Weekly is the bare minimum

Carpet cleaning can be something of a nemesis. If you're renting, you can bet your bottom dollar that you're going to have to clean that carpet - possibly by hiring a professional cleaner or by getting in one of those steam cleaning machines - when you do the final tidy up before moving house. And if you're not renting, well, you probably want to keep your carpets in good nick because the house is YOURS and you can't blame anyone else for grotty threadbare carpets. Anyway, carpets can be a pain to clean, no matter where you live, mostly because they continually have feet marching all over them and those soft, fluffy fibres trap dirt. You could, of course, do without a carpet and leave some areas in your house with polished wooden boards warmed up by the occasional mat. However, you will find that this allows more dust to fly around the place and you will need to wield the duster that little bit more often. Tips for cleaning carpets and keeping them clean: * Provide decent doormats that actually scrape bits of stray mud off at both your front and back doors and stop a lot of the dirt getting inside in the first place. * Encourage children (and other family members) to have "outdoor shoes" that never come inside. Have a place for folk to change into and out of these shoes near the door, and allow for plenty of space to store Wellington boots, rugby boots, gardening clogs, etc. * Take a tip from Asian culture and remove all shoes at the door. This is becoming more and more common. Going barefoot on carpet is a sensual delight, and if it's chilly, wear thick socks or a good pair of slippers to keep your toes from freezing. * Vacuum frequently - weekly is the bare minimum. * Treat all spills, stains and smears as soon as possible after they occur to stop the dirt "setting" into the fibres of your carpet. In many cases, you don't need a fancy carpet cleaning products - flooding the spot with fresh water (but make sure that the stain doesn't spread everywhere, which it will if you use too much) followed by blotting with a thick towel.