How Often Should I Have My Carpets Cleaned?

Wondering if you’re cleaning your carpets enough? Or too much? Are there guidelines governing how often you should get your carpets and rugs professionally cleaned? If so, where do you find them?

Perhaps you’ve been told cleaning will damage your carpets. “Wait as long as you can before you clean your carpet.” or “Once you’ve cleaned your carpet, it’s never the same.”

These misconceptions come from unfortunate encounters with unskilled carpet cleaners who leave carpets saturated with detergent residue. One or two bad experiences leave homeowners resolving to wait until the carpet is in dire straights to clean it.

The good news is that a properly cleaned carpet will not get soiled as quickly and will actually last longer. Why? Because cleaning by professionals who know what they are doing is guaranteed to remove the soils that damage your carpet.

The bad news is that not professionally cleaning your carpet leads to irrevocable damage. Vacuuming is not enough; it only removes the surface soil – the soil that you see. You must have your carpets professionally cleaned in order to remove the soil that vacuums can’t. Ingrained soil cuts and slices as you walk on your carpet, breaking down the carpet yarns in high traffic areas. Once the damage is done, even restorative cleaning will not correct all of the damage. If you’ve seen carpets that look worn down in high traffic areas, you’ve seen the results of infrequent professional cleaning.

Fiber producers and carpet manufacturers recommend that a residential carpet should be professionally cleaned at least every 8 months for best performance, and more often (at least twice a year) if you have children, pets or smokers in your home.

What About Your Rugs?

Did you know that a 9 x 12 Oriental Rug can hold up to 87 pounds of soil without looking dirty? This was proven in a study done by the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company. So, get your rugs professionally cleaned at least once a year.