You’ve had your new carpet fitted – it looks and feels lovely. Your room feels cosier and more luxurious, but how do you keep it looking beautiful?
Muddy footprints, pets, over-enthusiastic vacuuming, sunlight and spills will all take their toll on your carpet (and all flooring), but we’ve pulled together some helpful tips to help you keep your new carpet looking as good as new for as long as possible.
- Vacuuming
- Try to vacuum twice a week, possibly a little more for a newly laid carpet to prevent the shedded fluff clogging the pile.
- Make sure you don’t use the brush or beater bar when vacuuming loop-pile carpets such as wool berbers to prevent matting.
- If your pile looks flat, vacuum against the direction of the pile.
- Don’t forget to vacuum your entrance or barrier mats regularly, too.
- Shoes/boots
- Take off your shoes and boots to reduce messy footprints
- Grippy soles can damage carpet pile
- Use entrance or barrier mats as this will reduce the amount of dirt carried on to your carpets.
- Furniture positioning
- Move furniture regularly.
- Wear won’t be restricted to one spot.
- Heavy furniture indents won’t be so great. If you get any, let a few ice cubes melt in the indentation so it saturates the fibres; blot up the water gently without rubbing and then fluff up the fibres with a brush.
- Spills
- Deal with spills quickly.
- Mop up spills with a clean white cloth and don’t rub the stain.
- Work from the outside into the middle of the spill/stain.
- Salt and white wine don’t stop red wine from staining.
- Make sure cleaning products are suitable for your type and blend of carpet and follow all safety precautions.
- For ‘bleachable’ carpets, only use diluted bleach (one part bleach, one part water); rinse well and let it dry completely. Keep children and pets out of the room and ensure there is plenty of ventilation.
- Professional cleaning
- Similar to professional oven cleaning and window cleaning, the jury is out as to whether it is necessary to use a professional carpet-cleaning company.
- Their equipment is often safer for pets and children and gentler on the environment. They should also understand the best ways to remove stains.
- It is possible to hire professional equipment to clean your carpets yourself or to purchase a do-it-yourself carpet washer, but results may not be as good.
- Those that recommend professionally cleaning your carpet suggest you do so every 12-18 months.
- Fading
- Protecting carpet from harsh sunlight is advisable, especially for darker colours. Close curtains or blinds when there is strong sunlight, or consider fitting UV protection film on your windows.
- Modern carpets have excellent properties of colourfastness to sunlight, however, all carpets will show some degree of fading with age.
We are more than happy to offer specific advice on how you should care for your Avonvale carpet (or other flooring). We want your beautiful carpet to be one that you admire and enjoy for years to come.
Call in to see us to discuss the right flooring for your home and how to keep it looking stunning.
Avonvale Carpets. Beautiful Flooring. Fitted Perfectly.