Carpet care
Carpet care is certainly not complicated but many consider it to be household “drudgery”. Your new carpet represents a significant investment and like most things, requires proper care to keep it looking good and performing the way it should. It is important to note that today’s carpet products very rarely wear out, they simply reach a point in which the look is no longer acceptable and replacement becomes necessary – the product just becomes, for lack of a better description, ugly. By following a few simple steps however, you can keep you carpet looking fresh for many years.
Vacuum Regularly
Without exception, the most important thing you can do to maintain the look and feel of your carpet is to vacuum it regularly. In fact, most manufacturers recommend simple carpet care daily for high traffic areas and twice weekly for the entire area. It is important to note however, that not all vacuum cleaners are created equal. Houston Carpet Service recommends that you invest in a good machine that features a beater bar. The beater bar serves to agitate the pile and mechanically loosens the dirt and debris for the vacuum to remove. Further, it is recommended that a total of three to five passes is required to adequately clean most areas.
Keep in mind that your vacuum cleaner must be kept in good working order by cleaning it regularly and ensuring that belts are tight and hoses remain clear. Lastly, and what many people forget, is the need for a fresh cleaner bag. As the bag continues to fill, the efficiency of the machine diminishes. We recommend changing your bag when it becomes about half full – bin type machines should be cleaned daily.
Carpet Care & Cleaning
For our purposes, vacuuming and carpet cleaning are not the same thing when discussing carpet care. While regular vacuuming is certainly adequate to remove dry soils, there will come a time when “cleaning” will become necessary. Airborne pollutants generated by normal household cooking, or even wax candles, will deposit oily particulate matter into your carpet that will not only dull your carpet over time, but will also serve to attract other debris thereby making your carpet become dirty even faster.
The best time to clean your carpet is before it becomes too unsightly. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to clean whereas regular cleaning can provide dramatic results to appearance and is less expensive. As a general rule, a typical household’s carpet will require cleaning every 12 to 18 months depending on the number of people, pets, and the types of activities occurring within the home.
The choice of cleaning systems is very important as well and there are several available including professional and “do it yourself” methods. You should be aware that some systems or cleaners of the do it yourself variety will promote re-soiling and defeat the whole reason for cleaning in the first place.
