Archived Article-April, 2008
How often should a carpet be cleaned?
How often should a carpet be cleaned?
No doubt this question has surfaced at one time or another during the years
you've owned carpeting. The frequency of cleaning will vary from one household
to another depending upon the number of occupants and level of usage.
Before we continue, let’s first look at why it is important to clean your carpets. Bio-contaminants, volatile organic compounds, combustion products, dust mites, chemical contamination, outdoor pollutants, pesticides, allergens, grease and oil deposits, sand, soil, food particles, bacteria and a host of other really gross stuff will make its way into your carpet. Quite simply, your carpet acts like a sink. It collects and filters all of the above mentioned contaminants. This collection and filtering process traps these contaminants within your carpet, which in turn cleans the air you breathe and allows you to live a healthier life. Hard surface floors may allow contaminants to "roam" throughout the indoor environment.
But like any other filter, your carpet needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, or it will lose its filtering ability. If these contaminants are in your home, they could be contributing to your family's health and allergy problems. Dr. Michael Berry, Deputy Director of the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office of the Environmental Protection Agency stated, "Based on what I have learned from researchers working in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics that are not properly cleaned and maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building and home environment.”
I have had some homeowners express their fear that once the carpet is
cleaned, it will re-soil quicker. This fear is the result of improper cleaning
on the part of many cleaning companies. Many of these companies, in an effort
to cut costs and save time, will buy the cheapest cleaning solutions, won't
provide the proper training for their technicians, and will not offer a
separate rinse step in order to remove detergent residues. If detergent is left
in the carpet, accelerated re-soiling will occur.
Reputable firms use a more thorough method of cleaning that includes a rinse step after the pre-spray process. This method removes deep down soil and leaves no detergent to accelerate the re-soiling process. The fact is, the best thing you can do for your carpets is have them regularly cleaned by a qualified professional carpet cleaning company. It is the buildup of soil that promotes wear to your carpet, far more than the foot traffic that travels on the surface of the carpet. Foot traffic grinds the soil against the carpet fibers and causes a sand-paper effect. This causes the fibers to dull and become worn looking.
Major carpet manufacturers such as Dupont and Shaw Industries recommend that you have your carpets cleaned every 6-18 months, and with most of today's carpet, in order to satisfy the warranty requirements, you must save receipts from your cleanings. There are other considerations that can increase the frequency of cleanings, such as smoking habits, number and ages of children, soiling conditions, humidity, health status of occupants, allergy conditions, and number and types of pets just to name a few. Heavily traveled areas may require quarterly or bi-annual cleaning, while other less frequented areas may not need cleaning more than every 18 months.
Either way, it makes good sense to have your carpets cleaned regularly—not only from an appearance and investment protection point of view, but also from a health standpoint. Regular deep cleaning removes bacteria, dust mites, germs, and the substances upon which these organisms live, restoring your ‘built-in’ air filter to readily trap any further contaminants from reaching the breathable environment.
Jason Selkirk; General Manager of JaDoc Inglis
As Printed in Home & Décor, Ottawa Citizen
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