Despite the popularity of luxury vinyl, hardwood, and tile, you can still find carpet flooring in plenty of homes. It’s soft and comfortable underfoot by comparison, which lends it a welcoming feel. To enjoy your carpets as much as possible, you have to maintain them. So what should you do to maintain your carpets?
Avoid Eating Over Them
How many times have you taken a plate of food into a carpeted room and sat down to eat? If you’re good at eating neatly, that may not be much of a problem. Accidents happen, however, and even the most careful of eaters may occasionally spill.
Some foods and drinks leave stains, damaging and discoloring your carpet. Crumbs left behind can get ground into the carpet, making them smell bad and potentially leading to mold growth. Avoid eating over them to eliminate the risk of food and drink spills.
Vacuum Once a Week
It’s perfectly normal for your carpets to become dirty, even if you don’t eat over them. Carpets are massive filters, catching everything from dust and dead skin to crumbs and crud.
Letting it all accumulate in your carpet without cleaning allows the mess to get ground in, wearing away at the carpet fibers. Prevent damage and maintain your carpets by vacuuming them at least once a week. Vacuuming all the crumbs off your floor will keep pests like ants away.
Get Them Professionally Cleaned
Regular vacuuming is all well and good, but it’s not enough on its own. Get your carpets professionally cleaned at least once every 12 months. The heavier the traffic on your carpets and the more pets or kids you have running around, the more frequently you should have them cleaned. Shampooing your carpets regularly helps keep them free of dust, dirt, allergens, and more. Like vacuuming, professional carpet cleaning helps keep your carpets in good condition. It also makes them healthier for you to be around. Clean carpets are a lot less likely to trigger allergies and attract pests.
Keeping up on carpet maintenance is one of the best things you can do to keep it in good condition and looking nice for as long as possible. Take steps to avoid them getting messy in the first place. Some people ask guests to take their shoes off before walking on the carpet for this reason. Clean them thoroughly and regularly as well. Aside from choosing quality carpets, these are some of the best things you can do to extend their life.
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