How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?

Carpet cleaning is more important than most of us think. There are several facts about carpets that you may need to know. For instance, you may need to know that a carpet that appears clean can hide as much a pound of dirt per square yard. Secondly, you may need to know that over 2,000 dust mites can thrive on one ounce of dirt. Thirdly, keep in mind that the most common allergens can be found on your carpet, making you and your family sniffle and sneeze. Also, be informed that about 80 percent of the dirt in your house comes in through the door on people’s feet. 

How often? 

So how often should you clean your carpet? The truth is that there is no correct answer to this question. Several factors should determine how often you should clean your carpet. There are, however, institutions that give a definite period within which carpets should be cleaned. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for instance, recommends that carpets should be cleaned every six months. According to the agency, deep cleaning your carpet after every six months will not only make your carpet visibly clean but will also eliminate disease causing mites and allergens. 

Carper manufactures also have their say on this issue. They recommend that you clean your carpet every 12 to 18 months. For most people, this is taken as the general rule. So, whether your carpet looks visibly dirty or not, you should ensure that it is cleaned at least every year. Remember, however, that this is simply the general rule. There are other factors that you may need to consider. 

How often do you vacuum your carpet? 

One of the factors that may determine how often you should clean your carpet is vacuuming. For most people, vacuuming is synonymous with deep cleaning. This, unfortunately, is a misconception. The two are interdependent but not interchangeable. On its part, vacuuming will prolong the life of the carpet, remove tough soil particles and pet hair, and eradicate allergens. In addition to these benefits, a regularly vacuumed carpet requires less cleaning. If, for that matter, you are used to vacuuming your carpet regularly, you will not need to call professional carpet cleaners often. Instead of calling these professionals every 12 months, you can extend this to 18 months. Precisely, vacuuming helps you lengthen carpet cleaning intervals. 

Do you live alone? 
If you live alone, your carpet may not require frequent deep cleaning. 

If you live with children and pets.
If you live with your children and pets, the regularity of carpet deep cleaning is likely to increase. Children and pets are more susceptible to allergens, carpet dust, and mites. To keep them free from health complications, you may need to hire cleaning professionals more often. Keep in mind that both children and pets are not only susceptible to carpet dust, but they also contribute greatly to how fast dirt on your carpet accumulates. In other words, a person living with a family and pets will find it necessary to call professional carpet cleaners more often than another person who lives alone. 

Smokers may need to clean their carpets more frequently 
If you happen to smoke or you live with smokers, your carpet washing frequency is also likely to increase. In addition cleaning carpet dirt, every carpet cleaning mission should aim at eliminating cigarette smoke from the carpet. It is well documented that tobacco smoke contains up to 4000 chemicals, 43 of which can cause cancer. To be sure that you are living in a healthy environment, you may need to call your professional carpet cleaning company more often. In this case, you are highly advised to call these professionals every 3 months. 

Your health also matters
Your overall health, or that of your family members, may prompt you to clean your carpet more than once a year. If, for instance, you suffer from respiratory infections, the source of the problem could be dust, pollen, or fungus on your carpet. To remain healthy, you may not have to wait for the 12 or 18 months to expire. In this case, you can choose to clean your carpet as often as you find it necessary. 

Outside environment also plays a part
Your outside environment can also determine how often you should clean your carpet. If your outdoor air contains, among others, pollen, fungus, tobacco smoke, car exhaust fumes, and other chemicals, then chances are that you bring home all these chemicals. More often than not, they all rest on your carpet because of gravity. Such a carpet, unfortunately, should not wait for more than a year. It is advisable to clean it at least twice a year. 

How is traffic like in your house? 
Traffic in your house is another factor that may require you to raise or lower carpet cleaning frequency. If you live alone and you rarely host visitors in your house, cleaning your carpet once a year is fine. However, if you are a person who throws parties every so often, then you cannot afford not to call your professional cleaners at least after every six months. This frequency should even rise if your visitors smoke or bring in significant amounts of dust. 

What is carpet grade?
Carpet grade can also dictate how often you should clean your carpet. Some carpet grades cannot withstand regular cleaning while others are made to withstand constant cleaning. More often than not, carpet manufacturers give clear instructions on how and when a carpet should be cleaned. Remember, the average cleaning period according to manufacturers is 12 to 18 months. If you fail to follow these guidelines, your carpet warranty may become invalid. 

Wrapping up 
How often should you clean your carpet? There is no straightforward to this question. Some institutions recommend that you should clean your carpet every 6 months. Carpet manufacturers, on the other hand, advise that you should clean your carpet every 12 to 18 months. Besides following these general guidelines, you should consider other important factors. Some of these factors include, among others, frequency of vacuuming, traffic in your house, whether you live alone or with children and pets, and the nature of your outdoor environment. To some extent, your carpet grade (and manufacturer’s specifications) may also dictate how often you should clean your carpet.