How Often Should You Clean Your Carpets?

Your carpet is your home's biggest filter. Carpet fibers hide all kinds of things: dirt, dust, food crumbs, and much more.

Without you knowing it, your carpets are slowly wearing down each and every day because of these small, hidden particles. Your best protection against wear and tear is regular professional carpet cleaning.

There are many factors that can affect how often you need to have your carpets cleaned, like foot traffic and pets. We are here to help you understand the importance of professional carpet cleanings and how often you should have them done.

Why Does Regular Carpet Cleaning Matter?

Many people think that professional carpet cleaning is more of a luxury than a necessity. In reality, it's an investment in the lifespan of your carpets.

Carpets receive daily wear and tear.

Each time you walk on your carpet, you deposit dust, dirt, or other particles that cause microabrasions or small cuts and tears at the fibers of your carpet. These microabrasions weaken the fibers, leading to holes, matting, and discoloration.

When you get your carpets cleaned professionally, you give your carpet a break from those microabrasions and fortify the fibers, giving it a renewed feel and appearance.

When you lift the sand, dirt, and grime, you eliminate the particles that break down the carpet. This extends the life of your carpet and allows your carpet to start fresh in filtering your indoor air.

Plus, professional carpet cleaning refreshes the carpet fibers and fluffs them up again to prevent matting, providing you renewed warmth and comfort.

How Often to Clean Your Carpet Depends on the Carpet Fiber

Before you can determine how often you need a carpet cleaning, you need to understand the unique characteristics of your carpet.

There are different types of carpets, such as olefin, berber, and more. (Hint: If you can't determine what type of carpet you have, feel free to call the experts at Zerorez® for some help).

If you don't know exactly what you're working with, no worries. There are some signs that will help you determine whether your carpet is in need of professional cleaning or not.

Stains, odors, and dullness can be indicators that it's time for a clean.

Factors Influencing How Often Carpets Should Be Cleaned Professionally

The next step is understanding the factors that impact the frequency of carpet cleaning.

Here are some things to consider:

• Household Size and Lifestyle: Large families and families with children and pets can all lead to higher foot traffic levels, spots, stains, and general carpet discoloration.

• Environmental Considerations: Where you live can also impact the need to clean your carpet. Areas where it is dusty, windy, humid, or muddy might experience more frequent wear or discoloration from tracking dirt inside. These factors can lead to higher dirt accumulation over a shorter period of time.

• Shoes Vs. Barefoot: Wearing shoes around your home can cause more wear and tear than walking around barefoot. However, walking barefoot can help you see the signs of a dirty floor easily. If your feet are dirty after walking around your home, it might be an indicator that it's time for a professional carpet cleaning.

• Allergies and Health Issues: If people in your household are prone to dust allergies, suffer from asthma, or have other health issues, you might need to clean your carpets more often to improve the air quality within your home.

• Vacuuming Schedule: Your vacuum can play a large role in maintaining your carpets. The quality and frequency of your vacuuming contribute to wear and tear. A good rule of thumb for vacuuming is translating the number of people in your household to days that you should vacuum (e.g., if two people live in your home, you should vacuum twice a week).

What Experts Say on How Often You Should Clean Carpets

Now that you know all about the different factors to consider, it's time to determine the right frequency for your household.

Generally, carpet manufacturers recommend that everyone has their carpet cleaned professionally at least once a year in order to preserve their carpets, maintain your carpet warranty, and keep their home healthy. Because your carpet is your home's largest air filter, cleaning once a year refreshes your space and boosts your air quality!

However, that's really only recommended for homes with a small family, few to no carpet spots and stains, regular vacuuming routines, and whose occupants and guests take their shoes off at the door.

For those with higher foot traffic, less frequent vacuuming, more spills and stains, or who wear shoes in the house, we recommend getting a professional carpet cleaning more often, like every 6-12 months.

If you aren't sure where your home falls within that timeline, think about the factors listed above and keep a close eye on your carpets. You will likely be able to tell some of the signs, helping you decide how often you should professionally clean your carpets.

How Often to Clean Carpets with Pets

Our furry friends sure are cute, but they can cause quite a mess. When it comes to carpets, pets track in plenty of dirt on their paws and coats, and they are known to have the occasional accident.

If you have pets, having your carpets cleaned every six months, coupled with the Zerorez® Pet Spot Treatment, is the best way to avoid discoloration, odors, and other damage to your carpet.

Why Professional Carpet Cleaning Is Better Than DIY Carpet Cleaning

Keeping a regular schedule for vacuuming is great, but when it comes to deep cleaning your carpets, there's only so much you can do.

Many people attempt DIY carpet cleaning tactics like spot cleaning with store-bought cleaners or rental carpet cleaning machines.

Unfortunately, spot cleaners typically bleach your carpet and cause more discoloration, and rental machines are full of other people's dirt and grime, spreading it around your home.

DIY carpet cleaning can end up doing more harm than good, so lean on the professionals for help.

Choose Professional Carpet Cleaning with Zerorez!

In the long term, carpet cleaning saves you the expense of having to replace your carpets.

By partnering with the experts at Zerorez, you can find the carpet cleaning schedule that works for your home and protect your carpet from extensive damage.