Whether you are an owner or a renter, whether you are caring for a residential or commercial carpet, the condition of that carpet affects you. Not only for appearance, but for day-to-day life and comfort, your carpets should look and feel their absolute best. If you’re getting to that point where you’re not comfortable in your home in your bare feet, or if your commercial carpet is starting to look worn and grungy, look at these care and maintenance tips.
A very quick search online brings up the Carpet and Rug Institute, which has a very useful guide to residential carpet care and also an exhaustive manual for commercial carpet care, the last in a downloadable .pdf (Adobe Reader) file for for your convenience.
According to the manual, protecting and extending the life of your carpet can be boiled down to about five steps: Prevention, Vacuuming, Stain Removal, Cleaning, Deep Cleaning.
Prevention and protection are very important steps for the life and beauty of your carpet. Rugs outside entry doors as well as immediately inside can help remove dirt and grime from shoes before it comes in contact with your carpet. In your residence, after coming home, take shoes off before entering a carpeted area, and be sure that any indoor footwear stays clean. Use rugs in highly traveled areas to prevent cow trails and other unsightly matting and thinning of your carpets. Good rugs may not all be cheap, but their use can prevent unnecessary wall-to-wall re-carpeting.
Vacuuming will also help prevent matting or loss of depth in carpet. The brisk brushing and air flow fluff and straighten the fibers, releasing them from dirt. Cleaning and occasional deep cleaning can also help, especially if there is grease or oil stuck in the carpet. Most new carpets will resist dirt and grease, but over the years of use and cleaning, that will be somewhat lessened.
Stain removal can be done with several commercial products — your best safety net is to test each product in an out-of-the-way place on the carpet (according to the instructions) before inflicting it on your entire floor. Also, be aware of what your carpet is made of; natural fibers — such as wool — will respond to different chemicals than synthetic fibers, and the correct product should be used.
If you are debating whether or not to put carpet on a floor in your home, take into consideration the use of that area. Will there be water or other liquids regularly in that area? Will it receive heavy traffic, or heavy traffic from outdoors? Will there be bright sunlight for long periods of time? All of these questions and more will affect not only whether or not you should use carpet, but what kind. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the fastness of dyes, ultraviolet light sensitivity, and durability. Whether you use our contact page or call into the store, someone will be glad to help you.
Photo sources: kevindooley and Alaskan Dude.
Heidi Blodgett
Schumacher Tile & Stone
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