Carpets are warm, comfortable, cushioned and feels good between the toes. Unfortunately, they must be periodically cleaned like everything else.
(See ‘Flooring-Carpet‘ for more information on the pros and cons of carpet and more.)
Although carpet is more prone to staining from spills, the accumulation of daily dirt and dust can damage carpet fibers in the long-run.
This makes regular vacuuming essential so that the dirt doesn’t get pressed into the fibers with all the traffic. Once-a-week is typically enough to do the trick.
Regular vacuuming is also necessary in keeping the carpet looking its best by removing the ‘balls of fuzz’ that can appear after loads of traffic.
Having spot cleaner is necessary for quickly getting up spills and stains before they have a chance to set into the carpet fibers. Before using your spot cleaner on a stain, test it on a small area of the carpet outside of common view to make sure that the chemicals won’t have an adverse reaction and alter the color of your carpet.
Plan to deep clean your carpets (usually through steam cleaning) every 12 to 18 months. Homes with pets, small children or those that receive a lot of foot traffic should deep clean them more often.
This especially holds true for lighter-colored carpets as most of the time, you can’t tell the carpet is as dirty as it was until it’s clean again.