Ask any homeowner, and they will confidently tell you that they know how to clean their carpets, thank you very much! Of course, you can do is vacuum the carpets every month and wipe any stains as soon as they happen.
Vacuuming the carpets alone does not keep them clean. Nor will steaming the carpets yourself. Regardless of whether you are a DIY type of person or not, steam cleaning should be done by a professional cleaning company and is the only way you can protect your carpets and ensure they stay fresh and grime free.
Furthermore, clean carpets will also keep you healthy. According to research, the air quality inside can be up to 10x worse than outdoors if one does not clean the carpets, drapes and has insufficient ventilation within the house. Low air quality inside can lead to a range of health issues, including irritation to the eyes, headaches, heart disease, and cancer. If you have any residents who suffer from indoor allergies, clean air can go a long way in helping them.
To keep yourself safe and the air in your living space clean, here are the top steps everyone can follow when it comes to keeping carpets clean.
Call in the professionals to steam your carpet
Yes, this mentioned above, but let’s elaborate why it is crucial.
Most carpet companies will not honour your carpet’s warranty unless it professionally cleaned every year. This can also stretch to 2 years – go through your warranty information to confirm. If your household has pets, it highly recommended that you call in a professional steam cleaning company every six months.
Note: This applies to the carpets in your living space, not the area rugs.
Anyway, regardless of the frequency, you must stick to professional carpet cleaning companies instead of getting to clean the carpets yourself. Cleaning carpets by yourself will never end right, but more on that later.
Steaming carpets is the only way to cleanse and remove dirt lodged deep within the fabrics of a rug. If soil left in this area, it will wear the fibres down and eventually cause them to tear away from the carpet. But, while this might seem simple to do, it is only professional cleaners who can clean and remove the moisture from the carpets after the cleaning done. Doing it yourself can lead to some sad results.
If moisture not entirely removed from the carpet, it can give rise to mould, ruining your carpet and the floor. Not just that, mould also inflames the respiratory system causing nasal congestion and even asthma. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has further found that mould can cause shortness of breath, wheeze and severe reactions by those suffering from allergies. In straightforward terms, steam cleaning carpets yourself will turn your property into an incubator for mould.
Vacuum your house every week or more often if you have pets
Between steaming sessions, vacuuming can help remove large and coarse dust particles. You should vacuum more frequently in areas that experience a lot of foot traffic or if your household has pets. Depending on the foot traffic and dirt particles you notice, vacuuming might even recommended once a day.
Deep clean the area rugs during your spring and autumn cleaning sessions
Cleaning instructions for area rugs differ, so make sure to first consult your care manual before getting hands-on with your precious carpets.
Try to vacuum the area rugs and carpets at the same schedule and subject the area rugs for a deep cleaning once every half a year using an age-old technique; beating it clean with a broomstick! Take the rugs outside to your garden or backyard, shake it hard to get rid of the large dust particles and then beat it with a broom to properly dislodge all the dirt and grime stuck within the fibres. You advised wearing a dust mask when doing this to protect your face and ensure dust does not get into your respiratory system. Once the area rugs dusted sufficiently, leave them out to air dry for a day or so.
Most area rugs can be steam cleaned – if that is the case with your carpets, steam them once every year.
Vacuuming slowly can help you get more bang for your efforts
The next time you start vacuuming, you might want to slow down a bit. One of the big mistake people makes when vacuuming is doing it fast to get it over. But, the effects of vacuuming can best be seen when done slowly because this allows the vacuum cleaner to vibrate the carpets, displacing dust in the process and cleaning the carpets more efficiently.
Act on spills as soon as they happen
When it comes to cleaning spills, the most common method is to grab a cloth and rub at the fall. Quite often, this ends up spreading the stain and smudging the carpet. When you do not take action on a spill, it causes the liquid to further soak into the carpet, makes it harder to get rid.
I am confused on what to do? Well, your best option is to spray carpet cleaner on a cloth and dab the splatter at its corners and work towards the centre. Rinse the splatter with another clean cloth and finally, dab the area dry. To get rid of existing moisture, keep a few issues on the spill and leave a heavy object on the tissues to apply pressure.
If you want to avoid dust buildup, opt for a low pile carpet – these are carpets that have short fibres and trap less dust and dirt. Rugs made of wood are ideal as opposed to nylon carpets. Consider carpet tiles too; they are great alternatives to the large traditional carpets. When a spill happens, you can remove that one tile and clean it!
