Carpets can be very comfy but what makes them comfy is also what catches the most dirt. Essentially, the best way to make your carpet last longer is by keeping it clean!
- Remove those shoes: It takes an average 17 steps before all the dirt and grime from outside fully wipes off your shoes and onto your floors. That’s a whole lot of potential carpet that picks up that outdoor dirt. The dirt will discolor the carpet and the grit will wear out the fibers. So find a good parking spot by your entry ways for your shoes.
- Vacuum: We just talked about what dirt and grit will do to your carpet and vacuuming is how to avoid it! You’ll want to do this 2-3 times a week. Also, it’s going to take more than just one pass to suck up all the dirt especially in a high traffic area.
- Switch things up: If your family constantly walks the same path to get to the couch or the recliner chair, that area of carpet will wear out faster. To keep that from happening you should rearrange the furniture every once in a while. This will ensure the entire carpet sees the same amount of usage so that one area isn’t beaten up faster than the rest.
- Spot Cleaning: If something spills on your carpet, don’t let it soak in. Clean it up so that the padding below doesn’t get damaged. Spot cleaning will help keep your carpet looking its best and last longer.
- Deep clean: Take some of the cleaning burden off of yourself and hire a pro to do it. The frequency will change depending on your household activities and the type of carpet you installed. Professional cleaning should be hot water extraction (steam cleaning). Also, all the carpet manufactures require a customer has their carpet steam cleaned at least every 2 years to maintain warranties. You can have the carpet cleaned more frequently depending on their household traffic.
Carpets are just like significant others. They need that TLC in order to make the relationship last. If you give your carpet some love, it’ll last….maybe not a lifetime, but at least a long time.
