living area for your friends and your family.

At your local department store or grocery store, there are several products that you can pick up that will work great.  The only problem with these products is the fact that they are normally very vague with how you should use them.The first thing you should know is that if you  have a red stain on your carpet, you shouldn’t try to get this out yourself, but instead leave it to a pro.  There are certain procedures and very effective methods that your local carpet cleaning company can do to save you from ruining your carpet.

Keep in mind that red is the toughest stain to get out.  A professional carpet cleaner is the way to go, as he is properly trained and equipped to handle them.

For everything else, there is always an effective and cheap way to clean spots on both your carpet and the upholstery.  If you are only buying the products that work for you, then you aren’t paying much attention to the label or the technique in getting the stains out.

The first thing to do is go to your local Auto  Zone or auto parts store and pick up the auto upholstery and carpet cleaner in the can.  Tuff Stuff is one of the best you can get.  Almost all cleaners that come in a can are foaming cleaners, which will make your work a lot easier.

The foam in these canned cleaners will penetrate the fibers upon contact and as it foams, it will release and suspend the stains and soils.  You may need to lightly scrub the areas with a towel or soft bristled brush.

To help you clean the spots, the tips below may come in handy:

1.  You should only use white rags or towels when you clean carpet and upholstery to reduce the risk of ruining colors or color transfer.

2.  You should use foaming cleaners to clean your entire upholstery, even though it may state to dry clean only.

3.  You should always test your product of choice first on a hidden area to save yourself heartache and embarrassment in case things don’t turn out the way you hope.

4.  If you need the help of a professional, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact one.

As long as you don’t have a red stain in the carpet, you shouldn’t have any problems getting it out.  Stains and spots are a carpet’s worst enemy, which is why you should always get them out as soon as you can – to prevent things from getting any worse.

When you go out to buy carpet tiles, you’ll need to think about where you plan to install them.  The tiles will vary in density as well as thickness. Carpet tiles with more thickness have a cushion so that it’s soft on the surface, making them ideal for homes.  They will also provide a degree of thermal insulation as well.  The thinner types of tiles are best for offices, gyms, and other high traffic areas.  All carpet tiles are easy to maintain and will last you for a long time.The tiles will come in a variety of materials and patterns.  If you choose, you can make your home a greenhouse by using bamboo carpet tiles, or you can choose terracotta carpet tiles that will give your interior an earthly feel.

You may just want to live things up a bit or play down your floor, depending on the look you are going for.  Carpet tiles that are made from foam, rubber, linoleum, and vinyl are best for children’s rooms, office spaces, or other high traffic areas.  The cost for the tiles will depend on their thickness and density, which means that the prices can range from 1$ per square foot up to 40$ per square foot.

Tiles for carpet will offer you several advantages when you compare them to wall to wall carpets. They are easy to install and easy to transport, as you can install them without having to move any furniture!  They are very durable as well, and will last longer than most types of carpet even when they are used in high traffic areas.

You can also unleash your creative side as well with carpet tiles.  You can mix and match different tiles, or use a color for the border and even create a distinctive look using various patterns.  Unlike wall to wall carpet, you don’t need any professional help in case of tear, wear, or staining.  If they become torn or stained, just replace that tile with a new one.

There are carpet tiles available to fit each and every taste, even budget and furnishings style as well.  As they are less expensive, they will offer you the chance to experiment with your interior.  Pretty much the same with carpets, the installation of tiles is very important.

They must be installed on hard surfaces, such as stone, cement, or ceramic tile.  The surface has to be smooth and clean, so the adhesives will last and your floor will have a well finished look.  The carpet tiles will normally have cushion or padding already installed, which will reduce the cost and extend the life of the carpet.

The water will then penetrate the fiber all the way down to the backing.  This action will loosen any embedded soil, remove oil and grease deposits, and get your carpet cleaner than it has ever been.

There are many types and makes of steam carpet cleaners available on the market, ranging from small portables to the large and very powerful truck  mounted units.  The principle is the same no matter what model you pick.The models that are truck mounted are designed so that only the hose and the wand are taken into the area being cleaned.  These units are very powerful, delivering hot water and generating a high vacuum recovery that can be powered by diesel fuel, gas, propane, or even by the motor of the truck.

Most carpet manufacturers, fiber producers, and professional cleaners endorse this process for achieving soil removal efficiency.  With the present state of art equipment and technology, we are more than capable of high production and cleaning of carpet.

The real disadvantages to steam carpet cleaning are the problems that are associated with over wetting and longer drying times.  These can be eliminated however, by a skilled operator who uses equipment that is well maintained and in good overall operating condition.

Currently, there are two methods being used with steam carpet cleaning.

1.  This method involves a traffic lane cleaner being sprayed onto the traffic lanes and then agitated into the fibers.  The entire area is then cleaned by using a hot water extractor that has a cleaning solution being injected into the fibers through the wand.

2.  The second method involves a free rinse emulsifying pre-spray being sprayed onto the entire carpet, then agitated into the fibers.

Steam cleaning procedures

1.  Prepare the equipment and supplies.  In a pump or power sprayer you should mix the free rinsing pre-spray.  In the solution tank of the extractor, mix the rinsing agent.

2.  If you have a lot of furniture to move, make yourself a floor plan.

3.  If the area being cleaned has furniture, you should remove as much as possible.

4.  Thoroughly vacuum the carpet.  If the pile is crushed or matted, use a pile brush to loosen the soils which will make vacuuming more effective.

5.  Pre-spray a good amount of the pre-spray.

6.  Using a grooming tool, agitate the pre spray deep into the fibers then let it sit for 10 -  15 minutes, making sure that it doesn’t dry out.

7.  Extract the area using a portable, truck mounted, or automatic carpet cleaner.

8.  Repeat steps 5 through 7 until the entire area has been cleaned.

9.  Groom the cleaned area, replace all furniture that was removed, and then clean all equipment that you used.