How To Keep Your Carpets Clean And Vibrant

A fresh new carpet is a thing of beauty: Plush, welcoming, and soft underfoot, it adds a cosy and luxurious touch to any home. Alas, if a carpet is not properly cared for, this lustre soon fades; a carpet that is not kept clean and maintained becomes both unsightly and a haven for bacteria and allergens.

To keep your carpet looking, feeling, and smelling like new, you should:

Vacuum once a week

Vacuum the carpet throughout your home at least once a week, and vacuum areas of high traffic every few days. If you whisk away surface dirt before it has a chance to get worked deep down into the carpet pile, you will both prevent allergens and bacteria from quickly accumulating and preserve the carpet's appearance. Not only does dirt dim the look of carpets, its abrasive particles actually damage the fibres of the carpet so that they slowly lose their sheen and plush character.

Practice proper vacuuming technique

Many people rush through the job of vacuuming, making just a few quick passes over an area before moving on, but this is usually not sufficient to remove much of the dirt embedded just below the surface. As such, when you vacuum, you should take your time, working slowly in a criss-cross pattern while making multiple passes over each section of the carpet. Likewise, each pass should be made from a different angle to truly penetrate the carpet fibre and lift dirt.

Further, make sure your vacuum is cleaned and serviced regularly so your carpets can get the most out of it.

Freshen up your carpet with a dry cleaning powder at least once per month

Whether you choose to use a natural product like bicarbonate soda or purchase a powdered chemical carpet cleaner is up to you, but either way, applying a dry powder cleaner to your carpet (and letting it sit the correct amount of time before removal) at least once a month is important. Powder cleaners can absorb grease and other stains, cleansing the carpet while also deodorizing it.

Get your carpet professionally steam cleaned

No matter how diligent you are about vacuuming and powdering your carpet, a certain amount of dirt will manage to find its way below the surface of the carpet and nestle where vacuums cannot reach it. To prevent this dirt from leading to damage and bacteria growth, call in a professional to perform a hot water extraction (aka “steam”) cleaning. Professional carpet cleaners have access to superior, commercial-grade carpet cleaning machines which inject extremely hot water deep into the carpet's pile, flushing out dirt and bacteria before sucking away the soiled water and leaving an incredibly fresh, restored-looking carpet behind.

There's always some handy DIY carpet cleaning hacks that can use to brighten up your dull carpet. Although be sure to do prior research as not all carpets are made from the same material. Please share this article with someone who you think may it will go a long to helping get their carpets cleaned.