5 Tips to Keep Your Carpet Looking Newer Longer

It’s hard to forget how good it feels when new carpet is installed and the way it completely changes the room. Carpets can change the way a room looks, feels and even smells, but how well are you taking care of your carpet? Here are five easy ways to keep your carpet looking newer longer.

Vacuum Regularly

The simplest thing you can do to extend the life of your carpet is to make sure and vacuum at least once a week. This will keep dirt from settling and keep it from getting frayed and having dark spots in higher-traffic areas. It will also help to rake your carpet before you vacuum to loosen up dirt, hair and other debris that settles deep into the fibers.

Remove Spots and Stains Correctly

Spots and stains happen to every carpet all the time, but it’s what you do with them that determines how much damage the will end up doing. If you buy cheaper store-\brand spot cleaners made with petroleum, you could be doing more harm than good. They are known to bleach carpet, set the stain permanently or create an oily spot that attracts future stains. Using a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water is a better solution for spot and stain cleaning.

Make sure when cleaning up messes on your carpet that you don’t scrub the stain, but rather blot up the mess. Scrubbing a carpet causes the fibers to bloom and fray, so rather than scrub the stain in you want to absorb up the stain from the surface. When trying a new carpet cleaner, make sure and test the cleaner on a small, out-of-sight area first to make sure it doesn’t cause any discoloration before you put it to heavy use or stick with vinegar and water for better results.

Don’t Cause Stains With Your Feet

Most of us don’t remove our shoes when we come inside, but this can be a recipe for a dirtier carpet. Whatever you were walking on outside comes inside with you, so if you don’t want to add outdoor dirt and grime to your carpet take off your shoes when you come inside. It will help keep dark spots from appearing in high-traffic areas.

Alternatively, your bare feet can be another source of carpet stains. Your feet contain oil and bacteria that set into your carpet and attracts dirt, causing new dark spots to appear. The best thing to do is wear a pair of house-only slippers or at the very least keep your socks on inside the house.

Manage Your Pets

Pets like to do as they please, when they please and this can be terrible for your carpet. Make sure you let your dogs outside to do their business every few hours for their own well-being as well as your carpet’s. Make sure your cats are using their litter boxes instead of finding little corners or behind furniture to do their business. Failing to do this will lead to urine stains that contain acid and ammonia which will not only discolor your carpet, it will leave a horrible smell that is hard to get rid of.

Don’t Steam Clean Too Often

Deep cleaning your carpet with a steam cleaner is a great way to freshen it up, but doing it too much will cause damage. Over-steaming will cause the carpet fibers to fray, so it’s recommended that you only steam clean your carpet once or twice a year to keep it looking clean and healthy. Over-steaming also soaks your carpet and pad too often which can lead to mold, it will cause the carpet to wrinkle and dirt and grime will be attracted to the carpet more easily making it dirtier over time.

If you have questions about your carpet or need advice on replacing old carpet, call Jabara’s at 316-267-2512 today to speak to one of our carpeting experts.