As a general rule, it’s recommended that you get your carpets cleaned by a professional carpet cleaner every 12-18 months. However depending on a number of factors such as how many people are in the house, and whether you have pets or not, you may want to get your carpets cleaned more frequently. In this article, we’ll look at a number of different scenarios and how frequently carpets should be cleaned in each one.
You have a large family
If you have young children in the house then you’re likely to have more spills with the potential to become stains. Older children and adults tend to bring in more dirt from outside as a result of going about their everyday business. Having a large family means people are constantly going in and out of the house which will result in carpet fibres being damaged in high traffic areas.
If you find yourself in this scenario it’s recommended that you have your carpets cleaned every 9 months.
You have pets
Having a pet is usually an absolute pleasure, but it can cause a lot of problems for your carpet. First and foremost pet dander can build up in your carpet and can lead to it having a smelly odour. In addition to that pet dander in your carpet can trigger allergies in people who are susceptible to it. Depending on the age of the pet it may urinate on the carpet, leaving urine stains. If the urine seeps through to the backing, the odour can be very difficult to remove. Pets also tend to bring in dust, dirt and mud from the outside world, which soils the carpet.
It is recommended that homes with pets are cleaned every 6-12 months
If you’re a couple
Couples who live together can expect their carpets to look good for quite a while before they need to be cleaned. There is less chance of spills, and the amount of dirt brought in from outside will be much less than if there were more people in the house.
In this case, it’s recommended that your carpets are cleaned every 18 months to 2 years.
In addition to having your carpets cleaned in the suggested time frames, it’s important to maintain the carpet until the next clean. You can do this by regularly vacuuming your carpet. If you have any spills in between cleans make sure you clean them right away, and when doing so blot the spill rather than scrubbing it. The latter is a common stain removal mistake people make, and it pushes the spilled contents deeper into the carpet fibre. You can also damage the pile with the scrubbing action.