The Carpet Guy: Take Simple Steps to Protect and Care for your Carpet

Caring for your carpet is similar to taking care of yourself. Annual visits to your doctor, a proper diet, exercise, all lead to good health and hopefully, an extended life.

The same is true for your carpet. An annual professional cleaning, vacuuming, spot cleaning, and catching dirt before it enters you home, all helps to keep your carpet and home healthy, and extend the life of your carpet.

Catching dirt

Most dry soils, approximately 70 percent, that are brought into a home are deposited within the first 10-15 feet. Using mats outside and inside, help reduce the amount of soils brought further into the home. Removing shoes upon entering the house also helps. Change filters in your heating and air conditioning unit regularly. This also helps to reduce the indoor air pollutants and dust particles that enter your home.

Vacuuming

Regular vacuuming, at least weekly, will help remove the soils that made it past your mats. It will also help remove the dust, pollen, pet dander, and all other particles that settle into your carpet. Regular vacuuming is an often overlooked key function of extending carpet wear life, which means saving you money. Another simple trick is to vacuum your carpets based on the amount of people and pets you have in your home. Two adults, two children, and one pet would equal vacuuming five days per week. Always use a vacuum with a Hepa filter if at all possible and make sure to change the bag/clean the canister often.
 

Clean spots and spills

When a spill occurs or you find a spot, clean it quickly. Don’t wait. The longer spots and spills sit, the harder they are to remove and some may become permanent. Use caution when using products to remove the spots and spills. Be careful they don’t harm or damage your carpet. Some products sold in retail stores need to be rinsed extremely well, otherwise, the spot will return. The reason for this is because the product leaves a slight sticky residue, which allows for rapid re-soiling. Other products have strong bleaching agents. The spot will be removed, but so will the color in your carpet. Read and follow the instructions carefully. If you have questions, call a professional.
 

Professional cleaning

Professionally deep clean your carpets every 12-18 months. If you have a relatively new carpet, failing to clean professionally within this time frame may void your warranty. 12-18 months is the industry guideline to get the most wear life out of your carpet and to maintain its health and appearance. Of course, each home is different and may require more frequent cleanings based on number of occupants, pets, smokers, etc.

For more information, contact Chuck Roberts at Roberts Carpet & Upholstery Care at 413-458-9399 or Robertscf@aol.com. Roberts Carpet is an authorized Von Schrader Associate specializing in  low moisture cleaning using certified Green Seal approved products with a 100 percent risk-free guarantee.

Coggins Classic Golf Tournament Helps Bennington Project Independence

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:37PM / Saturday, September 05, 2026

This was the tournament's fifth year; it combined with the independence project's annual golf outing this year. 

BENNINGTON, Vt. — Thirty teams hit the green for this year's Coggins Classical Golf tournament, helping Coggins Auto raise money for Bennington Project Independence.

Coggins Auto Marketing Director Valerie Harrington said the fifth annual tournament, which was held on Aug. 28, continued a tradition of community-driven giving. 

Harrington first helped organize the tournament in 2022. She hoped to raise $10,000, which would allow the auto group to leverage a $10,000 Toyota match program. 

The tournament has successfully raised more than $50,000 the last two years, with last year's beneficiary the Cancer Center Community Crusaders. 

This year, it raised more than $50,000 alone, including meeting the Toyota match the third year in a row.

Harrington said she wanted to help the nonprofits in the area, especially those that might get overlooked.

"The idea of it was especially for those nonprofits that are pretty small and don't have really the funds or the means or understanding of how to put on a golf tournament, and to give them an opportunity to get at least $20,000 in funds that year, which is huge for a lot of them, and it's really grown since then," she said.

"There's a lot of nonprofits that are big and big and loud and you know about them, but there are so many more that are like people don't even realize they exist. But what they do is super critical and important to the people in our community."

Local nonprofits submit an application each year explaining their mission and what they need to succeed. Coggins employees narrow the submissions to their top three choices and then let the community decide who they should pick.

Bennington has more than 100 nonprofits, and it can be hard to keep track of them all, but with the tournament, Coggins is able to have many people learn and see the needs in their community and nonprofits they haven't heard about.

"Even if they don't win, they've got in front of thousands of people who read their story and know what they need and know what they do to just spread awareness," Harrington said. "And then by having the community vote on it, then we know for sure what we're doing is what the community wants the most at that given time ...

"The community is saying, 'Hey, we want this nonprofit. We like what they're trying to do. Let's give them help because it's the decision of hundreds to thousands of people rather than just a handful of us.'"

Bennington Project Independence is an adult day service for individuals and families facing the challenges of aging or disability. This year the organization is combining its 13th annual golf tournament with Coggins.

"I think they've affected a lot of people's lives and helped a lot of families because it's an adult day facility for not just the elderly but also special needs," Harrington said. "So what they do every day to keep those folks' lives enriched while giving the family a break or allowing them to go to work and do these things. It's really important."

The 2027 tournament submissions will open in March of 2027.