Clean carpets look appealing and are certain to impress anyone that sees them, and with the right care and attention, you can even help to prolong their lifespan. However, keeping your carpets pristine is often easier said than done, especially if they’re in constant use.
One of the most common FAQs posed by carpet owners is how to keep carpets squeaky clean. So, as carpet cleaning experts in this field, we share the secrets of carpet cleaning with these essential tips.
Keep up the vacuuming
While it may sound obvious, regular vacuuming of a carpet helps to remove dirt and debris, keeping it in good condition. Yet, it’s easy enough to let this task slip by the wayside if you’re busy. Get into the habit of vacuuming carpets at least once a week, or more if they’re used frequently, especially by pets, children or smokers. Some people find picking a certain day of the week to vacuum helps to maintain a regular routine.
When using a vacuum cleaner, always make sure that it’s switched to the right setting for each carpet’s pile length. This ensures maximum cleaning and prevents fibres from getting damaged.
How often you vacuum a carpet matters, but technique is critical, too. A lot of people run a hoover over a carpet quickly, assuming that’s all it needs, but, in actual fact, carpets should be vacuumed in various directions, not just one. Each area of a carpet should be vacuumed several times over, rather than once. Depending on how much traffic a carpet receives, you should aim to vacuum each area around 8-12 times. Don’t forget to use the nozzles and attachments that come with a vacuum cleaner to access hard-to-reach corners, edges and crevices.
Maintain the vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner won’t do its job properly if it’s not maintained, so make sure it is frequently emptied and any hair is removed from the roller. Clean all parts regularly, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and check the filter.
If your vacuum cleaner just doesn’t seem to be picking up bits as well as it ought to, maybe it’s time to invest in a new one? Choose the best vacuum cleaner you can afford, particularly if you have a lot of carpets, as you’ll get more mileage out of it in the long-run, as well as cleaner carpets.
Give the powders a miss
You might be tempted by shop-bought carpet cleaning powders that promise to keep your carpets smelling fresh and clean, but use them with caution. Unless you’re completely confident that your vacuum cleaner is able to remove all the powder residues from a carpet, give them a miss. Residues left behind can build up in a carpet, attracting more dirt, and potentially even damaging carpet fibres. If you think your carpets might need the use of any cleaning products, it’s best to leave this in the capable hands of the experts.
Attend to spillages immediately
When spillages occur on a carpet, it’s a race against time to remove them before the risk of permanent damage increases. Tackle carpet spills and marks straightaway. Simple spills can be blotted with a tissue to soak up moisture, and then pressed with a soapy cloth to remove any excess liquid. However, if you’re unsure how to treat a spillage, or you’re dealing with something like red wine, oil, pet accidents, paint, or other substances, it makes sense to call in the carpet cleaning professionals.
Remove shoes
Keeping your carpets clean is much easier if you prevent dirt from getting onto your flooring in the first place. One simple and effective way to achieve this is by taking shoes off before coming inside. This stops dirt and debris from being trampled into carpet fibres, as well as tiny particles of pollution that may be stuck to soles and transferred to your carpets. Don’t be embarrassed to ask guests to remove their footwear – in fact, in some countries, such as Sweden and the Far East, it’s considered bad manners to wear shoes in the house!
If it isn’t always possible to ask people to remove their footwear, such as in public-used spaces, at least add a doormat to every entrance so that dirty shoes can be wiped prior to stepping inside.
Protect high-traffic areas
Inevitably, there are going to be parts of a carpet, or some carpets, that suffer a lot of comings and goings, and it’s these that are likely to get dirty the quickest. Help to protect high-traffic carpeted areas by adding an inexpensive mat or rug that will take care of most of the dirt.
Where children like to play on a carpet, provide them with a play mat in colourful patterns or designs, so that they have somewhere to sit without the worry of any spills or accidents on the rest of the carpet.
It goes without saying that protective mats will still need a good clean over time. But, it’s far easier, and more cost-effective, to clean these than the entire carpet.
Brush pets
Loose pet fur can get trapped in a carpet, and as it gets walked on, these hairs can get pushed to the bottom of a pile, making them more difficult to remove with a vacuum cleaner alone. You can prevent excess pet fur from ending up in a carpet by regularly brushing your furry friend to remove loose hairs. Frequent bathing of your pet can also keep them clean and reduce the likelihood of bits of dirt and germs from their fur and paws finding their way into a carpet.
Choose the right carpet
You can keep a carpet staying cleaner for longer by choosing the right style of carpet for each particular room, according to how much use it gets and the function of that space. For instance, plush, long-pile carpets can be magnets for trapping dirt, so aren’t a practical choice for high-traffic areas. Instead, nylon carpets are a better option for busy spaces, as they’re easier to clean and are very durable.
Avoid entertaining in carpeted areas
If you’re entertaining a crowd, a carpet might bear the brunt of any spills or stains, so consider hosting any get-togethers in a room with non-carpeted floors, which may be easier to clean. Even better, if the weather is fine, move your gathering outdoors.
Professional cleaning
As well as taking the following tips on board, you can elevate the spick and span status of your carpets through regular professional cleaning. By deep cleaning your carpets, experts will be able to remove invisible substances hiding inside fibres, such as dust mites and other allergens, which could cause problems for carpets and their owners if they aren’t removed.
Aim to get your carpets cleaned by the pros at least once a year, depending on how unclean your carpets are, and how much they get used.
Certainly, if you’re looking for expert carpet cleaning in London or other parts of the South East, you won’t find better than us.
