Living rooms and other shared spaces with families and friends are usually accentuated with the comfortable touch of carpet. Babies learn how to walk and crawl, the family pet enjoys his sleep and play time and on occasion spill or two will happen to these carpets. If you’re thinking “how often should I clean my carpet”, then you should start with reading more to learn when and how!

How Often Should I Clean My Carpet - Keep Your Carpet Clean

What Does Your Carpet Contain?

Your “how often” questions can be answered by determining what your daily life is like. If you have pets or kids who track in dirt from outside, vacuuming should be a daily chore for your different carpet types. Pet hair, dirt and other loose particles can easily be picked up with a standard vacuum cleaner.

The air quality of your home can also affect the cleanliness of your carpet. If anyone smokes or if you cook with heavy spices or strong aromas, vacuuming a couple days out of the week with a carpet deodorizer is a must. Without deodorizing your carpets, the smoke or poor air quality will build up in your carpets and not only grow bacteria but cause allergies to act up.

Spills and Stains

Spot cleaning your carpet is only necessary upon occurrence or once the stain is noticed. Buying a spot cleaner is a good choice, however, sometimes it could stain or discolor carpets. Try these DIY spot cleaners for your spot cleaning needs.

• 1 cup hot water with 2 tablespoons of laundry detergent

• Equal parts vinegar and warm water

• For coffee or red wine stains try soda water or tonic water

• Sticky messes such as gum or playdough, harden with an ice cube first then pull it out.

With any of these alternatives or a store bought spot cleaner, be sure that you blot the stain not scrub with a washcloth or small towel. Scrubbing the stain will spread it making it harder to clean in the long run. Blotting the stain will allow it to be absorbed into the cloth or towel.

When a spill happens, try to work hastily with it before it sets and dries into the carpet.

For deep, lived in stains it might be best to ask a professional cleaner to come do your whole carpet. However, there is a trick for lived in stains also.

• Vacuum and deodorize the carpet first.

• After the carpet is deodorized, mix 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap with 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2-3 cups of warm water.

• Using a washcloth, scrub the stain with your homemade solution while it is warm and let it dry overnight.

• Try again once dried the next day if stain is still slightly visible.

With a little time and elbow grease (or detergent or vinegar), carpet stains can be a problem of the past for your home. So, “how often should I clean my carpet”? Here’s your answer: as long as you vacuum daily, deodorize regularly and tackle stains as you notice them, the beautiful life of your carpet will be extended. In perfect time for spring cleaning.