Sometimes, life can just get in the way to ruin your day. A lot can happen to the carpets in your home, which calls for some life-proofing. Our checklist includes important ways to clean or prevent damage to your carpets. In turn, this makes your carpets last longer and become easier to take what life throws at it. 

One-Time Prevention Measures

Doing one little thing to prevent damage to your carpets does a lot for the quality of the carpet over time. After all, the small things add up, and your carpets will need all the help they can get to be easy to maintain. These one-time adjustments can give your carpets a new life or prevent accidents.

Mats and Rugs

Putting a mat or rug in a high-traffic area traps any extra dirt from the extra steps. Any carpet close to an entry door is especially important to maintain with a mat or rug to pick up the outside elements that get tracked inside. Mats and rugs should be placed before carpeted areas instead of on the carpets themselves. If you do place a rug or mat on carpeted areas, be sure to continue to vacuum under the rug or mat so that the carpet fibers aren’t too matted down over time.

Sunlight protection 

UV rays from the sun slowly wear down carpets over time, often causing the color to fade. The best way to prevent sun damage is to cover the windows with UV protection, use blinds to limit the sunlight, or have curtains that can keep it light but block the sun’s rays.  

Furniture coasters

The weight of the furniture on carpet presses the fibers together, creating dents in the carpet and the padding underneath. While it might not look like the carpet is being damaged when the furniture is in the same spot, as soon as it is moved, the dents will stay. Coasters beneath the legs of your couch or chair will distribute the weight more evenly, decreasing the likelihood of irreversible damage from dents in the carpets.

Carpet protectant

This chemical treatment provides a barrier between the carpet fibers and the dirt, dust, and debris. This makes it easier to clean later, and stand the test of time. Stains just slide right off. 

Regular Prevention Measures

Keeping up with the details does a lot for your carpets. Not everything needs to be done at the same time, so keep track of what to do when you want to keep a regular schedule. Depending on the type of carpet you have, you may want to see what time intervals are recommended for each task to best suit the fibers.

Regular vacuuming

If you’ve seen any of our other blogs, you’ll know that we are constantly expressing the need to have a regular schedule for vacuuming. The best recommendation is once a week, especially if you have kids and/or pets living in your home. Carpets can trap a lot of things, including sicknesses. Vacuuming every week can help mitigate sickness in your home.

Take off outdoor shoes

Similar to why you need mats and rugs, taking off your shoes every time after going inside is essential if you want to keep your carpets clean and lasting longer. Outdoor shoes should only be worn outdoors if you want the best for your carpets. However, you can wear shoes on carpets if you only wear those shoes inside. Sometimes, a nice cozy indoor slipper is just what you need to be comfy and cozy in your home. Just be sure that you don’t wear those shoes or slippers outside!

Move around furniture

Along with adding furniture coasters, moving around your heavy furniture helps avoid indentations that cannot be removed. One added benefit is to create a different pattern in foot traffic. Redirecting foot traffic will keep your carpets from wearing down in the most commonly walked areas. As an added bonus, rearranging furniture every once in a while improves mental health by updating and refreshing your home. While there are many different perspectives on how often to rearrange furniture, the common recommendations are every season to once a year.

Spot Cleaning

Every list about taking care of carpets should have spot cleaning somewhere on it. That’s probably why we have mentioned cleaning up spills and spots so often! As soon as the mess is created, it should be cleaned if you want your carpets to last as long as they can.  

Air duct cleaning

Air ducts are full of dust, dirt, and other particles that are caught up with your home’s air flow. While air filters catch most of it, cleaning out the air ducts will reduce the amount that continues to circulate in your home and through your carpets. The majority of HVAC professionals recommend getting your air ducts cleaned every three to five years to keep the air in your home clean. The cleaner the air, the cleaner your carpets, and the cleaner your carpets, the cleaner the air in your home.

Regular carpet cleaning

Professional carpet cleaning can get down to the deepest part of your carpet fibers, somewhere regular vacuuming can’t reach. Carpets should get a deep clean every year or between every twelve to eighteen months. If it’s getting close to that one year mark, or if that mark has long passed, give us a call to schedule your professional carpet cleaning. Your carpets will thank you!