A complete guide to how to take care of your carpets

It’s all nice and beautiful until your carpet gets walked over by dirty shoes or paws.  Decorating your room with a carpet or a rug is a brilliant choice but it has its own struggles. Rugs and carpets are beautiful pieces of art. But they require delicate carpet care.

Rugs and carpets irrespective of their fabric and size are likely to accumulate dust on them. The timely cleaning of your carpet protects the carpet from withering its look and quality. On average, a carpet is supposed to last from 5 to 15 years. So if you do not want to replace it within just a year then you must take care of your carpet.

Here are more reasons why you must consider carpet care.

Carpet cleaning does not only revolve around the idea of making it look lively and beautiful. There is more to it;

 

1. Bacteria and Mites

   Carpets and rugs do develop small bugs known as carpet mites that are not easily visible to the eyes. They can even float in the air and humans can inhale them too.  This can cause several problems like breathing troubles, allergies, and sickness.  Frequent carpet care prevents carpet mites from developing. Therefore it is important to clean your carpet.

2. Longevity of the carpet

   As we know that carpets are quite prone to dust, which can also hamper their quality and longevity. As a result, you might have to consider buying a new one before time.  Taking care of your carpet protects it from damage and ensures longevity.

3. Ensures cleaner air quality

   Taking care of your carpet ensures cleaner and healthier surroundings. Since carpets are susceptible to dust they can hamper our breathing conditions. It might deter the health conditions of people breathing around the carpet. Therefore, you must consider good carpet care.

4. Protects the look and quality

   This goes without saying. Carpet care protects the look and quality of your carpet. Sometimes while cleaning, you might come across loose strands of threads breaking out from the carpet. This gives you a chance to fix it and maintain the carpet's look.

5. Keeps away the pungent smell

   Know this! Not cleaning your carpet for a long time can cause it to smell.  This can become a health hazard for people around it. Therefore it is really important to clean your carpet timely.

 

Note: Not cleaning your carpet does not work in your favor. With time the carpet or rug will lose its look and quality. It can raise concerning health conditions for children, pets, and even adults around it.

Taking care of your carpet is a job that you can perform single-handily as well. There is not much need to hand over your carpet to a professional. Moreover, it saves you money! So how do you clean your carpet/rugs?  Don’t worry, we have some great carpet care tips for you right below;

 

Tips to take care of your carpet and rugs

Now as you know the importance of carpet maintenance, let us move to “How” to take care of carpets?

• Spot Cleaning

Spot cleaning can be very effective in case of carpet floor cleaning. Small patches of stain or dirt can be easily cleaned with the help of detergent powder or vinegar, and a towel.  Here’s how to clean carpet flooring:

• Rinse the stained area with a wet towel.
• Apply some detergent powder on it and splotch it with your hands.
• Let it sit for 2
• Now wash the area with a wet towel.

Note: If you are not sure about the stain then consider calling a professional to deal with it.

• Rotate the rugs/ carpet

It is advised to rotate the rug/ carpet twice a year.  This way you can control dirt accumulation in the carpet.

• Area of the carpet

You must consider the area of your carpet. A high traffic area will make your carpet prone to accumulating heavy dust.

 

Tips to clean your carpet/rug

1. Dust your carpet with a broomstick

   If you want to ensure that your carpet does not accumulate even a speck of dust then consider dusting it every day. Dusting sheds off whatever little dust was sitting on it. This is the best way to prevent your carpet from becoming full of debris.

2. Vacuum it thoroughly

   The amount of dust getting accumulated in the nooks of the carpet is unimaginable. Vacuum cleaning your carpet thoroughly can rightfully pull out large chunks of debris, hair strands, and thread strands too. Moreover, cleaning it in the right way is equally important. Vacuum cleaners come up with various vacuum hoses. Make sure you use the one that is made for cleaning carpets. By this, you will be able to pull out the dirt stuck in between the carpet.

3. Clean it with a solution

   After vacuuming the carpet, comes the most crucial part of cleaning. Carpet cleaning is not complete without washing it. You can get solutions that are made especially to clean carpets. Pour the solution into a bucket of lukewarm water and soak the carpet in it. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.

   However, you can also use shampoo or detergent powders in place of carpet solutions. They also do the trick.

   Note: No matter whichever solution you use, make sure to perform a quick color test. Rub the solution on a small corner area of the carpet. Check to see whether the carpet is taking off its color or not.

   Pro Tip: Do not immerse the carpet in a bucket of hot water. This will shrink the threads of the carpet.

4. Carefully wash the carpet

   Take a brush with soft bristles and clean the carpet after you take it out from the solution water. Do not apply too much force while rubbing the carpet with the brush. Be gentle.

5. Rinse the carpet

   Wash out the soap from the carpet. Clean the carpet/ rug with clean water. You can either do it with a water pipe or immerse it in a bucket of clean water.

6. Get rid of the excess water

   Your carpet is bound to soak up excess water. Getting rid of this excess water is important otherwise the carpet will take too long to dry.  Squeeze the carpet thoroughly. Allow someone to assist you to carry it out properly.

7. Let the carpet dry

   The next important thing in carpet care is to let it dry. This can be a little complicated as it is not recommended to directly expose the carpet to the sun.  But a sunny day can effectively dry carpets/ rugs. So you can expose the carpet under the sun until the moisture dries up. After this, put it under a fan or a less sunny area.

8. Vacuum the carpet

   Many strands of fibers and threads can get pressed together while washing the carpet. You can easily fix them while drying the carpet with a vacuum cleaner.

Now you are all set to place the carpet in whichever room you like. Lastly, enjoy the aura that your carpet adds to your room.

 

Do not miss out!

Carpets and area rugs come in various fabrics.  The same cleaning technique may not suit carpets of variable fabrics. Here’s how you can protect the fabric of your carpet or rug;

• Cleaning synthetic area rugs

Vacuum your rugs weekly if they are made of synthetic fiber. You can easily spot clean synthetic rugs by using a professional liquid solution.

• Cleaning wool area rugs

In the case of woolen area rugs, you can vacuum them twice a month. Vacuum the rug in the underside as well. Woolen rugs tend to shed their fiber.  Therefore, it is recommended to clean them just twice a month. Also, spot cleaning can be performed by carefully cleaning the area with a professional spot cleaner.

• Coarse Textured Rugs

You can vacuum or gently dust these types of rugs.  It completely depends on their texture. Make sure to dust both sides of the rugs. Moreover, you can perform spot cleaning by

• soaking up the liquid with a clean cloth
• Dip a brush in soap water and scrub the area gently.
• Rinse it with clean water and let it dry.

 

Bottom Line

Carpet maintenance enhances the look of the carpet. You can use the same carpet for years if you take care of your carpet. However, your carpet care must be influenced by the carpet's fabric, color, and the solution you use to clean it.