If you want people to think you just got new carpet even if you have had it for a few years you should know that routine upkeep is always better than having to replace your carpets. Keeping your carpets looking attractive and clean enhances the overall appeal of your home. To ensure their longevity it’s essential to take proper care of them. Your carpet represents a significant investment; following are some tips to help you keep your carpets looking beautiful for many years.
1. Cleaning Your Carpets Regularly and Frequently by Vacuuming
It’s best to take a few minutes to vacuum your carpets every few days, that way dirt does not have time to get ground deeper into the carpet fibers.Dirt and oily residue on your carpet will attract more dirt. By vacuuming frequently to remove as much loose dirt as possible and removing spots as soon as you notice them can help you avoid using strong chemical products later to get the ground in dirt and oils out. Bear in mind that walking on soiled carpet permits the particles to work their way below the surface where they are far more difficult to remove and can damage the fibers. Walking on the soiled areas will wear down the carpet fibers and carpet base which results in matting. Cleaning your carpets regularly is better for your families’ health and it extends the life of your carpet. This is not hard to achieve, all that required is vacuuming your carpet thoroughly and frequently. This is one of the most important things you can do to keep your carpets clean. For rooms with light traffic, use a vacuum cleaner on the traffic areas twice weekly and the entire area once a week. For areas with heavier traffic they need to have traffic lanes vacuumed daily and the entire area twice a week. Going one pass over an area is never enough so make sure that you sweep the vacuum cleaner across the area several times and in a crisscross pattern. Several passes of the vacuum cleaner will suffice for light soiling, but it may take vacuuming over heavily soiled areas five or more times to get the dirt out. Be sure to change the vacuuming pattern occasionally to help stand the pile upright and reduce matting.
2. Remove Spots As Soon As They Occur
Cleaning up Spots immediately whether water or oil based will help prevent a Spots from becoming permanent. The longer Spots are left the more difficult it is to remove. Spots that are allowed saturate the fibers and dry may stain or change the color of your carpet permanently. Always try to clean a Spots with water first. Never rub a stain it could damage the carpet fibers, Blot the stain up with a clean white cloth to remove it working from the outer edges towards the middle of the Spots otherwise you could smear the stain and make it spread further. Only use a stronger cleaning product if water won’t remove the Spots, if you use the wrong chemicals you could damage your carpet. Refer to our page on Spots maintenance for some guidelines on specific Spots.
3. Use Floor Mats, Area rugs and Runners in High Traffic Areas
The use of floor mats, area rugs and runners in high traffic areas and at each doorway helps capture contaminants before it is embedded into the carpet fibers. It takes a significant amount of vacuum power to remove particles trapped in the carpet fibers. Experimenting with different sizes and textures of floor mats and area rugs will help determine what works best in each environment. Rugs should be large enough that an adult can take several footsteps to ensure that the particulate matter is captured as it is knocked loose from their shoes. Having family members and visitors remove their shoes before walking on your carpets can greatly reduce the amount of loose dirt they deposit in your carpets.
4. Change Traffic Patterns Regularly
By moving your furniture around to different areas several times a year you can greatly reduce the possibility of wear patterns in your carpet. Wear patterns in high traffic areas are the most difficult to clean because dirt is continually ground in. Changing traffic patterns also expose carpet that may have been covered for a long period of time which allows you to clean it more thoroughly. Carpet does tend to become lighter over time so moving furniture around can let carpet “age” more evenly and reduce the risk of furniture stains that may become permanent.
5. Set Ground Rules To Stop The Worst Before It Happens
Reduce staining possibilities by having designated areas where family members can eat and drink. By having children sit at the kitchen table and not allowing them to carry soft drinks (especially red cool-aid), coffee, or food items across the carpet you greatly reduce staining possibilities and carpet maintenance.
6. Hire A Professional Carpet Cleaner
It is always an option to clean your own carpet using rented equipment that will rarely give you the same effect as letting a professional do it. Professional carpet cleaning companies restore the beauty of carpets as well as help keep your environment clean. Professional carpet cleaning companies put their employees through training, so when you have a big carpet cleaning job an experienced carpet cleaner will know how to clean your carpets efficiently. Depending on your requirements and budget, professional carpet cleaners will clean your carpets for a reasonable fee and give you a guarantee on their work. Most carpet manufacturers recommend steam cleaning, also referred to as Hot Water Extraction, for modern carpets. Steam cleaning your carpet is very effective at deep cleaning; it not only cleans the surface of the carpet, but also cleans the fibers and the carpet at its base. Steam cleaning utilizes a simple method to clean your carpets. The extractor injects a hot cleaning solution into the carpet at a very high pressure then it draws the dirt from deep in the carpet to the surface and removes the cleaning solution and the dirt before it has a chance to stain. Carpet maintenance tips
7. Take Care When Choosing Your Cleaning Products
Most cleaning products that you can purchase will not pose a health risk or have negative impacts on your environment. It is important that you always read carefully and follow the instructions on chemical cleaning products before using them. Some chemical cleaning products do contain dangerous and toxic chemicals that can be hazardous, so as a rule its best to choose a product with the fewest amount of chemicals. Products that are specifically for stain and spot removal are generally very harsh and contain formulations of either high acid or high alkaline chemicals. Protect your eyes with goggles and wear rubber gloves when using these products. Be sure to read and follow the instructions provided with the spot remover, they usually have recommendations for applying different strengths so it is best to try the weakest mixture first. Its advisable to avoid using products that contain tetrachlorethylene, this chemical poses an extreme health risk to the person using it as well as their family members and pets. When using a Stain remover the manufacturer’s instructions will list the kinds of stains it will be effective for removing. Not all carpets are made of the same materials and they react differently to some chemicals. Always t est the spot remover on a hidden area of the carpet to be sure it will not fade or change the color of your carpet before you apply it to a visible area. After the use of one of these products it is important to neutralize the area, t he products instructions should recommend a neutralizing agent, if one is not specified rinse the area thoroughly with water.
8. Minimize Residue From Detergents and Cleaners
When you use a cleaning products or detergent to clean your carpets, most often a residue will be left in the carpet fibers. This residue will act like an attractant for dirt and oils and become sticky very quickly, which in turn will make the carpets look dirty more quickly. It is very important to remove the residue as much as possible after your carpets are clean. The residue may show up as a powdery substance in the fibers when the carpet dries. Vacuuming after your carpets are dry will remove some of the residue, but it is advisable to use an extraction process to remove all residue from the carpet fibers.
9. Knowing Your Carpet
Knowing what type of carpet you have can help you choose the right cleaning products and carpet cleaning methods to use. It is important that you always read carefully and follow the instructions on chemical cleaning products before using them. Reading labels and any documentation provided with your carpet can also help to determine the best cleaning method to use. Making sure your new carpet is installed correctly and has the right underlay, also called a pad, is also important. Your carpet needs to be both attractive as well as functional. Carpet that is installed incorrectly or if it is the wrong type for the area could make your upkeep costs higher. The correct underlayment is as important as choosing the correct type of carpet because the underlay determines how a spill will soak into the carpet and directly affects the carpet longevity as well as protecting the floor beneath it. Choosing the type of carpet and maintaining it by vacuuming regularly will help lower your upkeep costs.
10. Choosing A Good Quality Vacuum
A quality vacuum cleaner is vital to prolonging the beauty and life of your carpet. Daily vacuuming with an inexpensive machine can remove surface dirt but will not effectively remove particles embedded in the carpet fibers. A vacuum cleaner that has good suction and a rotating beater/brush that agitates the carpet fibers will help prevent soil buildup. We recommend the use of these machines that will mechanically loosen embedded soil for removal by the vacuum. Micro filtration vacuum bags trap microscopic particles, such as mold spores and dust mites, often found to be a source of allergies. Newer vacuum cleaners that trap these microscopic particles with replaceable HEPA filters have been shown to significantly reduce allergens in your environment. To service these machines you empty a container after their use.
Author: T. Wm. English, Enviro Steam Carpet Care Tips
For the practical house and home caring and improvement tips – please read on the how to install suspended ceiling blog.
