How To Keep Your Carpet Clean
Having new carpeting installed can be exciting. It can really transform your home’s appearance. Keeping it looking new depends on a few factors and can require a little work. Here’s a quick and dirty list that will help you keep your carpet looking good for years. Give them a try!
- Keep the dirt outside! Your approach to the house is the first place to look. Do you have a sidewalk or entryway that is free of dirt? Keeping the approach to your home swept or using a leaf blower helps keep the dirt in its place; outside.
- Outside doormat. You may also want to put a heavy door mat specifically made for outdoor use at your entryway. Having one in place naturally invites people to use it and you’ll be surprised how many people use them, especially in foul weather.
- Inside doormat. I know, it seems kind of redundant, but again if people are given the opportunity they will typically use them when going into someones home.
- Remove shoes at the doors. If you remove your shoes and have them sitting in a well-defined area (a shoe or boot mat) near the entry door, most guests will at least offer to remove their shoes.
- Do you have children or pets? This will significantly increase the traffic and potential for messes! I would never suggest not having either. They are both life changing and rewarding all rolled up in one (technically two 🙂 ). Set no eating or drinking rules, in certain areas, with the children. This will help prevent spills and keep your furniture cleaner as well. Get pets “house trained” ASAP and keep them groomed. Accidents and pet hair are your worse enemy. The next two items can be your best friend if you have children or pets.
- Vacuum regularly. Dirt and grime can be abrasive and damage carpet fibers. Vacuum at least a couple times a week and even more in high traffic areas. Here’s my sales pitch, but I am an owner and 100% believer in the following products. First, invest in a good vacuum! We own a Dyson DC33 vacuum and it is awesome. FYI, Walmart has great prices and has free shipping! My second recommendation is to consider buying an iRobot Roomba vacuum. Ours is a basic model and we have owned it for 3 years. Run it when you leave for the day and when you get back the house will look nice and clean. We run ours five days a week on average and it makes a huge difference. Walmart and Amazon sell the basic model for the same price and both have free shipping. For more information read our iRobot Roomba blog article. We also have an article on Roomba maintenance that may be useful too.
- Clean your carpets. It’s probably not a bad idea to have your carpets professionally cleaned occasionally. In most circumstances once a year should be enough. However, it really depends on how much traffic it gets. You can opt for more or less, as you see fit. Here’s my last and final sales pitch for those who have children or pets. Consider purchasing your own carpet cleaner! We own and highly recommend the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe carpet cleaner. It is perfect for spot cleaning spills, pet accidents, and occasional high traffic areas. It can easily handle an entire room too. For more information read our Hoover Power Scrub blog article. It goes into more detail on all the feature that sold us on this cleaner. The Hoover Power Scrub can be purchased at both Walmart and Amazon for the same price and both have free shipping.
I am sure the above recommendations will help protect the investment in your new carpeting. Not only will it last longer, but it will look cleaner and brighter. If you have any comments or question, you can leave them in the comments section below. You can also email us at [email protected]. FYI, we do not collect or share emails! We will only use them to reply to your comments or provide answers to your questions. Thank you for reading and good luck with all your projects.
