Maintaining your home is important, and carpet care is a vital aspect of this task! You typically think of household maintenance as fixing random leaks or yard work, right? You don’t want to forget to maintain your floors and protect the investment that is your carpeting. There’s nothing more uninviting than a dirty or damaged carpet inside of a household. This is especially important to consider if you want to sell your home or make sure that it is reaching its maximum value. Maintaining your carpet, the right way will ensure you’re getting the most out of it! There are simple steps and preventative measures you can take to maintain the quality of your carpet. Let’s start with the first lesson in carpet care!
Dirt Damages Carpet
Dirt is highly attracted to carpet, but this is the one of the worst pairings possible. Dirt actually damages the small fibers in the carpet by rubbing against them and ruining the grain on a microscopic level. Not only can debris accumulate within the carpet, so can dust mites and other contaminants. This is why a high traffic area loses its luster compared to plush areas that aren’t used as often. Try to minimize the dirt coming in contact with the carpet by taking your shoes off before entering areas with carpeting. This will definitely cut down on the amount of dirt coming in! If this is not possible for your household, try to place a good quality door mat at the entrance of the home.
Vacuum Regularly
One of the easiest things you can do to extend the life of your carpeting is to vacuum frequently and regularly. Try to vacuum at least two times a week, and possibly more if it is a high traffic area. This is the easiest part of carpet care! Using a quality vacuum often will make sure that dirt does not accumulate inside of the carpet fibers. Make sure you’re using the most suitable setting on the vacuum if it is one that has options.
Spot Clean
Spot cleaning is essential if you want to make sure your carpet looks as good as it possibly can. Taking care of spills and messes as soon as they happen will ensure that lasting damage doesn’t occur. Make sure that you soak up any excess liquid or debris from the carpet fibers as soon as possible after an accident happens! If these things settle at the bottom of the carpet and padding, it will be much harder to get rid of and it will affect the look and feel of the carpeting. Handheld carpet spot cleaners are perfect for this and very affordable.
It’s also important to know when to turn over the carpet cleaning to the professionals. Trying to clean carpeting yourself can sometimes do more damage than good. You might think you are saving a couple of bucks, but you could inadvertently create the perfect conditions for mold to grow or damage the carpeting with strong chemicals. It’s a good idea to schedule a professional carpet cleaning at least once a year! If you perform proper carpet care, you are sure to keep your carpeting looking fresh and new for years to come.