Cleaning your carpet on a regular basis will maintain the strength of the fibers that are being compromised by the dust, dirt and debris that collects over time. However, there are proper and improper ways to clean your carpet which can actually shorten its life. In fact, many people clean their carpets improperly which means that may have to replace them far sooner than need be.
What follows is the basic carpet cleaning mistakes that you should avoid. By cleaning your carpet properly, it will not only look better, but last far longer.
Vacuuming Too Often
Vacuuming does an excellent job of pulling up the dust, dirt and debris from your carpet. However, you do not want to use the vacuum more than once per week if you can help it. This is because vacuuming can short the lifespan of the fibers in your carpet due to the suction that causes them to loosen and become worn. Basically, vacuuming is a destructive process to your carpet, but only very slowly over time. If you vacuum once a week your carpet will still last a long time, but vacuuming more often will wear it out even faster.
Using the Wrong Type of Vacuum
Vacuums are not all the same as some are made for shag carpeting while others are made for other types of carpeting. Using a vacuum with a beater bar and brush on a shag carpet will only cause the fibers to wear, tear and fray quickly. You only want to use suction-only vacuums on your shag carpeting. Some vacuums will have settings so that you can use them on different types of carpeting, but all vacuums with have the manufacturer’s recommendation as to what type of carpeting is best for their use.
Letting Stains Sit in the Carpet
This is arguably the most common mistake that is made. By not cleaning up a spill quickly, you risk the stain settling into the carpet and being much harder to clean. Instead, as soon as you notice the spill on the floor start blotting it up with a dry towel or paper towel first until it is dry and then use a spray or liquid cleaner on the area and blot it up with a dry towel. By acting quickly, you can remove the spill long before it has a chance of becoming a stain.
Using Harsh Chemical Agents on your Carpet
Chemicals like bleach are never good for your carpet because it damages the fibers and causes them to become weaker. Plus, harsh chemicals can cause discoloration and make your carpet look even worse than if you left the stain in place. Only use approved carpet cleaning products and be sure to test them out on a part of the carpet that is seldom seen first to ensure that they do not discolor or weaken the fibers.
By avoiding these mistakes, you can really extend the life of your carpet. Just remember to react to new spills quickly, avoid using harsh chemicals, and vacuum appropriately so that your carpet will remain fresh and like new for as long as possible.
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