It’s amazing how something as simple as flooring can impact the overall style of the room.  Any space can look amazing with the right carpet. At home, it adds to the fuzzy and comfy feel that can immediately trick your brain into relaxation mode. In offices, it sets the tone in your workplace (light color if you want a casual, more laid back mood or dark if you’re going for a more business one). However, with the number of guests, relatives, employees, and clients constantly walking in and out of the room, it is subject to wear and tear especially when not taken care of properly. 

Here’s everything you need to know to keep your carpets in tip-top shape.

How to Keep Your Carpet Clean

When was the last time you cleaned your carpet? Keeping the carpet fresh is the key to making it last longer. If you’re going for a DIY carpet-cleaning route, below are just a few tips that can come in handy.

1. Reduce the amount of dirt going in the room – although getting the carpet dirty is unavoidable, there are still ways to make sure that you’re, in a way, “filtering” this. Utilizing mats and rugs helps a lot especially in houses. Making the habit of rubbing your she before entering the house or completely leaving it near the door is just a small way to keep your carpet clean. Of course, you still have to wash the rugs, but deep cleaning small rugs are far easier than the entire carpet.
2. Use baking soda before vacuuming – we’ve all heard about the wonders of baking soda in and outside the kitchen, These little white powder can make your carpet healthy, too! Before vacuuming, sprinkle baking soda around the house to make your carpet smell nice and fresh for a longer period of time.
3. Check the condition of your vacuum – aside from the floor, don’t forget to clean your vacuum as well. Regularly change the filter and the bags to ensure that your cleaning tool is still capable of picking up dirt.
4. Keep an “emergency kit” – stains, no matter how careful we are to avoid them, are inevitable. It is good to have tools ready for a quick cleaning should there be fresh stains on your carpet. There are many home remedies that can be useful in erasing them such as club soda for wine, shaving cream, hydrogen peroxide for blood, and dishwasher detergent. The internet is now highly reliable when it comes to information so a simple search on how to clean a certain type of stain in the office will do the trick.

DIY vs Professional Carpet Cleaning

Most homeowners and office renters clean their carpets using steamers and vacuums that are readily available in the groceries. While this can help with stains and dirt on the surface, it still does not clean up the bacteria that you don’t want to be staying on your floor. Good thing there are professional services that specialize in disinfecting spaces, including flooring. Knowing when to consider cleaning services depends on the foot traffic in your room. For homes, once or twice a year can be enough. However, you must take into consideration if you have pets and small kids in the house. For offices, having them professionally cleaned every quarter is ideal since there are much more people coming in and out of the space.

Benefits of Hiring a Cleaning Service

Removal of Nasties

The first benefit of carpet cleaning is, of course, the removal of trapped dirt. These trapped dirt are not touched by vacuums and steams and can cause toxic gas overtime. A dirty carpet can also be home to microscopic dust mite infestations. These little animals are so small that it’s just impossible to notice that they are already living in between fibers. Professional cleaning services use high temperatures that can be exposed to these mites and eventually kill them. 

Since deep cleaning your carpet removes bacteria and dirt that are embedded in the fabric, this also removes the funky odor that is caused by them. Stinky odors in carpets are also caused by molds that have grown unnoticed in areas that we often forget to clean. 

Health

Have you been noticing allergies from your family members or rampant sick leave requests from your teammates? It might be caused by the toxic gas coming from your carpet. Typically, dirt, pollens, and allergens get trapped in the spaces between the different fibers and cotton of your flooring, making it difficult for some people to breathe. This can cause respiratory problems, asthma, allergic reactions, and other health problems. Making sure that the carpets are well taken care of can reduce air pollution and can purify it so you’ll have a more clean, breathable air.

Longevity

As mentioned, carpets are subject to wear and tear. This is not only caused by the number of people walking around your space, but the bacteria that stays on the floor can also cause the fibers to split and deteriorate. Cleaning them regularly increases the life of your carpet since accumulated dirt can only invite more nasties on your floor. Vacuuming regularly can help decrease the build-up of debris, but cleaning services use methods such as hot water extraction to fully get deep into the carpet. It’s also much cheaper to invest in professional cleaners every once in a while than replacing your carpet every few months.

Aesthetic

Who would want to live in or work in a dirty environment? A fresh vibrant atmosphere is the best way to be productive in a room. Whether you’re at a friend’s home or in the office, seeing a carpet with stains on it can leave you an impression. The carpet, being the largest furnishing, receives the most use. Thus, it’s the easiest one to get dirty.

Keep your home cozy and your office professional-looking by constantly checking on stains and gunk on your floor. Be mindful of the areas that have more foot traffic such as hallways and working areas to see if they are darker than others, leaving “traffic lane” effects. These blind spots can be the start of growing bacteria in your room so be sure that you won’t miss them.

Turns out, there’s more to carpets than it making the room look cozy. With proper maintenance, it can save you money and can affect the health of your family and employees.