How Often Should You Have Your Carpets Cleaned?

Owners of wall-to-wall carpeting frequently ask us how often they should be cleaned. The fact is that while most manufacturers provide care instructions with their carpets if you just moved into a house with wall to wall those care instructions may be long gone. On top of that, the Colorado environment presents unique challenges that someone living in Los Angeles or New York would not have to take into consideration. And we’ll get to those in a bit. So there is no straightforward, one size fits all answer to the question of frequency. But there things to be mindful of that will indicate that it’s time to call Steve’s for first class carpet cleaning services.

Things to Consider Before Calling for Westminster Carpet Cleaning

In the most general sense if you haven’t had your carpets cleaned in 12-18 months it’s a good ideas to do so. However, there are many factors that go into determining how often your particular carpets should be cleaned. Those factors include:

• The number of people in the house - If you live alone or there are just two of you in the house and no pets then having the carpets cleaned every 18 months or so is a good rule of thumb. However, if yours is a busy household with children and you have friends and family over frequently then you’ll need to clean the carpets more often than that. We’d recommend every 8 to 12 months maximum. Waiting too long can give bacteria, mold and other allergens a chance to burrow into the pile. Dirt dragged into the house by kids and ground into the carpet will also shorten its life.
• The presence of pets - We love pets but they deserve their very own bullet point in this story. Our furry, four-legged friends add joy and companionship to our lives. But their fur can also be a major allergen. Not to mention that it can get caught up in the pile of the carpet and become devilishly difficult to extract. Pets track dirt and debris in from outdoors. They also play host to all kinds of insects that land in their fur outside then come inside with them and wind up in the carpet. And let’s not even talk about pet accidents. If you have shaggy haired pets there’s a very real need to have the carpets both vacuumed and cleaned often. But even with short haired pets the carpets should be cleaned every 8 to 12 months.
• The Colorado environment - Unlike a concrete jungle like New York the environment in this part of Colorado is natural and wide open. Dust storms blow in from the east. Tornados and dust devils are regular visitors. While wind blowing down off the Rockies carries all kinds of dirt, pollen, dead leaves and other natural detritus. Much of it winds up in the house, in the carpet. So whereas wall to wall carpeting on West 57th Street in Manhattan may only need cleaning every 18-24 months. That same type of carpet in Westminster Colorado will have you searching for ‘carpet cleaning near me’ more often.
• Unexpectedly harsh weather - Even in the best of times carpets in Colorado will need to be cleaned more than carpets in LA. But in the case of a spell of particularly bad weather you may need to break down and call for carpet cleaning services even if you just had them cleaned recently. A period of torrential rains will invariably lead to large amounts of mud and other debris being tracked into the house. There’s just no way around it. The longer the bad weather continues the greater will be the need to call Steve’s Carpet Care when the skies finally clear. Failing to do so will have negative long term implications for your carpet.
• Party time - Sometimes a house will experience several large social gatherings in rapid succession. Maybe a big holiday get together, followed by a birthday party, followed by an anniversary party then another holiday party. You get the picture. All that foot traffic can and does drag huge amounts of dirt into the house. It typically leads to food and drink spills as well. So if your home has been converted into party central lately it’s a good idea to call Steve’s as soon as things calm down a bit.

Will Shampoo Hurt My Carpets?

As often as not carpet shampooing winds up damaging the carpet. Here’s how:

• The chemical solutions that rent-a-vacs use to clean the fibers often react in strange and negative ways to different types of carpet. They can in fact, wind up changing the color of the carpet or leave it with some areas that are lighter than others. Once that happens there is no way to fix it.
• If you use the wrong temperature water with the rent-a-vac it can destroy the carpet fibers or, just as bad, cause them to shrink. Once the carpet shrinks you’ve got real problems. In some cases water that’s too hot can cause colors to run or fade.
• If you accidentally hold the water release button down too long the carpets will become inundated and may never fully recover. Even if you manage to dry it out pretty well it may wind up playing host to mold and mildew. Too much water is one of the main ways rented shampoo machines ruin otherwise perfectly good carpeting.

For peerless Westminster carpet cleaning services call Steve’s today.