Whether you’ve moved into a new home, have recently laid some new carpets or are renting and want to make sure you’ll get your bond back in its entirety once your tenancy is over, there are plenty of reasons to make sure your carpets are fresh and clean throughout the years. Not only do clean carpets look and feel amazing, but they can also help in keeping you and your family healthy by ensuring they’re free of bacteria and allergens. Due to their texture and fibrous make-up, carpets can be the perfect home for bacteria, odours and other nasty pathogens (even when they might look clean!). By following our 5 simple carpet care steps below, you can ensure that you’re keeping your carpets in the best condition possible. 1. Wipe your feet!
This is probably the easiest step that can be taken in keeping your carpets cleaner for longer. The best solution is prevention so before walking on carpeted area, make sure your feet are clean. Ideally, avoid walking on carpeted areas with shoes but if shoes must be worn, make sure they’re free of dirt or debris on the sole.
2. Regular Vacuuming
This one seems like a no brainer but that doesn’t take away from its importance in the key steps to carpet maintenance. Regular vacuuming with a quality vacuum will ensure that all the dust and dirt that embeds itself in your carpet fiber can be removed regularly before they cause permanent damage. The frequency of vacuuming really does depend on the household (I.e. households with small children and pets will require more regular vacuuming) but as a rule of thumb, we recommend once thorough vacuum every week that gets into all the nooks and crannies of your home accompanied by a few spot cleans throughout the week to take care of any small messes. By doing this, you’re getting ahead of any heavy build-up of dirt and dust in your carpet which if left for too long will continually be treaded deeper into the carpet fibers making it more difficult to extract it. Keep in mind that when carpets are newly laid, there may be some ‘shedding’ that occurs as the loose fibers from the newly weaved carpet comes to the surface. This is perfectly normal and shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Simply continue to vacuum up the excess fluff which should stop piling up over a few months.
3. Dealing with Spills
No matter how careful you may be, there’s no denying the odd spill that’s going to happen on your carpet every now and again. If you have small children, pets or Parkinson Disease, these spills may be a far more frequent occurrence. The most important factor to keep in mind when it comes to spillages is the sooner they can be dealt with, the more the chances are that you’ll be able to remove them completely. Ideally, you want to address a spillage as soon as it happens. The steps required in cleaning a spill varies depending on what’s been spilled. For a deeper dive into addressing spills and stains on carpets and upholstery, check out our article on How to Remove Carpet Stains. Below you’ll find a brief set of rules to follow.
Firstly, get a clean, dry towel and blot the stain. What you’re trying to do here is try and gather as much of the spilled liquid into the towel and out of the carpet. If the spill has solid pieces through it (I.e. spaghetti) be sure to remove the solid pieces first before beginning the blotting process.
For food and drink stains: Use a combination of white vinegar, dish soap and warm water in a bowl/spray bottle. Mix together 60ml of white vinegar, one squirt of dish washing liquid and warm water and apply to the stain. Leave the mixture to soak in for 10 minutes before gently agitating the stain with a small brush or a towel. Blot dry with a clean towel.
Pet stains: Firstly, make sure the mess is cleaned up as much as possible and the area is as blotted thoroughly. To remove the stain, try using a mixture of a laundry stain remover (Vanish Napisan is a good option) and agitate the area using a brush or clean towel. Once again blot the area dry. To address the odour, a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and warm water is a good option again. Allow it to dwell on the area for 15-20 minutes, agitate slightly and blot dry with a clean towel again.
Tea/Coffee stains: The same mixture used to treat food stains above can be employed on this type of stain. Mix together 60ml of white vinegar, one squirt of dish washing liquid and warm water and apply to the stain. Leave the mixture to soak in for 10 minutes before gently agitating the stain with a small brush or a towel. Blot dry with a clean towel.
Blood stains: Be sure to always use cold water to address blood stains as blood coagulates with warm water. Mix 200ml of cold water with one squirt of dish washing detergent and pour on stain. Using a small brush or cloth agitate the area and rinse with cold water. This process can be repeated until the stain has been completely removed.
Ink stains: Ink stains require a very specific treatment. Dampen a clean cloth with Iso-propyl (this can be purchased at the local supermarket) and rub across the stained area. This should help lift the stain from the carpet onto the cloth. Repeat this process as required until the stain is completely removed.
4. Use carpet protectant
Carpet protector sprays can be a very effective way to protect your carpets against spills and messes. They’re chemical properties essentially coat your carpet in a resistant barrier that makes it harder for spills and messes to penetrate deep into the carpet fiber. The most popular of these products is 3M's Scotchgard that can be found at almost all supermarkets. We’d recommend spraying this on clean carpet with special attention being paid to high traffic areas or areas prone to spills and stains (I.e. the carpet under a dining area). Always test any kind of protector spray on a small, hidden part of your carpet to ensure it doesn’t have an adverse effect before spraying on a large area. 5. Hire a professional
In order to really keep your carpets looking their best, we think it’s important to use a professional carpet cleaning technician at least once a year. Firstly, the equipment that a professional carpet cleaning company like Renyo uses costs 10s of thousands of dollars. The agitation, pressure and extraction that such specialised machinery can create simply cannot be recreated with home remedies or regular store bought/hired machinery. Our state-of-the-art carpet extractors and agitators are designed to give your carpets the most thorough clean possible while protecting the fibers and making it feel brand new. More importantly, a professional carpet cleaning technician has (hopefully) years of experience in the treatment and stain removal of carpets. At Renyo, all our technicians are equipped with 36 (yes, 36!) specific chemicals for the removal of stains. Our technicians are experts in recognising the chemical composition of a stain and combatting it with the most suitable chemical. Done once a year, a professional clean on your carpets can save you money in the long run by increasing the life of your carpet and making your home as clean and hygienic as possible. Follow the above steps for flawless carpets year-round!
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