Carpeting is made to hide soil but its presence will cause damage. Soil hinders the carpet’s natural resilience (the ability to bounce back) allowing the carpet yarns to become distorted. Fine gritty soil will actually scratch the fibers when walked on, causing the carpet to look dull.

Regular maintenance vacuuming is the main way to keep a carpet looking like new. Here are some pointers for making the most of your vacuuming:

1. Vacuum Regularly. Schedule a weekly overall vacuuming and if possible vacuum more often in high traffic areas.

2. Focus on Soiled Areas.When you are vacuuming feel free to “fly over” the areas of carpet that are rarely walked on. Focus your time and energy on the major traffic areas and any entry from hard sur face areas onto the carpet. Carpet manufacturers recommend that you go over these areas slowly 3 to 5 times. Embedded soil take more work to remove than surface dust.

3. Empty Vacuum Bag Frequently. Studies have found that a vacuum cleaner’s efficiency is reduced by at least 50% as soon as the waste bag becomes ½ – ¾ full.

Vacuuming isn’t high on the list of what we “can‘t wait to do today“. But when you are tempted to put it off, think about how much your carpet fibers would benefit from a vacuum massage. If you can keep those fibers clean and happy, they will look good and last for a long time.

Prior to the popularity of wall-to-wall carpets area rugs were very common. Little thought or concern was put towards the maintenance of these rugs. The rugs could easily be taken outside, suspended and beaten to get the dust out or hand shampooed and hung up to dry. On rare occasion the rugs could be rolled up and taken to a rug cleaning plant for cleaning.

When wall-to-wall carpet became popular in the 1960’s, cleaning it was a challenge. Consumers were dependent on their own vacuuming and spot cleaning to keep the carpets looking nice. Some homeowners would occasionally call a professional carpet cleaner to come in to “shampoo” the carpets. Fortunately, most carpets were darker in color and people generally did not have very high expectations of cleaning.

During the 1970’s consumers started purchasing lighter colored carpets and they found that normal soiling was far more noticeable. Consumers began to use professional carpet cleaners periodically to clean for appearance sake. About this time “steam cleaning” became a reliable method of maintaining the carpet’s appearance. When the carpet looked dirty, a carpet cleaner would be called out to remedy the situation.

In the late 1980’s the carpet manufacturers produced even lighter colored carpets in styles that weren’t as adept at hiding the dirt. They found that if the carpets were professionally cleaned annually, the “like new” appearance and quality would last two to three times longer. So manufacturers started requiring their carpets be cleaned on a regular basis to keep warranties valid. Consumers were now cleaning carpets regularly for maintenance reasons.

Since the 1990’s there has been growing concern about “indoor air quality.” Buildings and homes are more tightly sealed for energy conservation. Studies find that the air quality of our indoor environment is actually worse than the air pollution outside. Surprisingly, one of our best allies in the fight for better indoor air quality is wall-towall carpeting. Carpet acts as a filter, trapping airborne contaminates such as dust, pollen, animal dander and other allergens which would otherwise continue to circulate throughout our home. Carpet helps prevent us from breathing in these pollutants.

It is important we make sure that filter (the carpet) gets cleaned regularly. According to the EPA-Environmental Protection Agency, a household of two people should have the carpets cleaned every 6–12 months for health reasons. That frequency should increase if there are smokers, young children or pets in the home. In addition to appearance and maintenance issues carpets need to be cleaned for health reasons.

Carpets and their maintenance requirements have changed over the years. But a properly maintained carpet adds value to your home by providing comfort, style and a healthier environment.

Why is it important to blot not scrub the carpet?

You can distort the fibers. Many residential carpets are constructed using staple fibers. The individual fibers that make up the carpet yarn are 6 to 8 inches in length, simulating the natural length of wool fibers. These cut “staple” fibers give the carpet yarns more body and a softer feel. If the carpet is scrubbed these cut fibers will be partially pulled out of the carpet yarn creating a fuzzy appearance. This fuzz creates a shadow affect and is difficult to correct. When you spot clean the carpet be sure to gently blot the area using a cotton towel. Cotton towels are far more absorbent than the carpet fibers. Any liquid spill will naturally be drawn into the towel instead of the carpet fibers. Scrubbing is not necessary!

Should we save leftover carpet scraps? Yes.

Many times carpet ends up being replaced because of only one or two stains or worn areas. In situations where excess carpet is available, a good carpet repairperson can “section in” an unused piece of carpet to replace the damaged section. It is a good idea to wrap smaller pieces in a plastic bag and roll up any larger pieces. Store them in a dry place in case a repair section is ever needed. It will save you from having to live with an unsightly stain or worn area.