How to Care for Your Carpets in Between Professional Cleanings
DIY Carpet Cleaning and Maintenance Tips
Need some DIY carpet cleaning and maintenance tips to keep your floors in tip-top shape in between professional cleanings? We’ve got you covered.
While booking regular professional carpet cleanings with a quality provider like Oxi Fresh is one of the most important steps you can take to keep your carpets clean and maintain their structural integrity, that doesn’t mean you should ignore your carpets in between those cleanings.
Below, we share a few great tips to help you keep your carpets clean and healthy.
Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum!
No matter how often you have your carpets professionally cleaned, vacuuming them frequently is one of the best things you can do to care for your carpets on a DIY level. Beyond keeping them fresh and clean, it could also add years to the life of your carpet.
The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends that the average homeowner vacuum their carpets twice per week. At a bare minimum, you should aim to vacuum all your carpeted areas at least once per week, with more frequent cleanings of high-traffic areas like major hallways in between. In particularly busy areas, you could likely benefit from daily vacuuming sessions—so when it comes to vacuuming, more is generally better, especially if you have pets or a lot of foot traffic.
It’s also key to use a good quality vacuum (the Carpet and Rug Institute can help you find one), and be sure to follow our vacuuming best practices guide as well.
Clean Up Spills, Spots, and Stains ASAP
You spilled some wine or coffee? Your dog had an accident in the living room? Your kid crushed a few bright-orange Cheetos into your white carpet?
Whatever the issue, if something has spilled onto your carpet, it’s crucial that you get to cleaning it up as fast as you possibly can. The longer things have a chance to set and soak into your carpet fibers, the harder it will be to remove them. So always act fast when it comes to spots and stains of any kind.
If you need some guidance on cleaning up a particular kind of spot on your carpet, check out the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Spot Solver tool for help.
Use Mats and Rugs
Another great tip is to use mats or rugs at entryways to catch soil from outdoors before it has a chance to reach your carpet. You can also use them in high-traffic areas, like a main hallway, to help protect your carpets from dirt and grime that would otherwise build up in those spots. If you can, try to rotate these mats or rugs periodically to promote more even wear.
Leave Shoes at the Door
This one is really a matter of personal preference, but in an ideal world, it would be best if you and any guests in your home leave your shoes at the door. This simple step can have a big impact on how much soil actually reaches your carpets in the first place.
Regularly Change Your Air Filters
It’s also a great idea, for numerous reasons, to regularly change your air filters. Quality air filters can help catch a variety of airborne particles and contaminants before they settle into your carpet pile.
Be Proactive With Pets
Pets, especially pets that spend a lot of time outdoors, can take a real toll on our carpets. But taking proactive steps to mitigate these issues can help a lot. You can read all about owning a pet and caring for your carpets in more detail elsewhere on our blog, but here’s a quick rundown featuring a few helpful tips:
- Brush your pet’s hair or fur to help limit shedding around the house
- House train your pets effectively
- Keep pet wipes or towels near entryways, and use them to do a quick clean-up of their paws (or any other dirty parts) whenever your pet re-enters the home
- Set up designated (and washable) pet beds or blankets around the home to help keep your pet from lounging directly on the carpet or furniture
- Wash those beds, blankets, and any other pet-specific items regularly
Rearrange Furniture From Time to Time
To minimize wear on your carpet, it can be helpful to occasionally rearrange the furniture in your home. This will limit the matting and crushing of your carpet’s fibers in specific areas, and for some of us, changing things up like this can make our homes feel a bit fresher.
Just be sure you don’t drag heavy furniture around on your carpet, which can cause even worse wear and tear. If you need or want to, use sliders or carpet protectors under the legs of furniture to help distribute the weight more evenly.
Neutralize Odors
Along with tackling spots and stains as soon as you can, you shouldn’t let nasty odors linger in your carpets if you can help it. For many situations, you can use simple household solutions to deliver lasting odor relief. For instance, try sprinkling a thin layer of baking soda over an odorous spot in your carpet, leaving it for a few hours, then vacuuming it up with a powerful vacuum. You could also try commercially available enzymatic carpet cleaning solutions.
If your DIY odor-removal efforts don’t do the job, you can always call Oxi Fresh. We offer a professional odor control service that works wonders.
Block the Sun
If your carpet is exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, it can cause the coloration to fade much faster than it otherwise would. If you’re worried about this, use blinds or curtains in your windows to limit the amount of sunlight your carpets are exposed to.
Groom Your Carpet
Here’s our final tip: you might want to invest in a carpet rake or brush and use it to groom your carpet from time to time. These simple tools can help fluff your carpet pile and redistribute the fibers, limiting matting and compression.
Don’t Forget to Hire Oxi Fresh When Necessary!
Even if you vacuum daily and take every other precautionary step, hiring a pro like Oxi Fresh from time to time is always a great idea. If you’re interested in booking a carpet cleaning today, it couldn’t be easier: just visit our Online Scheduler or give us a call at 1-877-694-3737.
