You pride yourself on keeping your carpets uber clean. It was a lot easier before you had kids. As soon as they arrived, it became this constant battle where you need eyes in the back of your head to prevent every spill and accident that could have disastrous consequences for your carpets.
Every parent on the Steve's Carpet Care & Restoration team has lived this story ourselves, and we’ve seen it countless other times in households that have hired us for carpet cleaning. But fear not! There are a number of measures that you can take to protect your carpets from anything your children can throw at them!
Six Things You Can Do to Childproof Your Carpets
You might not have much time for cleaning or like it very much. But when you have children, cleaning up after them becomes a part of life! Here are a few ways in which you can safeguard your carpets from your children and hopefully make them last longer.
Protect the Areas Where They Play
We all have our favorite parts of the house. Me, I like the garden and my study. Kids are no different. If your monitor their routine, you'll likely see that they spend a lot of time in one or two parts of your house. If those areas have a carpeted floor, it's a very good idea to protect these areas in some way, as due to the greater amount of time the kids spend there, there’s a much greater risk of accidents occurring.
Get some sort of mat or rug and place it in this area. I wouldn’t advise spending much on this though, as you know it’s likely to be subjected to all kinds of punishment. But that’s kind of the point. It’s better the mat or rug takes this punishment rather than your carpet, as you can simply replace it when it's past its best.
Have a Stain-Proof Coating Applied to Your Carpets
You know that spills and accidents are likely to take place with kids about. Your job is to minimize the impact that they have. If you’re in the process of buying a new carpet, look for one that has this protective coating already applied. If you’re dealing with an older carpet, there are many spray-on products that exist that will add this protective coating to your carpet.
This coating goes a long way to preventing permanent stains, as it won’t allow liquids to be absorbed by the carpet fibers, so it’s much, much easier to clean off. Be warned though, this protective coating will fade over time.
Learn to Love Area Rugs
If your kids are very young, you might want to invest in some area rugs. At least until you get through the worst of it. The early years can be very messy…Buy some large areas rugs to protect the main carpeted areas of the house. It’s a good idea to choose rugs that are a darker color or some sort of pattern, as these will do a better job of hiding the accidents when they inevitably happen.
Limit Access to Carpeted Areas
If you have a mixture of floor surfaces in your home, it might be a wise idea to limit your children’s access to delicate carpeted areas, and encourage them to play in areas that have flooring that is easier to clean, such as hardwood flooring or floor tiles.
If that’s not possible in your home, you can get a little bit creative with how you arrange the furniture in your rooms to encourage your children to spend time in certain areas. It’s really just about limiting their contact with areas of carpet that are particularly vulnerable (light carpet in the middle of the room etc).
Make Sure to Schedule Regular Professional Carpet Cleaning
Your carpets will definitely have to take more abuse with children in your home, so scheduling a regular deep cleaning of your carpets becomes even more important. This will ensure the dirt and grime that isn’t removed by your standard carpet care routine will be stripped away, ensuring it stays in better condition for longer.
Regular vacuuming and being quick to react to any spills or accidents your children have will only go so far. Professional carpet cleaning is another tool in your arsenal that can help to nullify the impact children have on carpets.
Spill-Proof Cups are Gold in the Early Years
My kids absolutely loved drinking all types of juices when they were young. The problem with these juices is that they’re an absolute nightmare to remove from carpet. They stain very badly! The key here is to stop the juice from ever coming into contact with the carpet.
And the solution really isn't that complicated. Sippy cups or spill proof cups as they're otherwise known are absolute gold during the early part of your child's life. They're the ones with a little spout and two handles on the side. The lid fastens on tight! If you get some good ones, your kid can drop them on the floor, and not a drop of juice will be spilled!
No Matter the Mess, Our Local Pros Can Help
We've been called out to deal with some serious messes in our time, and for many of the worst jobs, a child was the perpetrator. There’s no one thing that will completely childproof your carpets, but a professional carpet cleaning done 1-2 times per year will go a long way to keeping your carpet in the best shape possible for many years to come. If you're in the Denver area, call our team of experienced technicians today for a free estimate on carpet cleaning, restorations or any other services we offer.