Since our carpets generally cover many of the floorspace in our homes, they’re both expensive and time consuming to replace. Not only that, but since they’ve often got big pieces of furniture on top of them so they can also be a bit of an inconvenience to clean. But just because it’s inconvenient to do a proper job of cleaning your carpets doesn’t mean you should avoid it. A lack of cleaning can damage carpets.
In fact, carpets that have gone for 6+ months without professional cleaning can start to become a health hazard. Some carpets can eventually come to contain more than their own weight in dust, which can irritate people with conditions like asthma. Carpets can also become a breeding ground for bacteria from pets, shoes and clothes. Professional carpet cleaning is important to limit this build up.
Avoid these common carpet cleaning mistakes
For some people, a quick whiz around with the vacuum cleaner and a bit of elbow grease counts as carpet cleaning. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Sometimes DIY carpet cleaning can actually damage the carpet and the cost of replacing it is going to be much higher than simply hiring a carpet cleaner for the afternoon. If you’ve had a go, be careful not to risk damaging your carpets by making any of these common mistakes.
Do not scrub your carpets
Had a spillage of some kind? It happens to us all, but it’s what happens next that determines whether it leaves a lasting mark or not. If you’re trying to get a mark or stain out yourself do not make the mistake of scrubbing at the carpet. Scrubbing will damage the fibres. This could cause them to fray, or could even tear them from the base of the carpet. Over time this approach can create bald spots on the carpet and these can be impossible to fix.
Avoid bleach and corrosive products
Off the shelf carpet cleaning products can be very appealing. Many promise to remove stains entirely in only a few minutes. Sometimes these products can be effective, but if repeatedly used they can affect the fibres of the carpet and leave them flat and weakened, particularly if the products contain bleach. Even worse, some corrosive liquids aren’t suitable for certain types of carpet and if used incorrectly can cause irreparable damage. If you’re not sure what your carpet is made from then be sure to avoid the mistake of using the wrong product on it.
Another mistake to avoid with shop bought cleaning products is using too much of them. Carpet shampoo and detergent is particularly bad for this because it’s sticky. If you use too much you may not be able to completely wash it out again and it will act as a magnet for dust and dirt. This will decrease the lifespan of the carpet and only a professional will be able to help tidy it up.
Keep the moisture within limits
Using lots of water as a way of washing the carpet is another DIY cleaning technique to be avoided. Professional carpet cleaning equipment does use moisture, but crucially it extracts it too. Without this gear it’s not possible to get all the moisture out of the carpet again. This can lead to unpleasant damp smells, bacteria and even mould, which could grow in or under the carpet. Wool carpets may also shrink too and replacing them won’t come cheap.
A professional carpet cleaner can help
Carpets may seem simple, but there is a lot that can go wrong if you’re thinking of having a go at scrubbing them yourself. A professional carpet cleaner will always be the cheaper option in the long run, not to mention the fact you’ll get much, much better results with a pro. Remember, we do this every day, not once every 18 months, so we have a pretty good idea what we’re doing! If your carpets look like they could use a bit of TLC, why not call Roffey Cleaning today and let us give you a hand. Just take a look at what are previous delighted customers have to say to get an idea of the amazing results you can expect.