Who doesn’t love a professional carpet cleaning? The fresh smell, the feel of revitalized carpet under your feet, the relief of being rid of those unsightly spots; Our customers certainly appreciate how pristine their floors look after we’re done cleaning them, and one of their most pressing questions is how to keep them that way. Here’s what we tell them.
The Problem
Have you ever used that orange soap? That industrial-grade, gritty, no-nonsense soap you usually find near a slop sink or auto shop? If you haven’t, it’s got a rough texture that scours whatever you’re cleaning. It does a great job of scrubbing dirt and soil off your hands specifically because it’s so gritty. Your carpet experiences the exact same thing when it gets dirty.
Up close under a microscope, dirt particles look a lot like broken glass. They act as an abrasive, scouring and grinding against whatever they come across. The unfortunate thing is your carpet isn’t nearly as resilient as your hands! Dirt will cut up and wear down carpet fibers, which don’t heal like human skin.
Over time, walking over dirty carpet will grind those particles into the fibers where you step, resulting in wear patterns in your traffic lanes. Not good! Once wear patterns form, that’s actual damage; all the cleaning in the world won’t fix damaged fibers!
The best thing you can do to keep your carpets looking great for years is to prevent traffic lanes from forming. Here’s how:
- Get the dirt off your feet – Use door mats on any door that leads outside, and make sure to use them! You can also make it a habit to take off your shoes when inside. No dirty shoes, no dirt getting into your carpet.
- Keep your hard floor surfaces clean – Dirt sticks to carpet, but it slides right off hard surfaces like hardwood and tile. Keep these floors clean, and you won’t have to worry about transferring soil to your carpets.
- Vacuum frequently – Depending on the foot traffic your floors get, you’ll want to vacuum frequently and (most importantly) regularly. High-volume businesses especially should vacuum carpeted areas daily to keep them looking their best.
- Have your carpets professionally cleaned – Since carpet fibers do a great job of hiding dirt, professional hot-water extraction cleaning should be scheduled regularly. Even if your floors don’t look soiled, dirt could still be hidden away, damaging carpet fibers and creating those horrible wear patterns.
- Apply fiber protection – After a professional cleaning, applying a fiber protector like 3M Scotchgard™ Protection will help repel dirt and stains, creating a barrier that will help keep the soil from destroying your fibers.
With these tips, you should be able to form a maintenance plan that will help keep your carpets wear-free throughout their lifetime. If you still have questions, or would like a plan from the pros, contact Modernistic for all your carpet maintenance needs!