Making a clean sweep of vacuuming

Q: What's the best way to vacuum a carpet? How often should you vacuum, and can you do it too much?

A: The more foot traffic you have, the more often you should vacuum. In general, you should vacuum at least once a week. If done correctly, vacuuming is not likely to damage a rug.

The trick to effective vacuuming is to slow down. Move the vacuum slowly to let the beater brushes work and really pull out the dirt and clean the fibers. Do not press down, however. Make a couple of passes over the same area and then move a little to the right or left, overlapping a bit. Remember to dust higher areas in the room — blinds, furniture etc. — before vacuuming.

Q: I'm receiving all kinds of unwanted faxes from people selling stocks. Whom do I call to get them stopped? The toll-free service number has been busy for days.

A: Sending unsolicited fax advertisements is against the law with some exceptions — for example, when the sender has an established business relationship with the recipient.

The sender of fax advertisements must provide notice and contact information on the fax so recipients can opt out of future fax transmissions. Senders must honor opt-out requests within the shortest reasonable period, no more than 30 days.

Consider filing a complaint about your unwanted faxes with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Send a letter summarizing the complaint to the FCC, Consumer Information Bureau, Complaints, 445 12th St. SW., Washington, DC 20554.

File a complaint online at www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_tcpa.html. Be sure to keep documentation to support your complaint.

Includes information from the Carpet and Rug Institute.

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