Whether at home or in the office, carpets remain a top choice when it comes to flooring. And it’s no secret why. Carpets are inexpensive, low maintenance, and easily add value to any space. In a nutshell, there is nothing that could stop you from opting for carpets to gracing your space. 

Or is there?

Unfortunately, as good as carpets get, there are some unwanted truths about their existence and purpose. Keep your eyes peeled as we uncover the most common things that inhabit your trusted flooring. 

What lives in your carpets

Dirt, dust, and soil

Studies reveal that the average home in the U.S. collects up to 40 pounds of dust a year. That’s equivalent to 4 gallons of paint, a medium bag of dog food, or a small sack of potatoes. If you think about it, that’s quite a lot of dust. And it can get you really sick. 

Now think about how much more dust in high-traffic settings like office buildings and commercial establishments gather. It’s considerably more. 

Dirt, dust, and soil buildup come from a plethora of resources. Dirty shoes, pets, keeping the window open are only some of the common resources. The buildup settles on your carpets and can cause allergies and trigger breathing difficulties. Even worse, your carpet can eventually turn into the ideal home for dust mites and bugs. 

Bacteria

While bacteria are just about present here and there, your carpet is likely to have it more. But here’s the shocker– your carpet has at least 40,000 times more bacteria than your toilet seat. Strains of Salmonella, Staph, E. coli, and who knows what else could be present in your carpet. If left to its devices, your carpet can present serious health risks to everyone exposed to it on a daily basis. 

Biological matter like dead skin cells

People shed about 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells every hour. Over the course of 24 hours, a person loses almost a million skin cells. Imagine how many millions of dead skin cells are shed in the office. 

Now if you wonder where these millions of dead skin cells go, they are everywhere, and yes, they turn up on your carpet most of the time. 

Unfortunately, dead skin cells serve as a meal to dust mites, ticks, and fleas. With the existence of these mites, you become prone to developing chronic allergies that can even lead to more serious respiratory illnesses.

Hair 

Just like dead skin cells, people also constantly lose hair. These strands of hair can be stubborn to clean, and much like dead skin cells, often end up on carpets. And when this happens, it’s even harder to get them off your carpets unless you let commercial cleaning companies do it for you. 

Odor

Your carpet may start developing unwanted smells after a certain period. These smells can come from several causes like urine from pets, cigarette smoke, food, drinks, and matter that have been transferred from shoes to the carpet. 

It can be hard to deal with odor since it’s something that penetrates the material. You can use band-aid solutions such as fabric sprays to eliminate the smell, but it’s not encouraged in the long run, and may even worsen the circumstance.

What you can do with your carpet

Now that you know how dirty and nasty your carpet actually is, here’s what you can do. 

In the household setting, make sure to refrain from wearing your outside shoes inside your home. In the office setting, office administration must set up specialized rugs that people can easily use. 

Vacuum regularly. It is advised to vacuum areas of high traffic and entrance areas at least twice a week. Areas that are not so busy can be vacuumed at least once a week. 

Accidental food stains or drinks spills must be immediately taken care of using the right products. 

Invest in quality equipment so you can deal with hard stains and odors immediately. Or, enlist the help of janitorial services providers. They will know what to do with these hard stains.

Maintain a regular washing schedule for your carpets and mats, especially those that are placed in busy areas. 

If you like, invest in a deep extracting carpet cleaner that uses the appropriate cleaner. Deep clean your carpet at least once a year. 

Now, if you don’t have the time to keep tabs on these tasks and would rather focus on other things, you can always just get the services of commercial cleaning companies. Whether you’re maintaining a household, keeping an office, or running a commercial establishment, professional cleaners have services that can help you keep your spaces clean and well-maintained. 

Here are some ways professional cleaners deal with your carpet woes and make your lives easier. 

Hot water extraction or steam cleaning

Here, hot water is treated to carpet fibers through high-pressure steam. The hot water and steam are responsible for dissolving thick dirt, dust, and other deposits that have accumulated in your carpet. 

Carpet shampooing

Special detergents are used with lots of water to give your carpet fibers some good old shampooing. Cleaning equipment with rotating brushes is also helpful in loosening dirt and debris that have been stuck in your carpet. 

Dry cleaning

A special powder detergent applied with a little bit of water is used to clean the carpet. Rotating brushes are also utilized here to get deeper into the fibers of the carpet. An extraction tool helps in removing the detergent powder as well as the dirt and the debris.

Foam cleaning and encapsulation

This process is used for extra dirty carpets. A specialty foam is applied to the carpet. The foam will turn to bubble and expand. As it expands, it effectively traps the dirt and debris inside and brings all the dirt to the surface. Once done, steam extraction takes place to remove the foam and all the dirt that has been trapped. 

That is just some of the few ways that commercial cleaning companies take care of your carpet for you. You just have to find the right experts that will give you quality services, but don’t worry. There are a ton of office cleaning services in New London County, Connecticut, so you’ll be sure to find what you need.