How To Maintain Your Carpet
When it comes to maintaining your carpet, one of the most critical areas of focus is the traffic areas. If ground-in soil is not removed on a regular basis, the traffic areas will begin to wear excessively. This soil is extremely abrasive against carpet fibers under traffic. The second area of focus of course is spot removal. Reacting quickly to spills and stains can significantly improve the chances of their removal. Red wine, beverages, urine, blood, etc. can cause permanent staining if not treated immediately. Listed below are some tips to properly maintain your carpet.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is the biggest component in your carpet lasting for years, at least once a week is recommended. This removes soil that can scratch carpet fibers causing premature wear. Much of this soil is not visible so it is necessary to vacuum even if the carpet does not appear to be soiled. Keeping up on your vacuum maintenance is good as well, 2 to 3 times a year of turning the vacuum over and cleaning off the brush roller goes a long way!
How To Deal With Spills/Accidents
The first thing to do is remove any solids so that they do not get ground down into the carpet. If the accident is fluid-based, dry blot up as much as possible immediately. This can be done with a white towel, and even followed by a paper towel to get as much out as possible. Once the bulk is out, DO NOT put any moisture on the spot i.e. spraying it, but rather apply your cleaning solution to a dry white rag before working the spot. This will prevent the spot from going deeper, and transfer the soil into the rag from the carpet.
What Spotter Should I Use?
Many spotters, treatments, and “enzymes” can cause more damage to the carpet than they help. A general spotter we recommend is a drop or two of Dawn dish soap, a cup of white vinegar, and a few cups of hot water mixed together. Remember not to put any moisture directly on the carpet… You could simply stir this mixture up with a white rag, wring it out well, and then work the spot with the rag. This will cause soil to transfer to the rag, you can repeat as needed. Anything beyond this process should be addressed professionally otherwise further tampering could result in permanent damage. If you are unsure about a spot, give us a call, we are happy to advise!
Professional Cleaning
As a general rule, certified professional cleaning should take place about once per year. For extremely heavy traffic areas, cleaning may be required more often. Proper professional cleaning will never cause a carpet to wear, but rather the opposite and can be done as many times per year as needed. Many stain resist warranties actually require professional cleaning at least every 2 year. Professional cleaning removes the damaging soil that vacuuming is unable to remove.
Protective Coatings
Many new residential carpets are treated with a protector when first produced. After a period of 2 to 3 years, this soil-resistor wears off. At this point you should consider reapplication of the treatment during/after professional cleaning. This type of resistor helps soil slide off of the carpet easier when vacuuming and aids in spot removal making professional cleaning even more effective.