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"   If there&amp;#039;s one item in your home that takes a beating during the holidays it&amp;#039;s the carpet. Don&amp;#039;t wait for spring to give it a facelift. Follow these seven simple steps to remove tracked-in dirt and food stains and your carpet will start the New Year off on the right foot. 1. Grab your favorite carpet cleaning product or mix \u00BC teaspoon of plain dishwashing liquid into one cup of warm water. 2. Apply the cleaner or solution to a clean white cloth and gently dab the spot with the cloth. Work from the outer edge of the stain inward to keep it from spreading. Avoid the temptation to saturate the stain with cleaner. This sends the stain down into the carpet backing and the excess cleaner will be difficult to rinse out. What you&amp;#039;ll be left with is a sticky residue that will attract dirt. 3. Turn the cloth often. Add more cleaner to it, as needed, and continue dabbing the stain until it&amp;#039;s gone. 4. Rinse the area by dipping another cloth in clear water and dabbing the stain again until all traces of the cleaner are removed. Blot with a clean dry cloth and fluff the pile. 5. Stack a few paper towels atop the wet spot. These will trap any residue that&amp;#039;s still in the carpet and that would otherwise wick its way up the fibers as the carpet dries and reappear as a stain. 6. Place a heavy object, like a pot or vase, on the towels and let it sit overnight. 7. Remove the pot or vase, toss the paper towels, fluff the fibers, and let the carpet air dry completely. Remember to treat carpet stains as soon as possible after they happen and avoid aggressive rubbing, which will distort the pile. To see which carpet stain removers did best in our test, check out our online review. If you want to invest in a carpet-cleaning machine, we&amp;#039;ve tested those too. Read our reviews of the most popular models.  For a firsthand look at how we test carpet cleaners and all the products we recommend, sign up for a tour of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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