Having your carpets cleaned is important not only to ensure that you do not live and step on all the dirt, gunks and bacteria hiding within the fibers of your carpet but also to preserve its appearance and longevity.

Many flooring installers would suggest that carpets need a lot of maintenance to do so it’s best to keep it clean always. Without proper maintenance, it might also affect your floor serving as underlayment of the carpet. 

Here’s the reasons why we need to clean our carpet:

Maintaining Appearances

It is recommended that you clean your carpet every 6 to 12 months, so as to better ensure that you are not facing a scuff and rough looking carpet. Further, any dirt or gunk left on the carpet for too long can actually work its way into the fibers, making it harder or possibly impossible to have it removed.

Health Benefits

Unknown to the naked eyes, even with constant dusting and vacuuming, your carpet still do trap all kinds of bacteria, allergens, dust and other nasty things in the air. These dirt and dust then accumulates overtime, possibly releasing a musty smell which could be bad for you and your family’s health. Thus, it is safer to keep your carpet cleaned thoroughly regularly to avoid such issues.

Longevity

Keeping your carpet cleaned is the best way to ensure the longevity of your carpet, making your money worthy. Typically, your carpet is able to last you for up to 10-15 years. However, if you want to ensure that your carpet looks as new as possible for as long as possible, do make sure to clean it as the best maintenance.

Tips on how to maintain and clean your carpet:

Professional Method of Cleaning

This might cause you a dime but they have the proper equipment to help preserve and ensure the longevity and cleanliness of your carpet. One way they do is the dry extraction.

This is one carpet-cleaning method, it technically is not a “dry” procedure; but more of a “moisture-controlled” process. It applies a minimal and measured amount of moisture onto your carpet so as to clean it while still having it dry.

They use a machine with two counter-revolving brushes that moves the cleaning agents through the carpet’s material. The cleaner supplies enough liquid to dissolve the dirt, then re-absorbs the soil and liquid, which leaves the carpet dry for vacuuming and immediate use.

Though professionals use methods similar to DIY approaches, there are three important differences.

Firstly, the professionals have the skills and know-how, and the experience they have helps them realize the maximum cleaning potential of each system and avoid the hazards of each.

Secondly, the professionals usually use much more powerful and sophisticated equipment and cleaning agents that we common joe might not have or the expertise to operate.

Thirdly, having the professionals do the cleaning also helps you to save the time and energy.

DIY Method

Ideally, your carpet should be professionally cleaned. However, if you would still like to save the trouble of finding a professional carpet cleaner or that few extra bucks, you always have the choice of going into home-fix or self-fix stores and purchase the materials needed.

You might need the following items to help you clean your carpet:

1. Carpet stain removal

If you are looking into hiring a professional to have your carpet cleaned, do make sure that you do up your research on the pricing that they offer. Some firms charge extra if they deem that your carpet’s stain is too severe.

2. Carpet pre-treatment

Most wet-cleaning results can be improved by spraying a cleaning agent on the carpet a few minutes before cleaning. What the cleaning agent does is that it will help to dissolve some of the dirt and stain on your carpet, making it easier to remove and clean your carpet.

3. Soil retardants

Most carpets are now factory-treated with a coating that helps the carpet fibers shed water and spills. The key is cleaning up the spills quickly. You can check if your carpet needs to be retreated if there’s a dripping of a few drops of water on your carpet. If your carpet absorbs the droplets quickly, it is a sign that your carpet needs to be retreated.

4. Deodorizing and pet odor treatments

This is important especially for pet owners. Most of the possible carpet odor reduction that can be accomplished will be accomplished by the cleaning itself. Many odors come from mold, mildew, or urine that has penetrated the carpet backing and pad.

5. Anti-microbial treatment

The cleaning itself will kill most mold, mildew, yeast and other microbes, but it is practically impossible to kill all of them. The anti-microbial treatment creates a hostile environment for these microbes to reproduce and spread and will help control odour problems, extend the carpet’s useful life, and provide considerable relief to allergy sufferers.

DIY Dry Cleaning Method

This method does not require water or any wet shampoos. What it does is to use relatively moisture-free cleaning agents to clear away the dirt and gunk in your carpet.

Hot water extraction method

This method uses hot water together with cleaning agents to remove the dirt on your carpet. Once the dirt has been “released” from the carpet fibers, you can use a vacuum to clear up the dirt.

Though, of course, it must be noted that there will be some differences in the quality and efficiency in having your carpet cleaned professionally compared to you who might lack the expertise and technical know-how to clean your carpet properly.

Going by the DIY approach would save you a few bucks but it is more likely to encounter some problems. Most especially if you don’t follow some guidelines on how to clean your carpet on your own. So you should research first on how to clean your carpet or you can just ask help from those who are experts at it.

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