Best Tips For Carpet Care
How to care for your carpets and increase their longevity
Carpet Care Tips
Carpets have always been one of the top choices for homeowners to make their house look and feel great. It also has a lot of perks, like making your home a little warmer and cosier, and you have a comfortable place to lay down whenever you feel like it.
However, there are a few downsides to having your entire flooring just carpet. It's much harder to maintain, there's a lot to know in regards to carpet, and its upkeep can be more time-consuming than other flooring methods, such as wood or tiles.
But don't fret! You don't have to give up on your dreams of having a cosy little carpeted home just because of these drawbacks. We compiled a list of the best tips for carpet care to ensure you can enjoy your carpeted home and keep it looking brand new!
1. Choose The Right Kind Of Carpet
Consider your living conditions before you choose a carpet for your entire floor plan. You might find those plush and shaggy carpets very aesthetic and luxurious, but it might not be a practical choice if you have pets or little children who will probably spend much time on the floor.
These carpets are much harder to clean and maintain, so either you will be wasting time cleaning the carpet, or you might have to shell out a lot of money to get it professionally cleaned more often than required. Instead, depending on what life is like in your home, choose a carpet that is practical and low on maintenance. For example, going for a nylon material is a good idea if you want an easy-to-clean carpet in comparison to a light coloured wool carpet.
Not all the carpet selections from the carpet stores are the same, and the material and style you choose will determine how dirty look and the level of maintenance required.
2. Use The Vacuum Regularly
It may come as no surprise to you, but the only way to keep your carpet looking as good as the first day you bought it is to vacuum it regularly. Since carpets are typically embedded with many fibres, it’s easy for dirt, dust, allergens, and contaminants to get logged in between them. These embedded particles are also food for pests such as carpet beetles and carpet moths, so regular vacuuming is essential.
One sure way to prevent this build-up is to clean it regularly using a powerful vacuum cleaner that can easily suck up all the dirt from the carpet and keep it clean. However, some areas might need more cleaning and vacuuming if your whole flooring is just carpeted.
For Example:
A carpet that is placed at the entrance of the house probably has high traffic than a carpet that you place in the middle of your living room. Hence, the doorway carpet might need to be vacuumed more frequently than in your living room.
Generally, you can follow this rule:
• Low-traffic areas: once or twice a week
• High-traffic areas: every day or at least three times in one week
3. Have A Professional Clean It
While using a professional carpet cleaning service for your home or workplace can seem quite expensive, it's a good idea to have them cleaned at least once every year or twice a year and have fibre protection treatment (also known as Scotchgard) applied after the clean to increase protection and promote longevity.
We use various methods to get dirt, gunk, and grime off your carpets and make them look like-new again in addition to being cleaned to a professional and hygienic standard.
4. Clean Up The Spills Immediately
It's completely normal for accidents to occur when you have a home that is in full use.
You, your partner, your kids, or even your pets might spill something on your carpet.
But instead of letting it stay and sink into the carpet, ensure you get your cleaning supplies ready and start cleaning up as soon as possible, even if you have to hire a carpet cleaner machine for a few hours.
This will prevent any stains from occurring. Removing spills when you take care of the problem immediately is also easier and it may be the difference between removing the stain or causing permanent damage.
If you are renting through a property manager and will require bond carpet cleaning in future, tending to spillages as they appear will be especially vital in regards to getting your security deposit back.
5. Avoid Using Chemicals
If you are adamant that your carpet always stays squeaky clean, you might be tempted to use all the chemical cleaners available on the market; however, these chemical cleaners can do more harm than good. It can strip your carpet of its original colour and damage it after prolonged use. Deodorisers can be much more safer, and the vast majority won't have any negative implications if you use them.
It's best to avoid the supermarket carpet cleaning spotters or home remedies and stick to a neutral cleaning solution and calling a professional if that doesn't work.
6. Use Squeegees To Remove Pet Hair
You're probably familiar with the odour and shedding problem if you have in-house pets. Your pet's fur can get stuck in your carpet, and it's a whole problem even if you regularly vacuum it.
One effective way to remove the stray hair from your carpet is using a squeegee to collect the fur and vacuum to suck it all up from one place. This is both time-saving and efficient.
7. If Your Carpet Has Snags, Use Scissors
Over time, even your most beloved carpet can start getting sprouts and snaps, and it might be tempting to just start pulling on the threads to get rid of it, but this will only worsen the situation.
You might even unravel the stitching on your carpet, which will make your carpet come undone. Instead, always have a pair of sharp scissors or carpet shears handy so you can snip off whatever is protruding from your carpet.
8. Use Door Mats
You can have carpets around your house wherever you please, but having a doormat at all your entryways can help prevent dust and dirt from getting into your carpets.
The doormat will solve the problem of removing dirt from your shoes so that when you enter your home and step foot on your carpet, you're not dragging all the dust and dirt into your carpet.
9. Use Blinds
Using blinds in your windows can prolong the lifespan of your carpet. Especially if your home gets direct sunlight through your windows, it's a good idea to have blinds that can prevent the UV rays from directly shining on your carpet and causing discolouration.
10. The Shoes Off At Home Approach
It's not very common in Western culture, but having a no-shoes policy in your home can benefit you a lot in terms of having and maintaining a clean home.
A lot of the wear and tear on your carpet is caused by wearing shoes inside the house because you might bring in all the dirt and contaminants from the outside. At the same time, if you're into wearing heels, it can ruin your carpet in the long run.
When you have a no-shoe policy in your home, you can rest assured that there will be less clean-up to do, and your carpet does not sustain as much damage as when you have everyone walking around the house in their shoes.
Wearing shoes while walking on your carpets will contribute to very visible track marks where people walk. This also actually degrades the carpet pile, meaning that even after the track marks have been deep cleaned, they can still appear dirty due to degradation, even though they are hygienically clean.
11. Place Rugs On Top Of Your Carpet
Most carpets are made to last you a long time, and you can use them for years to come, but over time, they are bound to get worn out, especially if your carpets are laid out in high-traffic lanes in your home.
While carpets can make your home look aesthetically cohesive, placing rugs in places can also help protect and prolong the lifespan of your carpet.
It's also a cost-effective solution, as you won't have to keep replacing your carpet for the entire floor plan. Instead, if the rugs get worn out, you can just replace the rug.