A house is not a home until you have beautiful carpets. They make a room feel warmer, more homely, and, let’s face it, they are just plush to walk on. Great for winter and colder days in the year, the soft fibers of a carpet can bring a sense of comfort and relaxation to a room.
Even though most people love having carpets in their home because they reduce noise and feel great, everyday life can be detrimental to your floors. Pet stains, spills, children, and even incorrect cleaning can leave a carpet worn and dirty. Besides that, we are always stepping on carpets, so whatever is under your shoe is transferred to your beautiful investment. Something to remember is that you cannot always see when a carpet is dirty, so don’t be fooled by a clean appearance.
It doesn’t matter how much you try to avoid them; spills will happen. The worst part is that we try and scrub the stain which only pushes it deeper into the carpet fibers.
The best way to go about removing a stain is to blot it instead of rubbing it. This is easily done by applying pressure with tissue or a clean cloth to absorb most of the stain.
In many instances, carpets are soiled by dirt that you can’t see. The visible dirt is usually the top layer which is what is cleared away when you vacuum. The grime that has settled deeper into the carpet can ruin the carpet fibers especially if the carpet is walked on often.
If you want to keep your carpet looking spotless vacuuming can help, but stains and spots take more effort to remove. Loose surface dirt is easily removed by vacuum, but deep stains cannot be sucked up.
It’s important to vacuum your carpets and rugs weekly, but every once in a while, a more thorough approach might be needed. You will need to deep clean at some point, especially with changes in season.
5 reasons why vacuuming alone doesn’t cut it
Vacuuming will not remove stains
As mentioned earlier, vacuuming cannot remove stains. Only loose dirt and dust can be removed with a vacuum cleaner, which means that any dirt stuck to the carpet or deep within the fibers will not be removed. Removing stains will take deep cleaning and washing to do. In some cases, you might even need a professional to come in and clean your carpets. It may seem as if most of your carpet is clean after you vacuum but certain organisms like mold and dust mites can hide in the smallest corners of a carpet. On a hard floor, it is easy to remove these organisms, but soft flooring such as carpet cannot just be scrubbed or vacuumed.
The type of vacuum cleaner that you use will not change the fact that stains won’t be removed in the vacuuming process. Cleaning your carpets might be harder if you live in a humid environment or one in which a lot of moisture can get into the carpeting. This is because vacuuming will not be able to suck up moisture and lose dirt will get stuck in the moist carpet fibers. This normally results in the growth of mold or mildew which is not only ugly to look at but detrimental to your health as well.
Even though mold and dirt are prevalent on carpets, they also attract living organisms like dust mites and fleas. This can affect allergies and skin conditions in a bad way which, in turn, affects your health. Feces from these insects is what normally cause allergic reactions and problems with your respiratory system. Vacuuming cannot get rid of both the insects and their excrement.
It’s not as effective as carpet beating
Professional carpet cleaners will not only vacuum carpets but beat them as well. This helps to remove loose dirt that has been pushed deeper into the carpet fibers. Vacuuming removes loose dirt too, but only from the topmost layer of the carpet. When you beat carpets, you can remove deeper layers of loose dirt as well as some living organisms and allergens. Most of this dirt is tracked in from outside by people and pets. The organisms that are brought in on the bottom of your shoe can live and multiply in the fibers of your carpets. If you have trouble keeping a regular cleaning routine or removing some stains, it is best to seek professional help.
Vacuuming does not remove odors
It is not a secret that soiled carpets are usually accompanied by bad smells. No one wants to live in a space that smells like spilled wine and pet feces. Because vacuuming only removes loose dirt and not the mess that is stuck to the carpet fibers, the smell will remain even after vacuuming. If you are a pet owner, this may be a bigger problem for you because pets will have accidents. This is easily solved by having your carpet cleaned properly regularly. Another way to mask smells is by using a deodorizer on your carpet as they are designed to mask and destroy bad odors. The downside to this is that the entirety of the dry deodorizing powder cannot be removed completely by vacuuming. This might create more mess than there was, to begin with, but at least your carpet won’t smell anymore. Vacuum weekly, deep clean once every 3 to 6 months, and beat your carpets and rugs monthly with a broom. This should keep your home or work environment smelling clean.
Carpets wear down if vacuuming is your only cleaning technique
Besides the fact that vacuuming pushes the carpet fibers down into a flattened position, it will not remove color stains. This results in a carpet that looks worn and old. The only way to make a carpet look new again is by getting it professionally cleaned. Having a home that is welcoming means keeping a clean carpet and vacuuming is not the way to do that. Vacuuming is designed to be a quick fix when you spill something dry, but it won’t keep a carpet looking fresh. Deep cleaning restores carpet fibers to a point where they are almost new and besides making the carpet look good, this also increases its longevity.
It is not an alternative to professional deep cleaning
Vacuuming and deep cleaning work hand in hand with each other if you want to keep a clean carpet. Carpet durability and longevity are dependent on maintenance and how much effort you put in to keeping it as clean as possible.
If you want your carpet to maintain its durability, you must keep a regular cleaning schedule. This means you must also avoid cleaning blunders such as only using a vacuum for cleaning. While cleaning your carpets by yourself will do the trick, it is important to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year. This will remove the deep dirt, grime, and organisms that are stuck within the fibers of your carpet. You can have it done more often if you want a spotless floor, but the minimum is annual. Ensure that the carpet cleaner you choose is professional, well known, and offers a 100% money-back guarantee. Remember that you do need to vacuum. Just because it is not the same as deep cleaning does not mean you should never do it. It simply means that you should vacuum as well as clean and not just do one or the other. It is important to vacuum regularly and thoroughly to keep the air in your home looking clean and fresh. If you don’t vacuum, loose dust can be disturbed when the carpet is walked on which fills the air with all types of harmful organisms. Find a good combination of vacuuming and cleaning that will make your carpets look better and last longer.
To Wrap Up
It does not matter how often you want to clean your carpet, as long as you get it done professionally every once in a while. The first step to buying a carpet is finding one that is less likely to attract dust and dirt particles. This will save you time, effort, and money with cleaning in the future. Vacuuming alone is not enough to keep your home clean.
Hopefully, these tips will help you keep your investment as good as new. Keeping a clean carpet means keeping a clean environment that anyone will want to enter. You have also protected your and your family’s health by doing so.
Choose the best combination of cleaning methods for your lifestyle and preferences and remember to always seek professional help if you cannot do it yourself.