One of the most frequently asked questions we hear is “can you over clean carpets”? This is a good question. To extend the life of the carpet, keeping them clean is key. However, can you damage carpet with too frequent carpet cleanings? Carpet Care 2000 would like to help answer this all too common question even though the answer isn’t easy.
Best Carpet Cleaning Method; Dry or Steam?
When it comes to cleaning carpet in either a commercial or home setting, it is important to know how carpet cleaning works to better know how often you should have your carpets cleaned. First, there are a few different ways to deep clean carpets. The two major methods are dry cleaning and steam cleaning. Dry carpet cleaning uses a solvent or foam cleaner that brings the dirt to the surface of the carpet. The foam cleaner is applied and as is dries, the dirt will be on the surface which then will need to be vacuumed up. The second major method to cleaning carpets is steam cleaning. Steam isn’t actually used to clean the carpets. How this method works is by shooting hot water into the carpet and then it is sucked up. Along with the hot water a cleaning solution is used. Steam carpet cleaning is one of the most intensive carpet cleaning methods. It is also a little bit more effective in removing deep and stubborn stains. However, both carpet cleaning methods will clean and improve the life of the carpet.
How Often Should You Clean Your Carpets?
To determine how often carpet needs to be cleaned is vital. Essentially, you do not want to clean carpet unnecessarily. Additionally, over cleaning the carpet can have negative effects. When you over clean carpets, you can wear down the fluffiness of the carpet and even thin it out. When washing carpets, it can cause the carpet to stretch out or swell. If you over wash them you can cause rippling in the carpet, especially if the carpet cleaning isn’t done correctly. To avoid over cleaning carpets it is important to identify your carpet’s actual cleaning needs. Depending on the foot traffic, some areas may need to be cleaned more than others. It is important to remove dirt and other particles in the carpet as they too can break down the pile or fibers in the carpet. But quite often to clean high foot traffic areas will also depend on the type of carpet. Tall fiber carpet may need to be cleaned more often than low pile carpets, as they are easier to extract dirt. Other elements such as kids and pets will also lead to more frequent carpet cleaning. For high traffic areas, and those involving pets or kids, carpet may need to be cleaned every 3 to 4 months. However, you do not want to clean carpets sooner than three months as you will be over cleaning the carpet. Especially, for those who do their own carpet cleaning, be careful. Over cleaning isn’t the only problem. Often carpets are cleaned improperly, such as over soaking or not extracting the moisture out of the carpets correctly. For low traffic areas, carpet tends to stay cleaner longer, which means you can go every 6 months between carpet cleanings.
Carpet Cleaning, Stain Removal & More in Tracy, Livermore, San Ramon, Dublin, Mountain House, Walnut Creek, Danville & the East Bay of California
If you want to extend the life of your carpet and need help deciding how often your carpet needs to be cleaned, contact Carpet Care 2000. We ensure long lasting and clean carpets.
