How To Keep Your Carpet Clean During The Holidays
With all that merry-making, there are bound to be messes being made. The family members who have come over for the holidays, the kids playing around with their cousins, those parties and games that are held, all that food that goes around, the drinks and late-night snacks- catching up on your different lives with your loved ones, the occasional quarrel with the opinionated aunt or uncle- it’s a great time of the year. In the midst of all this, you will barely have enough time to perform a thorough clean to keep up with the rate at which the carpet will get soiled. Besides, you already have your hands full with the hosting. However, this does not negate the need of taking care of your carpet. Here are some measures that you can take to protect your unit, and ensure things don’t go off the rails:
- Make the vacuum your loyal companion
With all those people walking around your home, plus the numerous activities being carried out, there will be plenty of soiling winding up in the carpet. Add this to the gunk that is tracked in from the outdoors, and the everyday dust that settles on to the carpet from the air above. Pet fur and dander for those with cats and dogs on the premises, the food crumbs that are strewn all over the carpet plus the body waste of the insects that come to feed on them- they will continue accumulating in the carpet. With a vacuum cleaner, you get to slow down the rate at which this happens. With the busy nature of the household during the holidays, the vacuuming will need to be more frequent.
- Deal with stains ASAP
There are no two ways about this. Spills should be cleaned up as soon as they occur. It’s not always possible to get to the spot immediately. Perhaps the kids have made a mess and not reported it, or a guest got embarrassed after spilling some wine and chose not to mention it. Some may not even realise that there has been a spill, only for it to be noticed much later. Whether you have observed the spill being made in real-time, or stumbled onto it later in the day while you were tidying up, you should attend to it as soon as it comes to your attention. Why? The carpet readily soaks up the spills, and if they are not handled, they set deeper into the material, becoming difficult to remove.
Remember that the stains should not be rubbed. Rather, blot them up with an absorbent cloth. Start outside the stain and work your way in. For some, like the melted chocolate that winds up on the carpet over Halloween, it’ll need to be scrapped off with a dull knife- taking care not to damage the underlying carpet. The appropriate stain remover to break down the particular substance will be required as well. Whether you’re dealing with eggnog spills over Christmas, or some cabbage soup wound up on the carpet during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the spot needs to be attended to as soon as you can. For those stubborn stains that adhere to the material and refuse to come off, or you’re dealing with a stain that is too large to handle it on your own, you can always call in the professional carpet cleaning crew to take care of it for you, removing the stain and restoring your unit to its elegance. Calling in the experts is also preferred to mixing up reagents with the conventional household chemicals- as these may end up doing more harm than good. You don’t want to be in a situation where the stain reacts the chemicals being used, and becomes permanent, or issues like corroding of the carpet caused by working with harsh chemicals.
- Use area rugs
These are not just for decorating the house. They serve a critical role: reducing the amount of gunk that winds up in the carpet. They are set up in the high traffic sections such as in the living room or under the dining table. They are also easier to clean, a task which can be carried out much faster than when attending to the whole carpet.
As always, prevention is better than cure. If there are steps that you can take to stop the messes from being formed in the first place, then go right ahead. Take entrance mats for instance. These are placed at the entrance to the house, that way guests can wipe their shoes before getting in. In fact, having a ‘No shoes in the house’ rule will take things a notch higher. For this to be effective, have some pairs of slippers ready at the door for your guests to switch to after they’ve got in. These measures will limit the mud that gets to the carpet. Are there “messy eaters” in your family? It’s normal, especially with the kids. For such scenarios, it is recommended that you limit the meals to one room. This reduces the workload that will follow afterwards.
Dealing with the Holiday Aftermath
After you have bid goodbye to your guests, and they pack up to head back to their homes- your place will need thorough work to get things back in order. From the dishes, to the upholstery, walls, floors, bathrooms, furniture and carpet itself, they will demand your attention. It’s an intensive chore, and one that has multiple aspects to consider. The different types of surfaces, be they the natural stone countertops, the tiled walls or the hardwood floors, will require their specialised cleaning measures. When it comes to the fabrics, with the upholstery and carpeting, they also have their specified cleaning measures. Handling the various chemicals and cleaning machinery, scrubbing through the mounds of soiling and battling the stains that were formed in the course of the festivities- you don’t need to take it all on by yourself. Simply hire professional cleaning services to handle the job. That way, you will be assured of quality results, which will be delivered fast.
