How Often Should I Clean My Carpet?
The answer to this question involves more than just the vacuum in your home, although regularly vacuuming the carpeting is critical. Carpet manufacturers all recommend a combination of regular vacuuming with a professional cleaning approximately once a year. However, if you have a crowded house that includes kids and pets, it’s important to clean the carpeting more often. What follows are some general guidelines on how often to clean the carpet.
Once a week is a general rule.
Many experts agree that a thorough vacuuming once a week is sufficient for most homes. However, if you have a full house that includes kids and pets, your carpeting is filling quickly with dirt and grime and twice-weekly cleanings would be a better idea. When you get off that schedule your carpet fills with an unbelievable amount of dirt, dust and toxins. Experts say a single square-foot of carpeting can hold a pound or more of dirt. Imagine your family walking and playing on carpeting that filthy.
Quality is just as important as quantity.
It’s one thing to set up a schedule and vacuum your carpeting once or more a week, depending on the usage in your home. Even more critical is the quality of the vacuuming each and every time out. It’s important to pay particular attention to your vacuum cleaner to make sure it is set properly. Most machines have multiple floor and carpeting settings. To find the proper setting, put your vacuum on its highest possible cleaning setting. As you slowly lower the machine, stop when the vacuum starts to pull forward on the floor by itself. Make sure the bag is empty, if the machine uses one, and all filters are clean.
Clean more often for health reasons.
The level of carpet cleaning in a home should be personalized to the amount of dirt and other issues, such as allergies and asthma. Carpeting can trap dirt, dust mites and other toxins that can create serious health issues for family members or visitors. The Environmental Protection Association says indoor air quality is one of the top 5 pollution problems in the entire country because of the contaminants that can be tracked inside. Allergies can be triggered by much of the dirt, allergens and toxins that can accumulate in your carpeting, such as dust mites and pet dander. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 1 out of every 5 people in the country is affected in some way by asthma or allergies so clean carpeting means a healthier household.