How You Can Prolong The Life Of Your Carpet
When did you last have your carpet worked on? Looking at its current state and comparing it to the carpet that you see in the pictures snapped back when the carpet was still new, do you notice a difference? Over time, with continued usage of the carpet, its state changes. How fast and extensively this happens depends on the maintenance measures that are put in place, of which the carpet cleaning is part and parcel of.
First, there is the wear and tear that is mainly attributed to the dirt and debris that is in the fibres of the unit. This includes the dust particles that gradually settle on the carpet from the air above, to the soiling that is trudged into the home under people’s shoes. As it builds up due to neglecting the carpet cleaning, the particles grind against the fibres of the fabric. Each time someone steps onto the areas the additional force increases the abrasion, causing the fibres to get frayed. This is why those areas that are frequently walked on develop traffic lanes, and the wear will clearly be visible especially with the sections where the carpet pile is crushed.
Sunlight also factors in, where the carpet naturally fades over time due to the UV and IR radiation from the sun. This is also accelerated with the protective treatments that had been applied onto the carpet getting depleted at a faster rate because of skipping out on the carpet cleaning.
Deterioration is more extensive, covering more than just the dirt, and grime plus the fading. This looks at even the tears and rips that have occurred on the unit, the material unravelling, stains that have set deep into the carpet, and damage that ruins the structural integrity of the unit. The longer that the dirt and debris remain within the carpet fibres, the more the damage to the unit, and over time it becomes permanent – hence the need for routine vacuuming and deep carpet cleaning. The tears and rips can also be caused by insects and rodents that are attracted to the organic residue in the carpet, such as those food crumbs that are a magnet for roaches and mice. Some of the creatures will feed on the fibres themselves, and the larger ones will use their sharp claws and teeth to try and pry out the food crumbs from the carpet material, exacerbating the damage Certainly, you don’t want things to get to this point – thus the need for proper maintenance.
Preventing Carpet Deterioration
While eventual carpet wear and tear is inevitable, there are measures that you can take to prolong the life of your unit. These include:
Here, get your family members to take off their shoes before stepping onto the carpet. You can set up a shoe rack close to the door, with flip flops close to it that will encourage those stepping into the household to make the switch. This will reduce the amount of gunk that is getting transferred onto your carpet, and the workload during the routine carpet cleaning sessions.
You should vacuum the carpet once or twice a week – and even more frequently if your home is a busy one – especially for those with kids and pets. This is to reduce the amount of debris that is in the carpet, since the vacuum will lift the loose particles from the fibres and prevent a significant chunk of them from getting trapped in the carpet. While this should not be the only tool in your carpet cleaning arsenal, it is still needed to maintain the unit and limit the level of wear.
With a professional carpet cleaning service scheduled – such as twice a year, you will get to prolong the lifespan of your unit. Here, the pros come in with systems such as hot water extraction units, that flush out the grime that is in your carpet, thus drastically cutting down the rate of wear and tear. Certainly, the frequency of the carpet cleaning should also be more for households where the rate of soiling is high.
How do you stand to benefit when you hire the carpet cleaning specialists? Firstly, it frees you from the workload that would have been endured. The cleaning process is tedious – even more so when one doesn’t have the requisite machinery or skills needed or the task. Spending hours poring through blogs and videos for tips on how to deal with the different kinds of stains, waiting in line at the dealership store to rent the carpet cleaning gear – it all eats into your time. Then there is the actual scrubbing involved, and DIYers are usually disadvantaged by the lower capacity rental machinery. The professional carpet cleaning crew, on the other hand, come in with industrial grade equipment, that delivers a deep clean in moments. Being trained and experienced, they are also better placed to apply the appropriate methods when working on your carpet, ensuring that the grime and stains are got rid of it without posing a risk to your carpet.
With the routine carpet cleaning, the lifespan of your unit is also prolonged. One of the core reasons for deterioration of the carpet is the dirt and debris grinding against the fibres of the material. When allowed to accumulate, the rate of wear increases. Stains setting deeper into the carpet also become more difficult to remove, permanently altering the look of the carpet. Inappropriate carpet cleaning processes, such as using chemicals that are too harsh for the natural or synthetic carpets – since they each have their requirements, ruins the material. Mistakes like soaking the carpet in too much water, on the other hand, can lead to delamination, whenever your carpet separates from its backing, or shrinkage of the material. Such issues all lead to the damage of your carpet – and no doubt it was expensive when you purchased it, and you don’t want to watch it get ruined. Relying on expert carpet cleaning services will prevent things from going down that route.
