Protecting Your Carpet From Getting Damaged
That elegant carpet sprawled out on the floor is a key part of the interior décor. Its size, the stylish patterns on it, colours that make it pop – they all have an impact on the rest of the space. No doubt you took your time choosing between different carpet options before settling on the installation that is in line with your taste and style preferences. To enable the carpet to retain its beauty and longevity proper care is needed. This ranges from the routine vacuuming, carpet cleaning, placing protective measures to reduce the wear on the carpet, all through to dealing with spills quickly. Some of the common issues that cause carpet damage include:
- Dirt and grime
This is the leading cause of carpet wear. Soiling and debris that is buried within the fibres of the carpet are abrasive, especially when grinded against the material under people’s steps. As more people walk up and about the premises, the particulate matter is pushed deeper into the plush pile. Dirt spots also form dull patches on the carpet, taking away its beauty.
Setting up entrance mats goes a long way in protecting your carpet. These mats, positioned at the doorway, enable those walking in to wipe off the dirt and mud that is on their shoes, preventing it from being transferred to the rest of the carpet. They act as that first line of defence, which also has the welcome benefit of reducing the amount of resources that will be required for the carpet cleaning later on.
Area rugs also come in handy. These are positioned within the premises, especially on those sections that witness higher levels of traffic – such as the seating area and at the dining table. The area rugs help in bearing the brunt of the abrasion when people step on them. These are available in a wide range of styles and designs, that way you can get the setup that matches your décor.
- Spillages
Despite one’s best efforts, there will bound to be the occasional spill occurring on the carpet. This ranges from beverages like tea and coffee, acidic content including red wine, cases of ink blots or nail polish that drip on the carpet, all through to urine stains for those households having cats or dogs with behaviour or physiological issues. Any liquid content that is on the carpet needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. The problems that they can cause range from permanently staining the carpet, to causing corrosion of the material especially for the spills caused by highly acidic substances
- Insects
All that organic waste in the carpet – especially food crumbs, is a magnet for insects. The soft material and fluffy fibres gives them a warm space, and ample cover to make the carpet their home. As they go eating away at the organic waste, they also cause damage to the carpet, and not to mention leave behind their bodily residue that adds to the build-up of dirt and grime in the carpet. Some insects such as the carpet beetle will feed on the carpet itself. You also don’t want a case where you’re seeing ants and roaches creeping about on your carpet. Deep carpet cleaning measures, such as hot water extraction get rid of the matter that is attracting the insects to your unit, as well as the creepy critters that have settled in the unit. This is also key to enhance the health standards of the premises.
- UV Radiation
Excessive exposure to sunlight will gradually dull the natural dyes that carpets have been treated with. The most affected are the carpets that have yarn-dyed fibres. However, even those with the highest quality yarn will not be immune. This will affect the décor of the space. Here, you can take measures like closing the drapes, or even using UV protective panels for the widows. For those buildings with older windows, these will need to be replaced since they simply don’t offer the same UV protection that comes with newer windows. When choosing alternative windows for your premises, you can go with those that have been constructed with low-emissivity glass, which reduces the amount of UV rays getting through. You can also get the carpet cleaning crew to treat your unit with a fluorocarbon protector. This is a finish that can be applied after the carpet has been cleaned, to help protect it against damage from the UV radiation, while also having the welcome benefit of providing a barrier against everyday dirt and grime.
- DIY cleaning mistakes
Skipping the professionals and choosing to take on the carpet cleaning yourself comes with its challenges. While the pros make it look easy, that’s because they have been taken through intensive training, and come with years of experience. For DIYers on the other hand, they usually find themselves digging for information on how to handle the different dirt and stain problems all over the internet. Tips and hacks from blogs and YouTube are not the same as the training that the professionals have been taken through. On one hand, you want to use formulations that are powerful enough to remove those stubborn dirt and stain spots. On the other hand, the formulation should be gentle on the carpet material, otherwise you risk corroding the fibres, bleaching out the dyes or causing other kinds of damage to the installation. This is not how you want things to play out. Some of the common mistakes that are usually made include:
- Soaking the carpet in water
While water proudly holds the mantle of the “universal cleaning solvent”, using too much of it during the carpet cleaning can wreak havoc on your unit. DIYers flooding the carpet with water – perhaps in a bid to flush out the gunk that has accumulated in the fibres, brings about different issues. For starters, it increases the drying time. In the (likely) event that the DIYer doesn’t have access to powerful suction systems to extract the bulk of the moisture from the carpet, it can take days to dry. This is not only inconvenient, but it also encourages mould growth. Fungi spreading through the carpet material weakens its structural integrity, and also brings health risks due to the spores and mycotoxins that will be released into the indoor airspace. Depending on the carpet material and construction, there is also a risk of delamination. Here, the carpet gets separated from its primary backing. Colour bleeding is an issue as well, where drenching the carpet in water causes it to leach out the dyes that it has been treated with. These are not the outcomes you want for your carpet, as many of them will be difficult to repair, forcing you to spend more money replacing the carpet.
On the other hand, the professional carpet cleaning contractors already have the equipment and experienced personnel needed to ensure that the right type and amount of cleaning formulations are used. Even with wet cleaning methods like hot water extraction where higher water amounts are involved, the suction gear ensures that the moisture has been removed from the carpet material. This shortens the drying time. In fact, the cleaned carpet can dry in just a single afternoon, allowing normalcy to resume in the premises – and take away the risks of mould growth.
- Over Scrubbing
Too much abrasion will increase the wear to the carpet fibres. Over Scrubbing in a bid to deal with those tough dirt spots and stains weakens the material. It can be due to the wrong cleaning tools being used, such as brushes with tough bristles, or increasing the forces involved to compensate for the cleaning solution not being effective in chemically breaking down the spot. Whichever the case, it all doesn’t bode well for the carpet material, reducing the strength of the fibres and, in turn, the lifespan of the installation.
- Using excessive shampoo
For DIYers working with shampoos for the carpet cleaning, using too much of it, or failing to properly rinse out the carpet, leaves behind residue in the material. This residue causes there to be a rapid rate of resoiling. One ends up being forced to spend more resources to reclean the carpet much carpet sooner than had been expected – digging deeper in your wallet.
- Working with incompatible cleaning agents
You can’t just use any detergent to clean your carpet. The different materials – from the natural to the synthetic fabric carpets, come with their unique cleaning requirements. Working with agents that are incompatible can cause irrevocable harm to your carpet. Popular DIY formulations like vinegar, ammonia- based solutions, or lemon-based solutions can ruin the carpet if they are incompatible with it. One needs to find the ideal balance between a cleaning agent that is powerful enough to break down the dirt and stain spots, while still being safe for the carpet material. Ensure that you’ve gone through the ingredient list of the particular carpet cleaning product before purchasing it, or get a recommendation from the carpet manufacturer of the products to use for your unit.
When it comes to stain removal, note that you should deal with them as soon as possible. Allowing stains to remain on the carpet for long makes them set deeper into the fabric, and become more difficult to remove. Liquid stains such as beverage or wine spills can soak through the carpet’s padding, even reaching the flooring underneath. When dealing with the stains, use an absorbent cloth to soak up the excess liquid before using any cleaning agent on it. Also, avoid rubbing the stains. This is because it can cause the stain to be pushed deeper into the carpet, and also lead to the fibres getting frayed. Instead, one dabs the cleaning solution onto the stained area, then blots up the spot with a paper towel or absorbent cloth. It’s recommended that you begin at the periphery, working your way to the centre of the stain in order to avoid a situation of it expanding further.
Extra Measures To Protect Your Carpet
With routine vacuuming, you will be able to keep the levels of dirt and grime in your carpet low. Waiting to first see the carpet changing colour, with dirt and dust piling up before you vacuum will be waiting too long. In addition to removing the particulate matter accumulating in the carpet, vacuuming also strains the fibres of the carpet – maintaining that fluffy feeling. The frequency of the vacuuming will depend on the level of traffic that the premises handles. It will need to be more frequent for households with kids and pets, and commercial establishments since these witness higher levels of footfall.
Deep cleaning will be required – and it’s recommended that you get a professional for the task. This involves engaging a contractor that has the experience and machinery needed to deliver on their mandate. Going through the reviews and testimonials of clients who had initially hired the firm will put you in a position to gauge the level of service delivery of the carpet cleaning firm. Ensure that you have asked about the kind of cleaning processes they use – since these range from dry to wet carpet cleaning methods.
With professional carpet cleaning services, you get to benefit from having a thorough job carried out without posing a threat to the carpet. The training and experience they come with enables them to ensure that the appropriate methods are used for your particular situation. You can also have those particularly troublesome stains that have defied conventional methods. This is because the licensed contractors have access to a wider range of carpet cleaning agents, including formulations that are not readily available over-the-counter. To ensure that you get a suitable deal, compare quotations from different local carpet cleaning companies, to show you the range that your particular situation should cost. The goal here is to get value for your money, where you’re not overpaying to an excessively expensive contractor, and not going for very cheap services which end up needing to be repeated. When you settle on the company that you will hire, get the quotation in writing, where the costs for what you’re paying for have been broken down in detail.