5 Care Tips on How to Make Your Carpet Flooring Last

Your Carpet Flooring

Being a very popular option in many United States residents, carpet flooring can come in varied patterns that capture various home designs. Carpet flooring is a bit easier to install than the rest and it’s usually more cost-effective.

If you already have carpet flooring or are thinking of installing carpet in your home, make sure to always keep your carpet clean. A clean carpet will also reduce household allergens and dust, extend its longevity, as well as keep it looking new for a longer period of time.

5 Care Tips for Lasting Carpet

Want to ensure your carpets last longer and always look their best? Here are a few tips to consider when caring for your carpeted floors.

Annual Deep Cleaning

Annual deep cleaning brings many benefits when you are trying to keep your carpet in tip-top condition. By scheduling a deep clean every 12 to 18 months, you can prevent stain damage that occurs overtime in the high traffic areas of your carpet. The regular upkeep will add value to your home, reduce household and pet odors, and enable you to keep your family healthy. Also, a beautiful home to impress your visitors is a great plus too!

Regularly Vacuum

Going too long without vacuuming your carpets will begin to damage them. Dry soil type dirt can easily be removed by vacuums. Depending on the area of your home, some areas may need extra special attention. Vacuuming techniques can make a difference in places that experience more foot traffic in your home.

For example, some places may need a quick clean while others require you to take more time. For the areas that experience the most contact with dirt, it’s important to go slowly over the spot in multiple different directions in order to get the job done right. To keep your carpet looking it’s absolute best, a quality vacuum is essential. Hardwood floor vacuums are great for removing dirt from your carpet.

Carpet Care with Pets

Unfortunately, pets can be quite messy. Pet odor is a common issue in many homes who have furry friends. There are ways you can treat your carpet to reduce unwanted smells and believe it or not baking soda is helpful. Steps to take to battling pet odor include:

Keep your pet away from the area you are cleaning with baking soda. Too much baking soda can be toxic to pets.
Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet you wish to clean.
Allow baking soda to sit overnight. This will absorb bad smelling odors.
After letting it sit, vacuum your carpets thoroughly.
Once vacuumed, pets can be allowed back in the area.

If baking soda doesn’t completely remove the odor, renting a carpet cleaning machine to do a deep clean can finish the job. It’s important to avoid steam cleaners because the heat that they produce can set odor and stains permanently into your carpet.

Use Mats and Ditch the Shoes

More often than not, we track in dirt from outside as we enter our homes. All over your carpet you may find gritty soil from your shoes if you wear them in your home. It is common for people to have family and guests leave their shoes at the door to solve the problem, but another way to help get dirt and debris off the shoes of those who enter your home is to provide mats at the entry ways. Having both an outdoor and indoor mat, allow you to wipe off your shoes twice in case you miss any dirt after using your outdoor mat.

To ensure your mats don’t have trapped dirt that is making your shoes even dirtier when you wipe them off, make sure you are vacuuming and cleaning them as well as your carpets.

Stains and Spills

Addressing a stain immediately is essential when taking care of spills. The way you clean spills and the time frame in which you take care of them can have an effect on whether your stain could be permanent. Many spills can be cleaned using a blotting technique with water and a towel.

By being educated on how to treat different stains and methods that work best, you will save time and be able to immediately remove them before any damage is done. From drink stains, pet stains, ink stains and more, be prepared for any mess that you may encounter.

More Carpet Care Recommendations

Avoid Pulling on Carpet Snags Don’t pull on the snags you may come across in the carpet. You should instead use a pair of scissors to clip the snag so it is even in length with the other fibers.
How to Remove Furniture Dents A helpful tip we recommend for removing dents caused by furniture is to rub the edge of a quarter across your carpet them to encourage the fibers to stand back up.

Holmes Flooring offers numerous carpet flooring designs available for your selection. We have many other types of custom flooring options to choose from as well. Choose a design that is not only cost-friendly in installing but easy to maintain too. If you’re in the greater Birmingham area, look to Holmes Flooring for expert advice and a free in-home consultation.

Can You Use a Steam Mop on Hardwood Floors?

Are you taking care of your hardwood floors correctly? Believe it or not, there are many methods of cleaning and household cleaners that are actually harmful to your floors. Using a steam mop is a great way to achieve a deep clean, but is it actually safe for your hardwood?

What is a Steam Mop Used For?

Steam mops are just as easy to use as regular mops. The difference between the two is that steam mops boil water around 245 degrees Fahrenheit. The heated water releases a hot water vapor that is transferred to the head of the mop as you clean along the floor in a similar motion to a regular mop.

In most cases, steam mops are used for thorough sanitation purposes. They are a great option for healthcare practices and hospitals, but are also a popular choice in family homes as well.

Steam Mop Benefits

If you are thinking about using a steam mop instead of a regular mop, here are a few benefits you’ll get by upgrading. Steam mops are great for spaces where there is tough dirt or mold. Although owning a steam mop requires some prep work before you use it, there is less scrubbing effort required compared to regular mops. The vapor that steam mops use allows grime to loosen as you clean your surfaces. Their quick drying time tackles mold and decreases your chances of it returning as well. Depending on what you need, steam mops can come with different settings which enables you to choose the intensity of your cleaning.

Keeping your home germ free can be difficult. Steam cleaners are a great way to clean your home especially if you have little children and pets. It is a safe disinfecting method that kills germs without the use of toxic chemicals. By cleaning an area on your floors for 5 seconds, steam mops have the ability to kill harmful pathogens and help those who suffer from allergies.

Increasing the Longevity of Your Floor

Taking care of your hardwood floors will increase their lifespan. To achieve clean floors, reduce the dirt you track in right as you walk through the door. The grit on your shoes is one way to ruin the beautiful finish on your hardwood floors. Place mats by doors that lead to the outside and begin the habit of wiping your shoes before entering your home.

Shoes that can dent floors can be harmful as well and should be taken off to prevent denting as you walk around. Scratches and scuffs can occur by wearing certain types of shoes like heels or cleats, but there are other precautions you should take as well. Clip your pets nails so they don’t scratch the surface and always make sure to put pads on the legs of your furniture. These are simple prevention tactics that can increase the longevity of your floor’s finish.

As far as cleaning and upkeep goes, vacuum your floors regularly and mop with a microfiber pad. If there happens to be a spill, quickly wipe it up and don’t let it sit because it will damage the finish and warp the wooden boards. When cleaning avoid using ammonia, vinegar, wax, polish, or oil soaps. These slowly remove the top coat of a finish. It is always a good idea to renew the finish from time to time as well to keep the natural wood protected from wear and tear.

Hardwood Flooring vs Laminate Flooring

The finish and texture is very important when it comes down to whether or not a steam mop is safe for these surfaces. Sealed hardwood floors and laminate flooring are completely different. Sealed hardwood floors have protective coating unlike laminate floors. Whenever you see hardwood flooring that does not have a glossy finish this indicates there is no protective seal.

Is Steam Cleaning Hardwood Floors Safe?

From sealed, unsealed, or painted, it is important to know what type of wood flooring you are working with. Steam mopping can be a great option for title flooring and be completely safe, but we do not recommend you use a steam mop on your hardwood. No matter the type of hardwood flooring you have in your home, it should not undergo a steam cleaning because it can be easily damaged by excessive moisture and the wood may warp. The same goes for laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is manufactured with compressed fiber/particleboard layers and the moisture steam mops create will cause swelling and warping of the surface too.

Painted hardwood floors have become trendy overtime. Using a steam mop on paint can be risky though. Although paint can act as a sealed coat, the steam’s heat can cause bubbles under the paint. These bubbles will cause paint to peel so avoid mopping on these surfaces.

Our Services

Hardwood flooring is one of the most popular flooring options at Holmes Carpeting and Flooring. It compliments any home décor style and its polished surface is sure to grab your attention. To ensure you have beautiful flooring, be sure to keep in mind our tips on upkeep, cleaning, and damage prevention. We offer only the best hardwood flooring types and styles. Our hardwood floors are built to last, especially when you take advantage of our expert hardwood floor installation in Birmingham, AL. Make an appointment to visit our showroom, talk to our installation specialists, and view our wide range of hardwood floor materials and options for your home.