Carpet tends to ignite a love-hate relationship with homeowners. While carpet can add comfort, design, and even a pop of color to a space, it can also feel overwhelming to manage something meant to last a decade in your home. Whether you have little feet and paws running around or it is just you, it can still seem like a daunting task to make sure your carpet stays in the best shape possible. No one wants dirty, smelly carpet and it can instantly ruin a space you once loved. So, instead of avoiding the carpet in your home, take these steps and make sure your carpets and as clean as ever.
1. Choose The Right Carpet
When it comes to carpet, choosing what you need in the space is much more important than choosing what you want. While making sure your carpet matches your goal aesthetic, you are going to want to make sure you are choosing the correct material. If you are putting carpet in a high-traffic room, nylon carpet is your best bet. You should also consider choosing a short pile carpet in high traffic areas to reduce the amount of dirt held in those areas.
2. Always Cut Snags
It's only one little snag, right? While carpet snags can seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, it is important to keep an eye out for them and cut them as soon as you notice them. If you neglect to trim snags, they can quickly unravel and lead to further damage that might ultimately requiring you to make a large repair or even replace it.
3. Create Protective Measures
If you will naturally have a lot of visitors enjoying your carpet, there are several steps to take to try to minimize the wear and tear done to it. First, consider encouraging all guests to remove their shoes at the door if they don’t already. Another step to take is adding several rugs at entry points to your home so that any additional dirt and debris can get caught by an easily cleaned rug, rather than your carpet. I also highly recommend a carpet protector like Scotchguard Rug & Carpet Protector, which will repel liquids and help prevent stains.
4. Treat Stains As Soon As They Happen
If you are in the middle of hosting a party or just don’t quite feel like getting up and dealing with a mess, it may seem like a pain, but it is important to remove and treat a stain as soon as it happens. Letting any spill soak will reduce your chances of treatment and removal, and you can end up with a permanent stain.
5. Add Vacuuming To Your Weekly To-Do
If you aren’t already vacuuming at least once a week, start now. Maintenance cleaning is much better for your carpet than waiting until it actually looks dirty. Once you are vacuuming weekly, try upgrading to twice or three times a week. This will do wonders for the life of your carpet.
6. Invest In Professional Cleaning
Either once or twice a year, consider hiring the professionals to come in and deep clean your carpets. Nothing will bring them back to life better than an expert dirt and debris removal.
Investing small amounts of time on a regular basis for carpet maintenance will not only keep your home smelling fresh but will extend the life of your carpet.