Tips to keep your carpet perfect, longer

Kayla Gulec Kayla Gulec
TARIMA DE ROBLE STORM - MADRID, Tarimas de Autor Tarimas de Autor Salas de estar modernas
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Everyone loves carpeting – it is soft, comes in an array of colours and styles to match your home’s unique décor, and they are not too much of a hassle to maintain. But carpets to tend to get dirty pretty quickly, just like any surface in a high-traffic home. Most people start their carpet maintenance with vacuuming. And then, that’s it. Nothing else is done to make sure the carpeting stays fresh and clean. Although it is incredibly important to vacuum regularly, there is much, much more that can be done to keep your carpeting looking like it just came from the warehouse. In order to keep your carpet looking perfect for the entirety of its lifespan, we here at homify have compiled a short list of things you can do to maintain its appearance. After reading this, you will be aware of your carpet’s material, how often to vacuum, and how to get a really deep clean. So let’s get started!

The importance of knowing your carpet material

Knowing the type of material your carpet is made of is the first step towards keeping it clean. Why, you ask? Because each individual carpet fibre handles cleaning products differently, and some are more durable than others. For example, if you have wool carpeting, silk, sisal, or any designer fibre blend carpeting, it is highly recommended to stay away from ammonia and any cleaners that are high in alkalinity, as these will damage the fibres. But when working with synthetic fibres, such as nylon, olefin, polyester, and acrylic, these are much more forgiving with respect to aggressive carpet cleaning solutions. A cleaning solution that can clean both synthetic and natural fibres is considered to be the better option.

Tip 1: Sprinkle baking soda before you vacuum 

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Baking soda is one of the most versatile substances we have available to us on the market today and it is used to clean and deodorize all kinds of different things. So it should come as no shock to you that sprinkling some baking soda on your carpet before you vacuum has great benefits. If your carpet has a funky smell due to spilled food, pet odor, or years of foot traffic, baking soda will get that right out while also being environmentally safe. Baking soda isn’t a harsh chemical, so it won’t be irritating to your eyes or respiratory system when you use it. It’s cheap, safe for pets (and of course, you and your kids), and all you have to do is sprinkle it on the carpet, scrub it in a bit, wait a minute or two, and vacuum it right up. Easy as pie!

Tip 2: Weekly vacuum 

As we mentioned earlier, most people start and end their carpet maintenance with vacuuming. That’s not to say vacuuming isn’t important. In fact, you should really vacuum your carpet once a week. Even if you don’t see any food particles or little things trapped in your carpeting, there are microscopic dust particles trapped in there that if left to sit, will contaminate your home, making it stuffier and trapping allergens as well. The best way to vacuum is to vacuum in both directions, so that you ensure that you’re picking up every last speck of dust, and take your time with it.  Vacuuming slowly allows your machine to suck up more dirt. You should also make sure to adjust the height of your vacuum. Some machines do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, make sure you take the time to adjust it, as it will make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your home.

Tip 3: Deep clean twice a year

Vacuuming your carpet keeps the dirt, dust, and allergens out of your carpet, but if you want to keep your carpet as clean as the day you bought it, you will want to deep clean it twice a year. You can do this with either a natural cleaning solution of salt, borax, white vinegar, and baking soda, or you can use a steam cleaner. Again, be mindful of your carpet’s material. Synthetic fibres can handle steam cleaners, but natural fibres are less forgiving. The best times to do a deep cleaning are at the beginning of spring and autumn. That way, you can have all the windows in your home open to let out the dust you’re stirring up and bring in fresh air, rejuvenating your house.

Tip 4: Treat stains immediately 

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This may sound like a no-brainer, but when you spill something on your carpet, you need to treat it immediately. The longer something sits in your carpet, the harder it is to get out, because the carpet fibres will soak up the colour and smell of whatever you have spilled on it. To get rid of a stain, simply blot the spot and dry it working from the outside in. Rinse it thoroughly with clean water and then blot again. You should never scrub the carpet, as you will risk ruining the fibres or letting the spill soak through the carpet pad. There are carpet cleaning solutions on the market, but if you want to go green, you can use white vinegar and water (about a teaspoon of vinegar mixed with about a litre of water) and you’ll have that spot clean in no time while also doing your best to leave a small carbon footprint.

Tip 5: Walk without shoes

So, now that you’ve vacuumed, used baking soda, have done your deep cleaning, and know how to spot clean, just how can you keep your carpet looking good? It’s actually rather simple – just take off your shoes! Taking off your shoes in the mudroom of your home or just right when you walk in will save you so much time and energy in cleaning. You wouldn’t believe the things your shoes track into your home. The grooves in our shoes trap all kinds of dirt, vegetation, or when we’re really unlucky, perhaps some dog droppings that your neighbour forgot to clean up. By taking your shoes off when you enter your home, you are sparing your carpet from dealing with these foreign particles, leaving your carpet smelling and looking fresh like the day you bought it.

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