(NAPSA)—A budget already strained by the purchase of a home can go bust with the cost of replacing carpet. But—good news!—floor coverings, like paint and woodwork, can spring to life with a good cleaning. Down, not out—“Don’t count carpet that is down as necessarily out,” says Jennifer Dickey, a consumerexpert at Racine Industries, Inc. The company manufactures a do-it-yourself dry cleaning system called HOST that consumers can rent. “Consider restoration,” she advises. “Often, there are a lot of yearsleft in the carpet.” An effective cleaning system is the ticket; the system should deep-clean to reveal color, revive pile and, visually, return the carpet tolife. Restore and reveal—Make cleaning the carpet the first step before moving into a new home. Deep-cleaning carpet need not be time- or labor-intensive. With a dry system, for example, dry extraction cleaner is applied over the carpeted areas and worked deeply through the pile with a machine whose special brushing action also lifts matted pile. “You are able to concentrate cleaning on the areas wheresoiling occurs,” notes Dickey. The secret with HOSTis that, if you are faced with tough soil, keep cleaning; unlike hot water extraction, you cannot over wet the carpet. As the cleaning sponges are brushed through carpet, the soft natural cleaner loosens and absorbs embedded soil, dried spots and spills. The cleaner andthesoil it has absorbed then are vacuumed awayto reveal clean carpet that is dry, soft, freshsmelling and readyto use. No down time—Putthe rooms and houseto use immediately after dry cleaning; no waiting a day or two, like with wet extraction systems, for carpet to dry. Heavy furniture stays put when using a dry system to clean. Smart cleaning keeps furniture put—Once you're all moved in, continue to focus cleaning efforts on the spills, spots and the high-traffic areas around furniture, down hallways and around entrances. Leave heavy furniture in place and restore the carpets throughout your home and/or apartment quickly. The cleaning equipment requires no set-up and no mixing of water and chemicals or loading with any cleaning agents. Rather, the machine’s brushing action pulls it along, makingit easy for a person of any size to use the equipment. Take the offensive—A cleaning offensive—weekly vacuuming, dry carpet cleaning every four to six months—is the best defense against soil and allergen accumulation. Such cleaning makes it easy for carpet owners to stay on top of their carpet, cleaning specific areas wheresticky soil gets concentrated. This also lengthens the life and enhances the appearance of any carpet until it must be replaced. For more information about easy clean-up of soil and allergens from your carpet, call 800-5589439 and ask customerservice for the D-I-Y dealer or professional cleaner nearest you, or visit www.hostcarpetcleaning.com.
