Cleaning your carpet is important, but can be difficult and time-consuming as well. One way to make this task easier is to adopt a few simple habits that prevent a great deal of dirt from ever reaching your carpet in the first place. First, get an outdoor mat for people to wipe their shoes on before entering. Then, encourage family members to remove their shoes while in the house: grime will get left behind, and the carpet runs less risk of wear from heavy sneakers.

"Do not touch anything. Oil from your hands can permeate upholstery, walls and woodwork, causing additional damage."   

Do not touch anything. Oil from your hands can permeate upholstery, walls and woodwork, causing additional damage.

Don't use computers, appliances, TVs, VCRs or stereos until they have been cleaned and tested by a ServiceMaster Advantage restoration specialist.

The best way to prevent indent from the legs of heavy furniture is to make sure you have a good thick padding under your carpet when it's installed. Ask the installers for advice on the best material. If your carpet is already in, then it is possible to put small rubber discs on the feet of your furniture. The discs should cover the entire foot and distribute the weight further, causing less of an impact.

Don't launder clothes or dry clean garments that have a strong smoke odor. Improper cleaning may set smoke or odors.

Do not use electrical appliances that have been close to fire or water before having them checked. They could malfunction.

Do not wash walls. Incorrect cleaning could compound the soot residue problem.

Even when the fire is out, the damage continues. Much of the material found in furniture and flooring is synthetic and when burned, it can create a variety of complex chemical reactions. After only a few days, these items go from cleanable to unsalvageable. ServiceMaster Advantage restoration technicians are experts in understanding the chemical combinations that can effectively clean and salvage belongings. We can even remove soot from at-risk items such as brass, aluminum, chrome, marble, tile, and porcelain as well as fabrics in upholstery and carpets, thus helping to avoid additional expenses.

People tend to create paths for themselves as they move throughout a room. If you were to remove all of the furniture from most living rooms, you'd still be able to tell where everything was based on the paths left behind after years of treading. One way to avoid this is to move the furniture around once in a while - it's fun, too, and can give the whole room a fresh look!

If the electricity is off, clean out the refrigerator and leave doors propped open.

Standard carpeting should be vacuumed once a week. Make sure to pay special attention to high-traffic areas, like just in front of the couch or in the center of a hallway. These areas should be vacuumed in a criss-cross pattern to lift the maximum amount of ground-in dirt.

Stains on carpet can be tricky. When spot-cleaning, be sure to clean from the outside of the stain toward the center. This way, you can avoid spreading the stain.

Bacteria growth can begin within hours. Call ServiceMaster Advantage immediately.

Do not remove books from shelves. Rather, pack them tightly to prevent warping of pages until a restoration professional can begin this specialized drying.

Most carpets can withstand water for up to three days, but immediate response to your loss is critical. In most cases ServiceMaster Advantage can be at your site within two to four hours.

Lift draperies off carpet, loop through a coat hanger, and place the hanger on the drapery rod.

Open furniture drawers, closet doors, and luggage to enhance drying. Move photos, paintings, and art objects to a safe, dry location.

Do not enter a room with standing water until electricity has been turned off.

Do not use a regular household vacuum to remove water.

Wood naturally holds water—up to 10% depending on the type of floor. Wood can absorb another 5% to 10% without showing any noticeable effects. Within a few days, however, floors that cannot hold the water any longer will expand, causing cupping or crowning, therefore emergency response is critical to minimize damage to wood floors.