How to Extend the Life of Your Carpet

Carpeting in your home can be a costly purchase and so there are a few guidelines that should be followed in order to make it last as long as possible.

First, the construction and fibre content of the carpet is going to have a big impact on how it wears, and absorbs soil and spillages. Wool carpets will absorb pills and stains more readily however they are also very resilient so they will not crush permanently leaving a flat dull looking surface in the way that polypropylene carpets will.

In the long term therefore it is more cost effective to have an expensive wool carpet which is properly maintained than a polypropylene carpet.

But how do you maintain it..?

The first measure to extend the carpet's life by not allowing it to become excessively soiled should be a preventative one. The carpet should be treated with a protector treatment by a professional carpet cleaning company. The protector treatment used must be a fluorochemical which will work by increasing the surface tension of the carpet and therefore not allow spillages to absorb into the pile. Think of the spray that you use to protect your shoes and you will have an idea of how it works.

The second rule is to use a regular maintenance procedure to keep dry soil out of your carpet. Quite simply this is vacuuming! And vacuuming should be carried out at last once a week. You must use a beta bar, hepa filtered vacuum cleaner. The beater bar will loosen dry soil while removing it. Hepa filters will ensure that small particles are not redistributed into the air. Dry soil is the most damaging risk to your carpet. It acts like sandpaper which wears away the carpet fibres as you walk on it. Removing this dry soil regularly before it has a chance to work its way down into the foundation of the carpet is the single most important task you can carry out to extend the life of your carpet.

The third step is to use a restorative maintenance procedure. This would mean using a professional carpet cleaning company to remove any soil and spots which you are unable to do with vacuuming alone. no matter how often you vacuum, eventually there will be a gradual build up of soil which needs to be removed to enhance the appearance of the carpet. If you carpet is wool then the cleaning procedure should give the carpet a new lease of life as colours will appear brighter and the pile will have a new bounce and lift to it.

Lastly, if the carpet is more than 18 months old, the protector treatment should be re-applied as foot traffic will gradually wear it off. If these steps are adhered to then your carpet's life will be extended by years and it will always look clean and presentable.

This article has been submitted by Nick Gonnella, the Director of Ethos Carpet Care, a London carpet cleaning company based in North London. For more information on carpet cleaning & protection please see our website http://www.ethoscarpetcare.com/

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