Any furniture you want to be moved that has breakables on them, such as pictures or glass, should be cleared.   Also, any small items sitting on the carpets to be cleaned, such as boxes, newspapers, toys, and shoes, should be picked up. 

Your carpet should be vacuumed and free of debris. 

There are many different factors like carpet material and type, and the relative humidity in your home affect the drying time.  It can take from 3 to 12 hrs to completely dry, depending on carpet type and weather.  Try and stay off the carpet for the first couple of hours. 

In order to get anything truly clean, you need to use water to flush out the cleaning agents and dirt.  Hot water extraction is the method that uses a flushing process to remove dirt.   Bishop Carpet & Upholstery cleaning pre-sprays, which loosens the dirt and allergens from the carpet fiber and then extracts with only hot water.  This process will not leave any soapy residue on your carpet.  Leaving your carpets dirt and allergen free!  Carpet manufacturers recommend cleaning your carpets once a year to keep your warranty.

1.  Vacuum often, vacuuming will prolong the life of your carpet.  Vacuuming helps remove dirt particles which dull the carpets appearance and damage the carpet fibers.

2.  Stay away from carpet spotters!  Most of these spotters leave behind a soapy residue which attracts dirt.   Rule of thumb is if you put something into your carpet make sure you rinse it out.  Try removing stains with hot water and a cloth, you will be surprised at how well it works.

3.  Have your carpets cleaned by a professional every 6-12 months depending on the foot traffic.

4.  Apply carpet protector every 12 months.