A carpet forms the basis for decorating the flooring in most of your rooms and if you’re like me, choosing a new carpet isn’t easy – it takes time selecting the right one. All this effort then feels wasted once that ‘new carpet smell’ has gone but there are a few tips you can deploy to make your carpet last longer:
Vacuum regularly
Well, not too regularly. Vacuuming can cause some of the fibres of the carpet to be pulled up with the vacuum but not vacuuming at all leads unwanted tiny amounts of grit and dirt working their way into your expensive new carpet. If this dirt is left to and trodden on repeatedly, it becomes increasingly more difficult to get them out. More work will be needed to remove them which means more wear and tear damage done by undermining the integrity of your carpet. Try to do a full carpet vacuum once a day and deal with small problems as and when they occur. Consider purchasing a hand held vac so you can deal with those small problems quickly and easily. Your main vacuum should have sufficient suction to be able to pick up dirt at the bottom of the carpet and not just the dirt at the top of the fibres. To get a vacuum with good suction you need to look at one with high air watts rather than just wattage. A vacuum with high air watts should have good suction, a vacuum with high wattage but low air watts will just add to your electricity bill.
Prevention is better than cure
If you stop the dirt from getting onto your carpet in the first place then you won’t have to worry about cleaning it up afterwards. This isn’t always possible when you have kids – or if your husband likes to delve in DIY work, but where possible ask people to take their shoes off before they come into your room or keep a doormat for people to wipe their shoes on. Place rubber mats outside your house and dirt grabbing mats inside your for maximum efficiency.
Wash your carpets
Just like your hair, your carpets can become dull and in need of a wash as well. At the very least you should wash your carpets every 18 months but I’d recommend you wash them every 12 months. If you have people coming in and out of your house regularly then you may want to consider washing your carpets after 6 to 8 months. A good carpet washer is key here but if – like me – your budget is somewhat constrained then opting for the carpet cleaner hire option is definitely appealing as well since you won’t be needing to use the carpet cleaner every day. Over time, carpets can become and lose their natural shine. Washing them will bring back that new carpet look.
Deal with stubborn stains quickly
The worst thing that can happen to your carpet is liquid spilling on it. If this does happen, resolving it swiftly is key since the longer you leave it, the more time the liquid will have to work its way into your carpet. The deeper the stain has seeped into your carpet, the more scrubbing will be needed to remove the stain. Overly scrubbing your carpet can have adverse effects on it since it can wear out the fibres so keeping the scrubbing down to a minimum is recommended here should a spillage occur.
So these are my ideas but I’d be interested in your tips or tricks on looking after your carpet.
BIO: Rashed is currently guest posting on behalf of national tool and equipment hire supplier HSS Hire who, amongst other products, sell and hire carpet cleaners, floor scrubbers, steam cleaners, vacuum cleaners pressure washers and heaters.
