How to Care for Your Carpet
Carpet stays looking its best with three habits: vacuum regularly, clean up spills fast, and have it professionally cleaned every 12 to 15 months. Here’s the quick routine, then answers to the questions we hear most.
Your Step-by-Step Carpet Care Routine
General Maintenance
- Use Entrance Mats: Place mats inside and outside of your entrances to trap soil before it can be tracked into your home.
- Vacuum Regularly: You can never vacuum too often. Manufacturers recommend a vacuum with a properly set beater bar, one that will raise the pile while it removes soil. You should be vacuuming your home 1x per week for every person or pet in the home. For example, if you have a family of four with two dogs and a cat, you should be vacuuming 7 times per week, particularly in high-traffic areas where the whole family is regularly.
- Blot Up Spots Immediately: Immediate attention to spills and spots will make removal easier. Follow Spot Removal Instructions recommended by the yarn manufacturer.
- Clean Regularly: Clean your carpet before it shows traffic patterns. Soil particles can damage your carpet yarns. Follow recommended cleaning procedures to prevent voiding your warranty. Professionally clean your carpets with hot water extraction at a minimum of every 12-15 months.
- Remember, a spot is not a stain: Stains cannot be removed and have permanently dyed the fiber of the carpet. Spots can be cleaned and will come out with the correct treatment. Often, you won’t know if it’s a spot or a stain until you try to clean it.
Vacuuming & Professional Cleaning
- The ideal vacuum has an adjustable beater bar. The beater bar should be adjusted so it’s just barely flicking the top of the carpet fibers. Its purpose is to shake the fibers so dirt falls loose and can be vacuumed up. It’s not made to dig into the carpet fibers and “scrape” dirt off; this scratches your carpet fibers and dulls the color.
- If you have soft, plush carpet, avoid the ultra-powerful vacuums; they are too strong and will wear out your carpet fibers faster than normal wear and tear. That much suction is not necessary to clean your carpet.
- Professionally clean your carpets with hot water extraction at a minimum of every 12-15 months. Schedule a cleaning as soon as they start looking dirty — you can never clean your carpet too soon.
- Waiting too long can cause permanent damage to the fibers, such as loss of tip definition and micro-scratching of the fibers, which makes the carpets look worn or matted.
- Deep cleaning your carpet refreshes the fibers and pulls dirt and oils out of the carpet that dry vacuuming simply can’t do.
- We do NOT recommend using a DIY steam cleaning machine. Most of these machines are not cleaned between uses, and they don’t perform as well as a professional truck-mounted hot water system.
- Proper vacuuming and professional annual cleaning will help the overall appearance, durability, and longevity of your new carpet. Lack of proper maintenance will ensure premature wear, untwisting of the yarn tufts, dissatisfaction with your product, and void the warranties.
Spills & Spots
- Remove spills as quickly as possible to reduce the chances of staining.
- Staining is influenced by how long the spill is on the carpet and the temperature of the environment. If something is hot and on there for a long period of time, it is more likely to stain than something cold and on there for a short period of time.
- No carpet is stain-proof.
- All modern carpets are treated with stain resistance when manufactured.
Carpet Care Tips From the Pros
A few simple habits make a big difference in how long your carpet lasts. In this quick video, our team walks you through easy care tips. You'll learn how to set your vacuum's beater bar to the right height, and how to protect your carpet's fibers and finish between cleanings.
How Often Should I Vacuum My Carpet?
About once a week for each person and pet in the home. Make four to five slow passes over each area, going in different directions, and set the beater bar so it just barely flicks the top of the carpet.
How Do I Handle Spills And Stains?
Remove spills as quickly as possible to reduce the chances of staining. Immediate attention to spills and spots makes removal easier. Follow the spot-removal instructions recommended by the yarn manufacturer. Remember, a spot is not the same as a stain: spots can often be cleaned with the correct treatment, while stains have permanently dyed the carpet fiber.
Is Any Carpet Truly Stain-Proof?
No. No carpet is stain-proof. Modern carpets are treated with stain resistance when manufactured, but spills can still stain depending on how long they remain on the carpet and the temperature of the spill and environment.
How Often Does Carpet Need Professional Cleaning?
Professionally clean your carpet with hot water extraction at a minimum of every 12–15 months. Schedule cleaning sooner if the carpet starts looking dirty. Waiting too long can permanently damage the fibers, including loss of tip definition and micro-scratching that can make the carpet look worn or matted.
Can I Use A Rental Steam Cleaner Instead?
We do not recommend using a DIY or rental steam-cleaning machine. These machines may not be cleaned properly between uses and generally do not perform as well as a professional truck-mounted hot-water extraction system.
Carpet Care
Questions About Your Floor? We’re Here to Help
Whether you’re planning a project or caring for floors you already have, our team is glad to help. Stop by a showroom to talk it through, or schedule a free in-home estimate, and we’ll bring the answers and the samples to you.