One often overlooked chore that comes with becoming a pet owner is dealing with the messes they make on your carpets and rugs. Whether the problem is hair, urine, muddy paws, or other messes, pet parents are often shocked at the amount of damage their furry friends can do to carpets and rugs. Luckily, there are a number of different things pet owners can do to help keep their rugs and carpet in tip-top shape. With some preventative action, spot treatments, and regular carpet cleaning, you can not only keep your carpets feeling clean, but also ensure they stay looking beautiful.
Tips to Keep Your Carpet Looking and Smelling Fresh
#1 – Clean Messes Right Away
One of the first things to keep in mind about maintaining your clean carpets and rugs is to be proactive. When spills, accidents, or other messes occur, it is important to clean them as soon as possible. As more time passes, your carpets and rugs will absorb whatever mess has been sitting on it, leading to staining and prolonged issues with odor.
If you are someone who deals with carpet messes regularly, consider purchasing a handheld extractor. This tool is used to suck liquids out of your carpeting, much like a vacuum for fluid material. These tools work better than trying to blot the mess with paper towels or rags. Also, keep in mind not to stand or press hard on the paper towels you are using to soak up any messes. While it may seem instinctual to press into the accident to soak up any liquid left, the act of putting weight on a liquid spill will only force it deeper into the carpet, sometimes even pressing it into the padding and subfloor underneath. This will result in lasting stains and persistent odors. Also, attempting to clean a liquid spill with a regular vacuum will only result in the liquid soaking into the vacuum’s filter, which can be difficult to clean.
When it comes to solid accidents or spills, the same issues can arise. Using paper towels, rags, or other cleaning cloths can result in particles from the mess being pushed further into the fibers of the carpet. Another option when it comes to cleaning solid messes off of carpet or rugs is to use a putty knife. The putty knife is able to get up underneath whatever solid mess you may be dealing with. Use a putty knife to scrape the solid mess upwards and away from yourself, into a dustpan.
Cleaning up messes as soon as they happen not only helps maintain cleaner carpeting, it also discourages pets from marking those areas repeatedly. This can save pet owners from a lot of stress and frustration and helps to keep carpets and rugs looking pristine.
#2 – Vacuum Frequently and Thoroughly
Another way to keep your carpeted areas and rugs clean is to vacuum on a regular basis. When it comes to vacuuming your home, dealing with pet hair, dander, and dirty paws can seem like a never-ending battle. The two most important things to keep in mind when it comes to vacuuming are frequency and being thorough with your vacuuming. Vacuuming thoroughly is important as it helps remove not only visible pet hair, but also dander and other dirt or dust from within your carpets. When vacuuming, make sure you pick up any dog or cat toys, small floor items, and other easily movable items. This helps to ensure that the edges around those items are cleaned as well as the carpeting underneath those items.
Carefully vacuuming your home may also require using different vacuum attachments. For homes with carpeted stairs, a stair attachment may be helpful. Vacuum attachments can be even more useful than regular vacuuming in some instances. Crevice attachments are also ideal for those living with pets in the home. They allow close cleaning in corners, with powerful suction meant to pull dust, hair, and dander out of the deepest parts of your carpeting. Brush attachments can also come in handy when it comes to vacuuming pet hair. When carpets are disturbed, pet hair tends to travel up from your carpets, onto surrounding furniture and drapes. Using a brush attachment on these fabrics can help remove hair from them easily.
If your pet sheds frequently, consider purchasing a rubber broom for your carpets. Rubber brooms are designed for carpet; the bristles of the broom move through the carpet fibers, collecting pet hair as they go. Pet hair present within the carpet will stick to the rubber bristles of the broom, where they can be pulled off and disposed of or rinsed off outdoors using a hose.
Vacuum your carpets often, at minimum once a week to help keep pet hair controlled. Use your rubber broom as a pre-treatment before vacuuming or to spot clean in between vacuuming.
One last tip for vacuuming your carpets is to move the vacuum in different directions over the carpet. Many people make the mistake of only vacuuming in one direction. Unfortunately, this may not complete the task of cleaning the carpets. Going over the same area in multiple different directions allows the vacuum to loosen hair that may be tangled with the carpet fibers, releasing the hair and sucking it into the vacuum.
#3 – Utilize a Fiber Protector
One of the last, and possibly most important tips for keeping carpets and rugs within the home clean and sparkling is to apply a good fiber protector to them. Fiber protectors work to help simplify the cleanup of various messes, as well as repelling dirt and other substances that may stain rugs or carpets.
What is a Fiber Protector?
A fiber protector is a type of preventative maintenance performed on carpets. This treatment helps stop carpets from clinging to dirt and becoming stained. Fiber protectors are ideal in high-traffic areas as well as in homes with children and pets.
What does a fiber protector do?
Fiber protectors are designed to cover carpet fibers and make them repel any liquid they come into contact with. This helps to prevent liquids from soaking down into the pad underneath the carpet itself. Fiber protectors also help repel dirt. Dirt particles are unable to take hold in the carpet fibers, reducing the chance of stains developing.
When should fiber protector be applied?
The ideal time for a carpet fiber protector to be applied is right after the carpets themselves have been cleaned. This ensures the carpet being treated is not contaminated with dirt, hair, or dander at the time of treatment. Treating clean carpets also gives the fiber protector the best chance of making direct contact with the carpet fibers, allowing the protector to thoroughly cover the carpet.
Benefits of fiber protectors:
There are a host of benefits when it comes to using a fiber protector on your carpets. Vacuuming becomes an easier task, as the fiber protector ensures dirt is picked up easily, allowing for less vacuuming, which means less wear on your carpets. Spills or other accidents are able to be blotted from the carpet without any trouble or staining left behind. Fiber protector also helps carpets resist the day-to-day soiling of feet, shoes, and dirty paws.
For Pet Owners:
Another great perk of carpet fiber protectors is that they are completely safe. Children and pets are fine to play on the carpet with no issues, making this treatment ideal for pet parents.
When it comes to owning pets, the maintenance requirements of the carpets in your home may not be something you had considered. However, there are a number of different ways to make keeping your carpet clean simpler. Ensuring accidents are cleaned up quickly, and vacuuming is done often and thoroughly are two great ways to keep carpets clean. At AmeriClean, we are proud to provide not only deep cleaning services but also preventative treatments like fiber protectors, which will help keep your carpets looking their best.
