How Dirty is Your Carpet?

Keeping your carpets clean is important for many different reasons. Not only does it keep your carpets looking nice, but it is also beneficial for your health and for the smell of your home. These are some facts you may not know about your carpet.

1. Residue and dirt

Humans and their pets both bring oily residues from outside and deposit them onto the carpet. This residue will stick to the fibers of the carpet and locks the dirt into your carpet. Over time this will cause the carpet to change colors and in high traffic areas it will look drastically different and can become permanent if it isn’t professionally cleaned.

1. Sandy Soil

If you look closely at your carpet, you may notice that in the fibers of the carpet it will look like there is sand. You may also notice this if you have every removed carpet before.  This dirt isn’t being picked up by your vacuum, and sits within the carpet and will cause major wear. A professional carpet cleaner is able to remove the dirt from the carpet.

1. Germs

Carpet actually performs similarly to an air filter. It will trap particles such as fungi, pollen, bacteria, smoke, chemicals, and more. This sounds bad, but the problem actually is caused when the carpet is full and no longer able to trap these air pollutants. These pollutants will only be removed by professional carpet cleaning. Normal vacuums aren’t able to extra them.

1. Allergies

Carpet also is the home to dust mites. These are microscopic, however, their droppings often trigger asthma attacks. If you are looking for the cause of your asthma attacks, it very well could be right underneath your feet. The effects are actually so severe that it can cause health problems for healthy people.

1. Weight

Did you know that carpet actually can hold 4 times its weight in dirt?  It is the catch-all for almost everything, including dust mites, pet hair, dead skin, dust, bacteria, and much more. It is important to vacuum your carpet at least twice per week, but it won’t get it all. In addition to vacuuming, have a professional clean your carpets a few times per year.

1. Is the five-second rule real?

No! Bacteria can live for weeks in your carpet, and in addition, there is a bunch more in your carpet that you don’t want to put in your mouth. We would suggest not eating food that has fallen into your carpet.

1. Shoes

Many people wear their shoes when walking on carpet. But this is a great way to bring dirt into the carpet and causes much more damage and wear. Take your shoes off when walking on carpet, especially since vacuuming generally won’t be able to remove the dirt.

1. Toilet Seats

Your carpet is actually 4,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat! Plus there are many more types of organisms that live in the carpet. But since carpet hides the dirt and grime we usually forget about it.

9. Carpet Cleaning

We usually wash our clothes after nearly every time we wear them. Obviously, it wouldn’t be practical to have your carpets cleaned every day. But a few times per year is a great idea and will remove a large amount of the bacteria in the carpet.