Carpets add warmth and style to any home or office. However, they require regular care to keep them looking fresh and extend their lifespan. From daily vacuumings to periodic professional deep cleaning services, properly maintaining your carpeting is easier than you think with these simple tips from London’s top experts at Vip Carpet Cleaning.
Schedule Professional Deep Carpet Cleanings
While vacuuming helps with surface-level dirt between professional services, carpets still need periodic deep cleaning to revive the fibers and remove years of accumulated oily soils, pollen, pet dander and other microscopic debris tread deep into the piles. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends professional hot water extraction every 12 to 18 months.
Benefits of professional carpet cleaning include:
- Sanitizes carpeting in homes with kids and pets
- Eliminates musty odors from moisture accumulation
- Extends the life of carpets by years
- Restores vibrant color as dye residue is removed
Vip Carpet Cleaning London offers heavily discounted rates for clients who enroll in our annual maintenance plans rather than calling only when carpeting looks visibly dirty. Protect your investment with regularly scheduled professional carpet cleaning.
Vacuum Carpets Thoroughly and Frequently
Regular vacuuming removes abrasive dry soils on carpet surfaces before foot traffic can grind them deeper into the vulnerable fibers. Yet few clients vacuum nearly enough. Follow this schedule:
High Traffic Areas – Vacuum entryways, hallways and other high traffic zones daily if possible but at least every other day. Where kids and pets play also merits daily attention.
Whole Home – Don’t forget less visible areas rarely receiving foot traffic like guest bedrooms and formal living spaces. Vacuum all carpeting and rugs at least weekly.
Under Furniture – Move chairs, sofas, beds and other furnishings to vacuum underneath weekly.
Check filters often and change vacuum bags frequently for optimal suction and cleaning power through the miles of carpeting fibers.
Treat Spills and Stains Promptly
No matter how diligent your family, carpet stains happen. But many homeowners make them worse by overzealously scrubbing the area or using the wrong cleaning solutions. Here is our professional advice: Business Place.
Blot gently – Immediately blot wet spills with clean, dry white towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. Avoid vigorous circular rubbing motions that can grind the spill deeper into fibers.
Use mild solutions – For food or pet stains under 24 hours old, use lukewarm water mixed with a mild detergent. Avoid bleach and other harsh store-bought chemicals unless designed specifically for carpeting. Always pretest carpeting for colorfastness first in an inconspicuous area.
Blot and repeat – Continue gently blotting the affected area with your cleaning solution followed by plain water before absorbing all residual moisture with dry towels.
For older mystery stains or smells, avoid DIY remedies. The professional strength products, steam, and suction used by Vip Carpet Cleaning London lift stains without additional damage from aggressive scrubbing or lathering fibers in foamy residue.
Protect Entry Points
Much of the dirt entering your home comes in on shoes. Guard all exterior entryways with exterior doormats and also place quality carpeting safe entry mats inside. The Carpet and Rug Institute’s “Seal of Approval” program tests and certifies industrial mats and carpeting to trap soils before reaching interior flooring.
Popular entry mat materials include:
Coir fiber – Natural resilient material scraped from coconut husks that effectively scrapes shoes. Avoid latex backings which can transfer to carpet, opt for vinyl instead.
Rubber – Extremely durable synthetic material perfect for high traffic businesses. Easy to clean by shaking or hosing off outdoors.
For homes, a combination of an outdoor and indoor mat captures more soil protecting interior carpeting walking past the entry space. Shake out entry mats weekly or more often.
Rotate Area Rugs
Rotating the orientation of area rugs every 3-6 months prevents uneven wear patterns from furniture legs always resting in the same location over years. This also avoids crushing fibers and fiber matting in heavy traffic walkways. Periodically flip smaller rugs over and gently beat out embedded grit outdoors.
For wall-to-wall carpeting, occasionally move furniture to let the fibers relax and lift from compression. Just a few inches can help prevent permanent indentations.
Treat Pet Accidents Thoroughly
Pet urine requires specialized treatment to eliminate odors and prevent permanent stains. The uric acid crystals can permanently dye carpet fibers yellowish or brownish if not properly dissolved. Use an enzyme cleaner formulated specifically for pet stains rather than just treating the surface. Thoroughly rinse and extract all residues after to prevent rapid re-soiling.
For old or mysterious smells, trust Vip Carpet Cleaning London’s pet odor removal services using commercial strength hydrogen peroxide solutions to blast away urine salts and bacteria deep down.
Protect you carpet from Direct Sunlight
Just like upholstery fabrics, carpeting fades more rapidly when positioned near untreated windows with direct sunlight exposure all day. Close drapes over windows when the room isn’t occupied or furnish the space with rug sizes allowing repositioning based on the room’s primary uses. For wall-to-wall carpeting, rearrange furniture periodically to help even out inevitable fading over years. Properly cared for carpeting won’t need replacement just because of predictable aging and patina.
With some diligence, carpets can retain their integrity for over a decade in residential settings and near that lifespan within commercial spaces under heavy daily traffic. Contact the experts at Vip Carpet Cleaning London to design a customized maintenance plan for your home or company’s needs.
With some diligence following these simple tips for preventing dirt from invading while removing spills promptly, clients often double their carpet’s lifespan saving substantial replacement costs over years of use. For deeper restorative cleaning services, contact London’s best carpet cleaning company at Vip Carpet Cleaning today and enroll in our convenient annual maintenance plans.
