Carpeting plays a big part in homes through aesthetics, safety, absorbing sound, shock absorber, and much more for you and your family. If you are interested in keeping your wall-to-wall carpeting past the manufacturer’s warranty, then you’ll want to follow these tips for extending the life of your carpeting and keeping it looking new.
Tips to Extend the Life of your Carpet
Here are some tips to take care of your carpets to extend their life:
1. Keep the dirt outside
To keep your carpet looking new, have people remove their shoes when entering your home. Shoe soles hold onto dirt and track it into your home. You can also provide entry mats to cut down on the dirt from coming into your home. Dirt that is tracked onto a carpet eventually sifts down to the carpet backing and grinds away at the fibers, literally wearing it out. Surface dirt and soil dulls the carpet color by covering it up.
2. Vacuum regularly
It is recommended that you should vacuum two to three times a week especially if you have an active family. You’ll need to use 4-6 passes in the high traffic lanes, 2-3 passes in the low traffic areas. Vacuuming your carpet will help to remove trapped food, debris, dirt, allergens, bugs, and more. Be sure to dust your furniture and house before vacuuming. Most vacuums today come equipped with several attachable pieces for vacuuming other parts of the home besides the carpet – like couches, chairs, drapes, and more.
3. Spot clean stains
Even if you have a stain warranty for your carpet, you still have to clean up spills and spots from the carpet. Remember to clean it immediately. If a spot stays in the fabric indefinitely, it can oxidize into a permanent stain that will not come out. Blot the spill gently to remove it and not damage the carpet. Do not rub or scrub — mist on a small amount of spotting solution and gently blot. You may need to repeat this process up to two or three times before the carpet is thoroughly cleaned. Do not over-wet the carpet.
4. Professionally clean regularly
Your carpet warranty typically requires you to professionally clean your carpets within a certain time period, and most want you to clean carpets using the hot water extraction method or “steam cleaning”. Hot water extraction removes more soil and types of spots than other methods. Give your carpet a hot water extraction cleaning at least once a year but as often as six months if you have a family of four or more and/or animals.
5. Rotate furniture
Foot traffic on the carpet can wear down areas of the carpet pile and can drive more dirt into the carpet pile and backing. If the space in your room allows it, move around and re-arrange the furniture regularly.
6. Rugs and Mats
To extend the life of your carpet, lay down mats or rugs in high traffic areas such as walkways, doorways, hallways, around couches, next to a bed, and tables. Putting a rug down where your feet rest as you sit on your couch and watch TV helps to keep a high traffic area of your carpet more protected. Make sure that you clean these rugs and mats so they are not collecting too much debris, which can then move over to the surrounding carpet areas.
Give Auburn Carpet Specialists a call at 770-867-7541 for a free inspection and estimate to clean your carpeting.
Auburn Carpet Specialists are the area’s premier carpet cleaning service company, family-owned and operated, that has earned a solid reputation for premium quality service and customer satisfaction. With more than 20 years of experience, we can truly call ourselves ‘Auburn Carpet Specialists’. We are located in Auburn, Georgia. Contact us today for a FREE Inspection and Estimate or call at 770-867-7541.
