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Present in almost every home and considered by many, a must have décor item, carpets and rugs can last for months, years or even decades, depending on the quality of the material and, especially, of its maintenance. 

The signs are clear: itching and tearing eyes, stuffy nose, feeling chest and skin symptoms such as itching and eczema. Rugs and carpets are the best friends of the mites. And the worst enemies of allergy sufferers. You need to be aware of the proper way to clean them, not to make the routine of an allergic a nightmare. More than aesthetics, the cleaning of rugs and carpets are important to avoid health problems. Proper cleaning will eliminate microorganisms such as fungi and mites, that affect people with asthma or allergic rhinitis. At least once a year, call a cleaning company to give that general cleaning on your carpet, because if you do it alone, you can end up with a bad smell, have problems with mold and the worse: ruin the carpet. For my experience, leave it to the specialist carpet cleaning companies and avoid headaches. It's time to look for a company specialized in the service when dirt begins to bother. 

The cleaning should be done every six months or once a year, if not used daily. However, for those who have children or pets at home, the deadline should be anticipated. Aspiration prevents the fabric to stay grimy early and not let the dirt penetrate deeply. Regular cleaning maintains the appearance, enhances its usability and ensures a good level of hygiene. Once the dirt is not always visible on the surface, but in the depths of its fibers, an immediate cleaning is not always required. For health and hygiene issues, it’s very important to remove the invisible dirt regularly and treat stains properly. The ideal is to use neutral products for removing stains, decreasing the chances of ruining the carpet. Abrasive or chlorine-containing items are not indicated. Some products found on the market can stain or damage the upholstery. So, make tests on a small area of the carpet before trying to remove any type of stain.

To keep the carpet as clean as possible during the regular cleaning just use the vacuum cleaner. Pass the vacuum cleaner in the direction of the carpet fibers, slowly to suck all the dirt particles. It's a superficial cleanup, but it helps keep the carpets clean, apparently mainly for those who have pets. Never use a broom to sweep the carpet, because this causes the accumulated dust and spread throughout the environment. Moreover, bristled brooms ruin the fibers of the carpet. So avoid the broom and pass only the vacuum cleaner, or the electric broom – which is a vacuum cleaner with a different name for the same function "vacuum". Then sprinkle baking soda over the carpet, let stand for about 15 minutes and then vacuum the carpet once again. This is a dry carpet cleaner that can be made on a weekly basis.

I would like to share three great tips that I learned as an allergic mother with a baby and pets.  

1) Use the cloth almost dry, well twisted and pass on the carpet doing circular movements, you'll notice that the hair adheres to cloth and crowding. Vinegar is good to avoid and eliminate the mold and odors, as well as leave the carpet fibers more glossy. There are people who don't like the strong smell of vinegar, in which case you can add a bit of essence oil in a mixture of water and vinegar.

2) The air circulation is very important to remove impurities, then open windows and doors and let natural ventilation make your work, open the curtains, lock the doors and let the air flow for a while.

3) Chocolate, wine or coffee leave your carpet marked if it is not cleaned properly and immediately. You can use a specific stain remover or try one of the following solutions: In red wine stains, first soak up the excess liquid with a clean cloth or paper towels. If possible, apply salt on the stain while it is still wet. Let the salt absorb the wine and use the vacuum cleaner to remove the salt. If the stain is red wine, another method is to apply a small amount of white wine to help neutralize the stain. After applying the white wine, soak up the liquid with a clean cloth. These homemade solutions, however, are not always efficient. To remove wine stain completely, press a clean cloth dampened with a solution of water and a bit of super concentrated liquid. Dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. To get coffee stains or chocolate, put a little tonic water in a clean sponge and rub the stain gently. Then dry with a clean cloth.