Take Care of Your Carpet and it Will Take Care of You

Whether your home is outfitted with wall-to-wall carpeting, or you have area and scatter rugs strategically placed around your home, caring for those carpets correctly is essential to keeping them looking and feeling great. Carpets can last for many decades, but in order to do so you will need to take very good care of them.

Vacuuming is the first and foremost thing you can do in preventative care. Vacuum on a regular basis, as often as once per day in high-traffic areas. Anytime someone walks across your carpet, the dust, dander, and general debris beneath their feet is ground into the carpet fibers. If you vacuum regularly, those ground-in particles won’t have a chance to be pushed down deeper into the piles of the carpet, where they’ll be much harder to get out.
How often should you vacuum? Bedrooms can be done weekly, while hallways and common living spaces should be tackled several times per week, or as often as once per day. If you have pets, consider jumping right to a daily vacuuming schedule, since pet dander is shed in high amounts and will certainly contribute to the overall health of your carpet.

Even if you are meticulous about eating in the kitchen and not carrying food or drinks over your carpets, chances are spills won’t happen. Don’t fret – instead, get to work. Scrape up solid particles, and use a towel soaked with cold water to gently blot up liquid stains. Work from the edges of the spill inward in order to avoid spreading the stain further. You may need to use special stain removers, particularly in the case of dark reds, tomato-based spills, or enzyme-containing spills (such as blood or pet urine).

Always protect carpet near doorways and entrances with stripping or waterproof runners, and move heavy furniture on occasion to prevent permanent damage to carpet fibers.

Finally, but not of least importance, invest in bi-yearly carpet cleaning services from a professional company. Professional carpet cleaning companies utilize steam cleansers and material-specific cleansers to ensure a deep, thorough cleaning that will greatly extend the life of your carpet. Get more info here.