Having carpets at home is great. However, they require quite a bit of care and maintenance. Being placed on the floor, it’s not surprising how carpets take quite a beating, which calls for some attention. Leaving them as they are will soon result in dirty and grimy carpets, which become a visual and hygiene nuisance instead of acting as that final piece that pulls a room together.
With that in mind, learning how to care for your carpets pays off. They’re not meant to be disposable, but rather long and lasting decorative pieces in your home. With the concerted effort of professionals and homeowners, keeping carpets as fresh as when you first brought them home is possible.
Here are five tips for carpet care and maintenance.
1. Send Your Carpet Over To The Professionals
First on this list is one of the most convenient but effective means of caring for and maintaining your carpet. It costs quite a bit, but once you see the difference the professionals make in preserving your carpet’s condition, you’ll realize that the fee you paid is always worth it. This is especially true if your carpets at home are high-end. They deserve top-notch TLC from no less than the experts.
Whether it’s a carpet repair company or water damage specialists, there’s surely a local company where you’re from that can cater to your needs. How often you send your carpets to them depends on their condition and the foot traffic they receive. However, an ideal timeframe would be once every quarter, at a minimum. Click this URL to learn more.
2. Vacuum Regularly
What’s a home without a vacuum? If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to invest in one. Vacuums will be your best friend in cleaning your home, allowing you to not only do it the right way but also be efficient. There’s quite a range of vacuums in the market, so you can choose one based on your budget and desired features.
Regular vacuuming helps in caring for your carpets. The frequency depends on where the carpet is located. For instance, high-traffic areas like the dining area, kitchen, and living space need to be vacuumed daily. Carpets in bedrooms and other private, secluded areas can be cleaned weekly. Read more about carpet cleaning Kirkland.
3. Address Spills Immediately
The longer a spill stays on a carpet, the more time and opportunity it has to settle and stain. Unfortunately, cleaning it becomes a more challenging task at this point.
Addressing the spill ASAP is a simple way to prevent this from happening. Don’t wait for it to settle. Remove as much of the stain as possible by blotting or scooping. Add a small amount of water, then blot with a soft towel. Avoid scrubbing the fibers in the process.
If you use a stain remover, check the product’s ingredients first to ensure that the chemicals used are safe enough for the carpet’s fabric. If you’re unsure, use a simple concoction of water and gentle soap instead.
4. Use A Squeegee To Remove Pet Hair
Homeowners with pets at home will know all that love from your four-legged friend also comes at a price: pet dander will be around your home. And, if you have carpets, that’s even a lot more to deal with. Pet hair and carpets don’t go together, so you must be willing to put in extra work.
Vacuuming can help, but it may not remove all of the hair at once. If you have carpets with short fibers, using a squeegee can help. Run the squeegee along the carpet to pull up the pet hair, then vacuum for better suction.
5. Kick Off Your Shoes
Shoes should never have a place inside your home. You’ve done a lot of work wiping down the floors and vacuuming just to have everyone’s dirty shoes all over the house. Bringing them inside your home can damage your floors, carpets, and health due to the dirt and bacteria they carry.
Make it a household rule to kick off your shoes outside. If your shoe storage is inside your home, clean your shoes before storing them. Once you make it a habit to ban outside shoes inside your home, you’ll notice how your carpet stays cleaner and fresher for longer.
The Bottomline
Your carpet’s life and beauty depend on the care it receives. Sure, it looked great when you first encountered it at the store. But it’s not going to stay that way on its own. A responsible homeowner knows the little and big things that can be done to properly care for and maintain their home.
If you’re still learning, the tips above are a no-fail way to get started. And, when in doubt, remember that there are always professionals you can turn to, which is always a good idea.