Carpet Cleaning

How often to do carpet cleaning, either by a DIY project or by a professional carpet cleaner, depends on your living habits and the environment. Whatever the method you use or the frequency you clean your carpets, it is important to clean them as regularly as necessary. How often you do carpet cleaning them depends upon how large your family is and if you have pets, that quite by accident, soil the carpets from time to time. In addition, you must consider the amount of foot traffic and whether you ware outside shoes in the house. Many homeowners do not allow outside shoes to be worn in the house simply because they track dirt, grime, and oil stains from outside to the inside and onto your carpets and floors. Not wearing shoes that are worn outside the home inside the home is more common than you might think. If you have spent any time or have lived in the orient it probably is an adopted habit.

Environmental factors come into play when determining a carpet cleaning schedule. Factors to consider are; do you live in a dusty area, do you have air conditioning, what type of heating system, do you live in an area that has three or four seasons a year. If you are able to maintain the indoor environmental quality of your home the cleaning frequency can be considerably less than if you can’t. Living in an area that has three or four seasons reduces the number of dusty days per year. A home that is air conditioned reduces the amount outside dust that is induced in the home. However, if you have a central force air heating system the dust that is in your home will be spread throughout the house unless you change the filters often.

Professional carpet cleaning services will suggest that you need to have your carpets cleaned professionally every six months if you have a large family and pets. Well, that can be excessive if you can control the environmental and foot traffic in your home.  If you can control the environment and foot traffic then you probably can go for three years or more before a professional cleaning is necessary. Some homeowners even go longer.

Professional carpet cleaning is very expensive although most do a great job. An alternative to having a professional carpet cleaner do the job is to DIY. Most home improvement centers rent very good carpet cleaning equipment that will do the job just as well as the professional’s equipment. When cleaning carpets do the job on a day when the weather is agreeable, warm and sunny. Even though the carpet cleaning equipment removes the solvent used to clean the carpet it take fresh dry air for it to thoroughly dry. This is best accomplished by leaving the windows open and using a fan to move the air.

Do not over apply the cleaning solvent as it will take longer to dry the carpet. Always follow the manufacturer’s suggestion when using carpet cleaning equipment and cleaning solvents. Do not allow foot traffic or move furniture onto damp carpets, wait until the carpet is thoroughly dry. If you do elect to use a professional carpet cleaner insure that quality of work and price is well defined in a written agreement.

Cleaning your carpets on a regular and as a needed basis will help prolong the years you get out of the carpet before replacement is necessary. This is a DIY project that is within the capability of most homeowners, and it will save you a bundle of money. Carpet cleaning machines for rent and carpet cleaning supplies are usually available at your home improvement center at reasonable prices.