While customers are shopping our large assortment of carpeting from top brands, we hear this question come up a lot! No matter the product, you can extend your carpet’s life by vacuuming consistently. The best carpeting in the world won’t perform or last well if you don’t vacuum regularly. To get the most out of your soft surface flooring, it’s important to implement a regular maintenance schedule.
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is waiting to vacuum until the carpet begins to look dirty. You won’t always notice the tiny particles that land on your carpet, and it’s most important to remove that soil when it hasn’t embedded in the fibers yet. When regular vacuuming is neglected, soil particles become embedded in the carpet fibers through normal use. Since most soil is gritty and rough, the particles will begin to damage the carpet fibers; unless vacuumed regularly. This damage is the main reason carpets age prematurely, so don’t skip routine vacuuming just because your floor doesn’t look like it needs it!
Here are some helpful tips to keep your carpeting looking like new!
1. Vacuum High Traffic Areas Frequently.
Okay, but what does “frequently” mean? It really depends on the type of carpet you have and how much traffic it gets. You should vacuum the traffic lanes in high-traffic areas daily and the entire area twice a week. For rooms with light traffic flow, vacuum the traffic lanes twice a week and the entire area once. For rooms with little to no use, a bi-weekly vacuuming session should suffice. With all this maintenance, you might be tempted to just give it a quick go and call it done. But don’t. Running several passes in different directions over an area will bring dirt up from the bottom, lift the pile and prevent matting.
2. Vacuum All Areas at Least Once a Week, Even If They Look Clean.
Unless you bring in a lot of dirt, live in a dusty area or have pets, you only need to vacuum your hard surface floors once a week. Dust, dander and other allergens, however, can work their way into the cracks between floorboards so you don’t want to let it go longer unless it’s a room you rarely use.
3. Find The Right Height.
Though a lower height setting will put the roller brush in closer contact with the carpet, some airflow is necessary in order to assist the suction action. If the setting is too high, the vacuum action is rendered ineffective, as the pile blocks the entrance to the cleaner, and won’t pull the dirt into the machine. But if it is set too low, you may damage the carpet or vacuum’s roller brush and drive belt. If you are not sure how high or low you are vacuuming, turn it on at the highest setting and then lower it until you can feel the vacuum tugging at the carpet.
4. Check Your Vacuum Cleaner Bag Regularly.
Change it when it becomes half to two-thirds full. A full vacuum bag will cause the vacuum to clean less efficiently and less thoroughly. Checking your vacuum cleaner bag is also an effective way to diagnose loss of suction in your vacuum. When a bag is full or if it has become ripped or torn, there will be a corresponding loss of suction. Even if the bag looks intact but there is still a suction loss, change it for a new one. This way, you will know for sure that the bag is not the problem.
We hope these tips can help you keep your carpet clean and looking new!
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