With the right care, a new carpet can last for many years. But, knowing how to look after your carpets, which cleaning methods to use, and when you should maintain your carpets can leave many people scratching their heads. A good starting point is to search online for the best carpet cleaning near me and speak to a professional team for all of the advice and information you need to maintain your carpets. The following tips and tricks should stand you in good stead, too.
1. Regular vacuuming
All carpets need vacuuming regularly, no matter what type of carpet you own. Vacuuming takes away the loose particles of surface dirt, preventing them from becoming embedded deeper into the carpet as it gets trodden on.
It’s thought that by vacuuming a carpet frequently, this may help to extend its lifespan by up to 50%, so it’s really important to get into a regular hoovering routine. But what does ‘regular’ mean when it comes to vacuuming a carpet? Much depends on the carpet. If it gets a lot of footfall, and is used by kids and pets, or people in your home suffer from allergies, at least twice per week is a good idea, but it could be as frequently as every day, if required.
For carpets that only receive light traffic, once a week might suffice, whilst you could get away with a once-a-fortnight vacuum for carpets in rooms that are seldom used.
Either way, invest in a decent vacuum cleaner with a high-filtration system, so as much of the dust, crumbs, particles and pet hairs can be extracted from the carpet as possible.
2. Treat stains promptly
Spillages and stains in carpets are exceptionally common, and there’s probably not a carpet owner out there that hasn’t had to deal with one at some point or other.
The one thing about carpet stains, whether they’re from food or drink spills, pet accidents, grease or oil, blood, vomit, wax, chewing gum or anything else is that you really do need to take prompt action to sort them out as soon as they occur. This means that you stand less of a chance of the stain setting into the carpet and becoming permanent, which could ruin its overall look and feel.
There are lots of different ways to tackle carpet stains, but it’s important to make sure that whatever you use on the carpet is safe for it, and won’t discolour it. Do a test patch first.
If you make a homemade cleaning solution, for example, by spraying a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and warm water onto the carpet, this can help to combat many types of stains, or you could buy a carpet stain remover from your local shops.
However, it’s worth knowing that you’ll get much more successful results if you contact professionals, such as our carpet cleaning Essex company, because experts know how to deal with different kinds of stains and use effective cleaning solutions that remove the stain fully as well as any accompanying odours, bacteria and residues. This ensures long-lasting, clean and stain-free results for your carpets for years.
3. Stain protection
You can prevent spillages becoming hard to remove or permanent by getting an anti-stain protective layer added to the carpet next time you get it professionally cleaned. This will help to repel spills from sinking deep into carpet fibres, so they’re much easier to wipe away.
At our carpet cleaning Essex company, our odourless and invisible stain protectors can last for up to two years, so it’s an easy and effective way to help maintain your carpets for long into the future.
4. Steam cleaning
Whilst vacuuming a carpet frequently is the least you can do to maintain your carpets, this alone isn’t enough to give them years of protection. This is because vacuuming only removes the surface-level, dry dirt, but it can’t extract the deeply ingrained dirt from a carpet, nor can it deal with other problems like stains, odours, pet accidents, germs or bacteria, etc. That’s why your carpets need additional cleaning at least once per year from professionals, and one of the most effective deep clean processes used by experts today is steam carpet cleaning.
Steam cleaning uses hot steam to deeply penetrate the fibres in a carpet, helping to loosen and extract dirt and grime, whilst destroying pathogens and allergens. It’s a really safe way to get your carpets professionally cleaned because it doesn’t involve the use of any chemicals.
What’s more, only a small amount of water is needed during the steam cleaning process, so this means carpets never get soaking wet, and the drying time is short. Thus, there’s less of a risk of problems occurring to the carpet from damp issues, like mould growth.
Bear in mind that not all carpets can be steam cleaned, so if you’re thinking of hiring a steam cleaner for your carpets, it’s best to check your carpets first. Even still, you’ll get much better results if you use the services of a professional steam carpet cleaning company, like ours, as we use much more powerful, industrial machines, and we have the skills and expertise to make sure a carpet is deep cleaned properly, safely and carefully.
5. Prevention of dirt
As well as cleaning your carpets regularly to remove the build-up of dirt that could otherwise degrade their fibres over time if not removed, you can maintain your carpets for years by preventing dirt and debris from ending up in your carpets in the first place.
Of course, whilst you can’t completely stop all carpet wear and tear, you can take action to reduce the risk of exposure your carpets experience to some levels or types of dirt, which could help them to stand the test of time.
For example, by encouraging people to take their outdoor footwear off when entering your property, this can reduce dirt, germs and bacteria from being transferred onto the carpet. If this isn’t possible, for example, in a workplace or other type of business, placing a mat by doors and entrances will mean that feet can at least be wiped before a carpet is walked on.
Similarly, if you have pets, wipe their paws and coat if they’ve been outside, especially if they’re damp or muddy, and groom pets regularly to prevent excess loose hair from shedding onto the carpet.
Prevention and regular maintenance of your carpets will help them to last for a long time, so if you’re looking for the best carpet cleaning near me to assist you, give Carpet Bright UK a call.
