"How often should I have my carpets
professionally cleaned?"
It depends.
How often you have your carpets deep cleaned by a professional depends on:
• your carpet warranties,
• whether you have pets and/or children,
• the number of occupants in your home, and
• your personal carpet maintenance practices and habits.
If you only get your carpets cleaned when you see visible dirt or dulling colors, then unfortunately the carpet could be suffering from irreparable fiber damage, and the indoor air quality of the home is likely being affected.
Most carpet manufacturers and The Carpet and Rug Institute recommend having your carpets professionally cleaned using hot water extraction every 12-18 months.
What about your home?
Homes with Pets
Homes with furry friends should have their carpet professionally cleaned more frequently — I recommend every 6 to 12 months.
Your carpet can really take a beating from your pets. Whether they are trained or not, they will often track in urine, feces, and other dirt from outside, which means getting your carpets cleaned is even more crucial.
And of course animals naturally shed fur and dander (dead skin) which is dispersed around the home. When kicked into the air by normal daily walking, these pollutants can aggravate some family member's allergies.
Also, animals naturally secrete oils from their fur and skin, so wherever they spend the most time and curl up for a nap on your carpeting and upholstery, you’ll begin to notice a concentration of these oils building up. These areas are an especially strong soil magnet.
Homes with Children
Muddy shoes, paint, crayons, fruit juice, popsicles — these can wreak havoc on your carpeting. Babies and children spend a lot of time on your carpet, so you'll want your carpet and upholstery to always be soft, fresh, and clean. If you are relaxed about letting your kids eat, drink, and play on the carpet, you may consider having your carpets cleaned every 6 months rather than the average recommended 12-18 months.
Oily Residues Cannot be Vacuumed Up
Oily residues become a magnet for fine particulate soil which can cause lasting damage to the carpet fibers over time. These particles build up in your carpet and can only be removed by deep cleaning. Here are some of the sources of oily residue you may not have realized:
• Cooking oils that mist into the air will settle in your carpet.
• The cooking oil residue that lands on the kitchen floor can be tracked onto the carpet on you shoes.
• The soot from burning candles, fireplaces, and tobacco smoke settle on your carpet fibers.
• Oil-based Plug-in air fresheners silently pump out residues that end up settling on your carpet.
• The essential oils used in humidifiers and diffusers will end up setting on your carpet.
How do these particles cause damage to carpet?
Little particulate dirt particles will bond to the sticky oil residues that accumulate on carpet fibers. Under normal daily walking, these small particles will slowly cut into and damage carpet fibers over time. If not removed, the soil particles significantly diminishes the carpet's lifespan — it can take years off the life of carpeting. The result, then, is a costly premature carpet replacement. This is why carpet manufacturers require cleaning by hot water extraction on a regular schedule to keep new-carpet warranties valid.
Professional cleaning is required to remove the oily residues and trapped soils. But fiber damage cannot be reversed. Fiber Clean's complete professional cleaning processes, performed on a regular basis, will prolong the life of your carpet.
Tips to Extend the Time Between Professional Cleanings
Vacuum properly, on a regular schedule
Vacuuming, of course, is the best way to remove the surface contaminants from your carpets and area rugs between professional hot-water extraction deep cleanings, and before dirt can work its way deep down into your carpet fibers.
I recommend vacuuming at least once per week, but ideally 2-3 times a week — and if you have pets, 3 times a week minimum. Your high-traffic areas, and your pet's favorite spots will definitely benefit from daily vacuuming.
Floor Runners
Floor runners and mats help to keep the soil off the main house carpet. Carpet runners in garages help the home owner remember to wipe their shoes as they step out of the car and walk into the house.
I recommend putting runners in your main entrances. Every month or so, you might want to take the runners outside, and flood them out with a hose and mild detergent. Then dry them out completely, and return each to the same locations.
Indoor Shoes
I recommend wearing indoor shoes. Some shoes have soles that are not good for carpeting. For example, some black soled shoes leave black residues on the carpet. Black flip flops are notorious for this.
Clean Spots and Spills Immediately
Spots and spills must be immediately addressed by the home owner to minimize any permanent damage.
Please always BLOT a spill on your carpeting. DO NOT SCRUB!
Be sure to blot out the spill. When you scrub a spill out of carpet, you may remove the spill material, but you’ll be left with a fuzzy "bloom" of damaged carpet pile.
Conclusion
I'll be happy to work with you to recommend the best professional cleaning frequency depending on your cleanliness goals and unique situation. Additionally, if you have a new-carpet warranty to adhere to, I recommend that you follow the instructions stated in the warranty — and remember to keep records of your professional cleanings.
My professional carpet cleaning process is a complete deep cleaning series of steps which achieves the deepest possible clean without leaving behind residues.
