If you’ve owned a home in Ann Arbor for quite some time now, you probably understand that replacing a wall-to-wall house carpet can be quite a costly and time-consuming affair. Averagely, most carpets get replaced every after 6 years, and this is often prior to a major remodeling or when selling a home. However, without the proper care and maintenance, you can find yourself needing to replace the carpet just after 3 years.
With a busy lifestyle, parties, kids, pets and occasional major spills, your carpet can quickly deteriorate to a point where even professional carpet cleaning services in Ann Arbor won’t be able to restore its original value and aesthetics. If you need your wall-to-wall carpet to last longer and avoid the huge cost and inconvenience of replacing it prematurely, follow these tips;
1. Keep The shoes off the carpet
One of the biggest reasons carpets wear down prematurely is the dirt and grit that is often tracked into the house when you don’t take off your shoes. You might have the entry mart to help cut down the dirt, but some dirt will persist in your soles and find its way on your carpet.
Dirt tracked onto your carpet eventually penetrates down into the carpet, grinding away the carpet fibers with each step. The grit will grind the carper and literally wear it out while the soil will cover the carpet’s surface and dull it up. So even after you’ve cleaned the carpet, it will still look worn out and dull. To avoid this, consider having a ‘shoes-off’ policy in carpeted areas.
2. Vacuum Carpet Regularly
Having one of the best high-end vacuums is not enough –you actually need to get it out of the closet and vacuum more often. Vacuuming removes the dirt, crumbs, and grit that might otherwise penetrate into your carpet fibers and wear out the fibers over time. If you have an active family, you might need to vacuum 2-3 times per week. Be sure to make around 4-6 passes in high-traffic areas.
3. Spot Carpet Cleaning
While many carpet brands come with ‘Stain Warranties’, you still have to promptly clean up spots and spills from the carpet. Allowing a spot to stay on your carpet for too long will cause it to form a permanent stain once it becomes oxidized. Most carpets come with spot and stain removal instructions for various substances.
While at it, keep in mind that your carpet is a delicate fabric that you should never scrub or rub it. Always remove spills by gently blotting them after applying a spotting solution. Repeat the process 2-3 times if the spot doesn’t come off after the first attempt.
4. Area Rugs
Carpets usually start wearing down and deteriorating from areas that receive heavy traffic. You can cut down the rate of wear and tear by placing area rugs in these areas. So if you want to minimize the dirt, stains, and wear and tear on your carpet, invest in some good quality area rugs.
5. Air Duct Cleaning
Dust, allergens, and bacteria are always trapped in HVAC systems and air ducts. When the numbers build up, these impurities find their way onto the air in your house and eventually infiltrate into the carpet fibers. Having the air ducts cleaned professionally not only helps your carpet last longer but also reduces the air impurities and improves the air quality.
6. Professionally Carpet Cleaning Service
Many carpet manufacturers and professional cleaning companies recommend you have your carpet in Ann Arbor cleaned at least once a year. While that forms a pretty good baseline, the best carpet cleaning schedule for your home might vary depending on the level of traffic, vacuuming frequency, presence of kids and pets, and so on.
Generally, in low-traffic areas, you might need to have your carpet cleaned once in every 12-18 months, however, if you have a high traffic home, you should consider cleaning 2-4 times a year. A professional cleaning will help get rid of the deep-seated dirt, stains, bacteria, and allergens from deep within the carpet fibers.
Conclusion
As you can tell from the above points, proper carpet cleaning and maintenance goes a long way to increase the durability and functionality of your carpet. Along with the mentioned methods, a professional cleaning can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in premature carpet replacement.