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Carpets can add a wonderful touch of hygge, muffle noise, add warmth, and provide a little extra comfort for feet. With a carpet, you also won’t have to worry about expensive floors getting scratched or everyday wear and tear as much — many families with pets or young children opt for carpet over hardwood for this reason. Indeed, carpeting is responsible for a little over half of the flooring market in the United States. However, it’s important to make sure that you’re doing carpet cleaning regularly and appropriately. They can often trap odors, allergens, and dirt, and depending on the color, stains might show up easily. Luckily, carpet cleaning services are easy to come by and anything — from a stain to odor treatment — can be treated, leaving it looking brand new!
Longevity
If carpets are well-maintained, they can last up to 15 years — a nice investment! There will be some wear and tear, of course — especially given that three-quarters of people walk on carpet wearing outdoor shoes — but a regular cleaning can help keep your carpet looking great for longer.
Health
This is the big one. Dust, debris, allergens, crumbs, and more all add up — and sink right into your carpet. If you have a crawling toddler, who’s on their hands and knees a lot, you’ll definitely want to keep your carpet clean. And if you have someone who suffers from bad allergies, regular cleanings can help mitigate those effects as well. You should get them professionally done at least once a year, if not more.
Appearance
Stains and odors can also accumulate over time and there’s nothing that looks worse than a worn and stained (not to mention smelly!) carpet. It can definitely unfairly age a home and reduce resale value.
Vacuuming is a good first plan of attack. It’s suggested that you’ll want to take out the vacuum at least twice a week. Steam-cleaning is another option. If you have a pet who sheds (or is tracking lots of debris and dirt in), you should consider steam-cleaning your carpet every six months, according to professionals. Otherwise, the general rule of thumb for steam-cleaning tends to be every 12 to 24 months.
Carpet shampooing is another type of cleaning that can be helpful, especially for stains or odors. Foam encapsulation has also become popular — detergents crystallize into powder when dry, taking with them dirt particles. Everything then can easily be vacuumed up. It also has a shorter drying time than carpet shampooing.
You can also have your carpet dry cleaned! This a great option for a true deep clean, since a rotating brush opens up the fibers and lets the compound get inside. This is also a type of cleaning that’s safe for all carpet types; professional offices often will use this as a cleaning option.
Research is one of the most important steps before hiring a carpet cleaning service. In this case, cheaper isn’t always better — make your decision based on the quality of their services, what’s included, and recommendations.
Make sure the company also screens its employees and does background checks. They should be responsible for their employees and guarantee some security if your carpet or other possessions are for whatever reason damaged during the process.
Be aware too, that the quote you see online or when calling companies is usually just the base price. If you need anything else, the cost will likely be higher, so you want to be explicit about what exactly you’re looking for and how much they charge. Some extra costs might surprise you — for example, cleaning stair carpet might cost more.
Carpets can provide many benefits to a home, but it’s important to keep them well-maintained and regularly cleaned. A professional carpet cleaning company can help keep them looking good as new and make your home a cleaner place to be.
