No part of your home is more exposed to dirt and grime than your floor. Thanks to that pesky system known as gravity, anything which can fall off a body, a coffee table, out of a dirty cup, or off a pair of shoes will land on the floor. Unless you want to spend most of your time at home wiping up spillages, those falling objects will cause stains on your carpets and rugs. So how often should you clean your carpet, and what is the best way to do it?
The short answer is that your carpets should be professionally deep cleaned every 12 to 18 months. Keep reading for the long answer to how often your carpets should be cleaned and why it is important.
Cleanliness is next to expectedness
A clean home benefits the people that live there. It’s not just for aesthetic purposes but also for considering the health and wellbeing of its occupants. Not cleaning your home thoroughly and often is an invitation to dust mites, germs, and bacteria, and like unwelcome party guests, they don’t leave willingly.
The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors advises that carpet is a high-risk area for growing mold and all the dangers this represents. Regular cleanings can help keep your carpet looking great and keep it hygienic.
How clean is “clean?”
You might be one of those people who are happy with a simple vacuum, dust, mop, and wipe down once a week. If there are no children, pets, smokers, or anyone suffering from respiratory illnesses living in your home, that is fine for short-term purposes.
But even in these households, the basic once-a-week routine will remove surface dirt and grime from your floors and carpets, but it can’t beat a deep, thorough, professional carpet clean.
And how dirty is “dirty?”
We humans and our pet companions harbor bacteria, germs, and dirt and shed hair and skin on a disturbingly regular basis, so it’s fair to say that our home environment doesn’t stay pristine without help.
But there’s no need to go entirely overboard. Having a fair idea about how often you should clean your carpet and rugs will go a long way to maintaining a clean and inviting home.
But I am not dirty!
Actually, you’re not as clean as you might think you are. Intentionally or otherwise, we shed hair and skin, we track dirt into the home, and even the most careful of us will occasionally drop food crumbs and spill drinks. Philip Tierno, the author of The Secret Life of Germs, estimates that carpet can absorb so much dirt that it can be 4000 times dirtier than the toilet seat.
So what can I do about this?
Not a lot, as far as creating a mess goes – that is, to some degree, unavoidable. But you can do something about cleaning up the clutter once it occurs. Unfortunately, it takes more than a quick regular vacuuming or mop on a once-weekly basis to change your living space from a haven for bugs, dust, and allergens into a haven for humans.
Some handy tips to keep your place clean and limit how often you should clean your carpet
Keep food mess to a minimum.
Having a set area for eating is one way to avoid food messes from migrating into the carpets all over. If possible, have that eating area in a room with lino floors, which are far easier to clean. Wiping up spilled milk or juice from a linoleum floor rather than a shag carpet is much easier.
The hazards caused by the small generation
Fact – children are messy. Even the cutest kid will drool, diaper leakage happens even in the most carefully cultivated homes, and no child is shy about wandering from room to room with a handful of food.
Hansel and Gretel may have had birds cleaning up their food scraps, but your kids won’t so mop up after them before the stains caused by these food scraps become permanent.
Shoes: on or off?
On cold, wet days, all you can think of when you get home is to get inside where it’s warm and dry, but unfortunately, it’s not just you who enters. Walking on stone, gravel, soil, and grass inevitably means dragging some of the outdoors to the indoors, and no amount of wiping the shoes on the doormat can avoid that. So kicking your shoes off at the door is a simple trick to prevent bringing nature indoors.
Pets and their problems
Your pet can be as much a member of your family as your child, but Fido, Felix, or Polly are not known for their hygiene or clean habits. Cats and dogs shed fur, cats spit up furballs, birds drop feathers, furry animals harbor fleas, toilet training takes time and usually involves a few “accidents,” and you know full well that your pet won’t use a napkin when it’s eating.
So if you live with animals, your home needs a little bit of extra care and attention.
Enough of the messy part; what about the cleaning?
If you have been nodding your head in agreement here, you will realize by now that keeping your home and carpets clean is a lot harder than just a quick flick of the vacuum once in a while. Your home needs proper care and cleaning by professionals.
Why a professional clean?
- Those stains can be stubborn. Even if you attack the spilled coffee, red wine, or cheese spillage as soon as it occurs, you’re never going to get that mess out properly.
- Professionals will ensure the carpet is cleaned down to the base and properly dried afterward. The last thing you want is a clean but damp carpet that will start to smell in a few days and grow mold and mildew.
- Many carpet manufacturers and sellers stipulate that you get your carpet professionally cleaned regularly – at least once a year – to retain its warranty.
Call the professionals and never wonder how often should you clean your carpets again
Get a serious, deep clean done by the experts at TLC Cleaning. Choose from a range of services, from cleaning one room only right up to full and thorough cleaning and deodorizing of every carpet fiber and mat in your home. Let TLC Cleaning implement your ultimate cleaning schedule to tend to your floors and every part of your home.
Get an instant quote for professional carpet steam cleaning or any other services today.
