Carpets are one part of the home that really takes a beating. Consistent use and failing to take protective measures can lead to them wearing out much quicker than they should – but try telling that to your teenager! One thing you hear all the time when you have carpet fitted is the importance of carpet cleaning. “It'll really make a difference," they say. “Your carpets will really thank you for it”.
As professional carpet cleaners in Westminster with over 45 years of experience, we can't say that these pieces of advice are wrong. But do you know why people say that? I'm going to hit you with five surprising facts about dirty carpets that will clear this doubt up for you once and for all.
Facts About Dirty Carpets that Will Make Your Skin Crawl
SPOILER ALERT: If you like to lay down on your carpet even though it hasn't been properly cleaned for years, you might not want to after reading what's below. Just sayin'.
Dirty Carpet Is Full of Bacteria
Carpets are often the single biggest offenders in the typical home when it comes to dirt and pathogen accumulation, and a big reason for that is that a lot of folks simply shun carpet cleaning altogether. They only think to sort it out when things really spiral out of control. But a dirty carpet is a disgusting place to be well before that point.
There can be more than 200,000 bacteria per square inch of dirty carpeting. I know, it's a truly astonishing figure and just to emphasize the point above, that's about 4,000 times more bacteria than toilet seats on average.
Dr Philip Tierno of NYU Langone Medical Center conducted a study to uncover this data, and the range of bacteria and germs that could be living in your carpet is really very diverse. Some of the more common ones include:
- Salmonella
- Staphylococcus
- E. coli
These can have some truly horrific impacts on your physical health, provoking issues ranging from skin infections to allergic reactions to difficulties with breathing. Why go through all of that when there is a very simple solution? All you need is regular carpet cleaning, and these harmful bacteria and germs will be removed.
Your Carpet is Full of Dead Skin
If this sounds disgusting, it's because it is. But it's also very true. The average person sheds 1.5 million skin flakes every single day. We're not reptiles and a lot of these flakes are not easily visible to the human eye, but they fall right off you and often end up in the carpet pile.
Want to know what's even more disgusting. Those flakes – which were once part of your body – now become dinner for something that lives in between your carpet fibers. I'm talking about dust mites. They love a good skin-flake sandwich and this constant supply of food increases the number of them that colonize your carpets.
Your Carpets Likely Contain Dog Poo – Even If You Don't Have One
On the face of it, this claim might make it seem that there's some sort of black magic at work in your home. But there's a very rational explanation as to why your carpet likely contains microscopic pieces of dog poop.
When you're out and about, walking through the local park with your kids or making your way to the store via a series of sidewalks, your shoes are "collecting" residue from animal waste – dog and bird waste is the most common – and then you're taking it home by simply, well, going home.
As your shoes pass over the surface of your carpets, microscopic pieces of dog poop (or maybe bird poop), fall off and work their way into your carpet pile. And if you don't arrange professional-grade carpet cleaning, that's where it will remain. It's enough to make you want to gag!
Knowing this should also make you think twice about walking through your home wearing shoes that you've worn outside. Take them off just inside the door!
There Could be As Much as Several Pounds of Dirt Lodged in Your Carpets
It might not look like there's a mud bath in your front room, but don't be surprised if you have a considerable amount of dirt lodged in your carpets if you haven't had any proper carpet cleaning done for a long period.
Most of this dirt is brought into the home just like the animal poop residue – on the bottom of shoes (or paws if you have pets). Some dirt may also be blown inside if you leave windows and exterior doors open for an extended period.
Once this dirt finds its way to your carpets, it "settles" and helps to create the ideal conditions for the bacteria and germs that we talked about in our second point. Vacuuming regularly and using doormats, as well as removing shoes inside are all good preventative measures to implement, but you'll need to invest in deep carpet cleaning every few months to remove any dirt that does make it past these defences.
If you'd like us to assess the condition of your carpets or arrange for carpet cleaning in Westminster, Boulder or nearby communities, get in touch with the team at Steve's today.