Having your home’s carpets professionally cleaned on a regular basis is usually the best way to keep those carpets looking like new, and to even prolong their life. Carpets that are never cleaned professionally can get matted with so much dirt and other debris that eventually no cleaning can restore their nap and color, and those carpets then need replacing.
While a professional cleaning is the best option for keeping a home’s carpets looking fresh and new, there is much you can do in between those cleanings to help maintain the condition of your home’s carpeting. Note a few simple but very important tips to keep in mind when it comes to your home’s flooring.
Obviously you want to keep your pets from tracking mud and dirt into the home, but remember to also keep a pet’s nails and claws trimmed. Sharp nails may tear at carpet fibers, so that those fibers are then more likely to hold dust and dirt and look threadbare and worn.
It’s also good to keep your pets properly brushed and groomed so that they lose less hair and dander around the home. Anything your pets shed will settle into the home’s carpet fibers, trapping more dirt and making those carpets look matted and worn down, so brush your pets often or take them to the groomer as needed, to help protect the home’s carpeting.
An air purifier in the home will trap dirt and dust that would otherwise settle onto the home’s carpeting. Investing in such a filter can be especially important if you live in an area with lots of dust in the air, such as near production facilities or construction sites.
Remember, too, that it’s good to change your home’s furnace filter often throughout the year, including the summertime, as your home’s air conditioner pushes air through that filter before it travels through the home’s ducts. Changing that filter during summer months can then mean less dust and dirt that then gets trapped in the home’s carpeting.
Daily vacuuming will remove dust and other debris before these can get trapped and ground into carpeting. Change the filter of your vacuum and empty the canister or bag frequently, so that you’re removing as much dust as possible every time you clean the carpets. It’s also good to vacuum your home’s upholstered furniture, as well as heating registers and vents.
You might also invest in a good carpet rake. This is a tool that looks something like a broom, but with short and thick bristles at the end. Unlike a broom, you pull this tool across the carpet, toward you, rather than pushing it. The bristles of this rake pull up any matted hair and other debris that may be trapped in carpet fibers, and which is often missed by a vacuum cleaner.
A carpet rake also pulls up carpet fibers that are matted down or crushed. This makes it especially good for high-traffic areas, or for areas of carpeting that always seem to show footprints and vacuum cleaner treads and swirls.