If you have carpet in your home, you and your family live with it every day: you walk on it, sit on it, lay down on it, eat over it, and spill stuff on it. Your carpet goes through a lot, and for its best interest (and yours!) cleaning needs priority.

Carpets tend to trap germs extremely well. When you think of all the things you do on your carpet, that makes sense. From dust and skin cells to crumbs and spills, it sees a lot of action. Unfortunately, it also means that germs and dust mites take up residence in its fibers. In fact, some viruses can survive in uncleaned carpet for more than a month!

Keeping the carpet frequently vacuumed and cleaned helps keep those germs at bay. If you don't have time to regularly vacuum your carpet, maid services can help! Keep reading for some tips on carpet maintenance and cleaning.

There are a few things you can do to make sure your carpet stays as clean as possible:

• Vacuum every week. High traffic areas should be vacuumed even more frequently (high-traffic just means any area that sees the most activity, like hallways and the floors in your most frequented rooms). When you vacuum, use overlapping strokes to make sure nothing gets missed, and change the direction in which you vacuum every couple of weeks.
• Use baking soda. If you have time, sprinkle baking soda over your carpet and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before you vacuum. It's an all-natural way to help your carpet get cleaner and squash odors.
• Use a doormat. A lot of dirt comes in on your feet every day, so keep a doormat in front of your door to catch some of the dirt that would otherwise make it into your home. If it's practical, encourage family members and friends to take their shoes off at the door as they come in, as well.