Carpet Care & Maintenance Tips to Avoid An Early Removal

If you are wondering why your carpet doesn’t look good after cleaning, perhaps it has almost reached the end of its life. Since carpets cover a big area of your home, replacing your carpets can be quite expensive. To protect your investment and avoid premature carpet removal, you need to maintain it well. Properly cleaned carpets last twice as long. The right routine and maintenance steps mean better longevity and durability, saving you thousands of dollars. 

Continue reading to learn effective methods that keep your carpet looking new and smelling fresh for many years. Here are some tips to avoid early carpet removal, because even if we are experts at doing so, we want you to save your hard-earned money. Having that said, you can always call Jiffy Junk team to remove carpets with ease so you can install a new one!

Tip #1: For Removing Dirt and Gunk

Since your carpet gets regular use and abuse from shoes, slippers, or feet, you must establish a routine vacuuming schedule. Even if you leave outdoor shoes by the main door, your carpet will still get dirty. That’s just how it is because of all the dust, food particles, pollen, dead skin cells, and other minuscule things that regularly make their way down there. They settle into your carpets, whether you like it or not. 

Vacuuming remains a priority because dirt works like tiny blades that cut carpet fibers. Each time you walk across a dirty carpet, sharp dirt particles grind against the fibers making tiny nicks. The yarn fuzz mixed with the dirt in your vacuum cleaner bag comes from your carpet, meaning your investment is slowly dying. 

On top of that, dirt scratching the fibers results in dullness. For this reason, high-traffic areas appear very dull. Eventually, as the days go by, grinding dirt wears fibers away, making them matte and more susceptible to stains. Thus, you need to know the best vacuum strategy. Learn these few hacks to banish dirt, so you can avoid early carpet removal. 

Position your vacuum cleaner at the right height

Most people do not know that you must set the vacuum cleaner at the right height. When it is set too close to the surface, you end up damaging the carpet as well as the machine. Meanwhile, if they’re too far apart, it defeats the purpose cause you will not pick up any dirt at all. For best results, set the vacuum at the ideal height by:

• Raising it to the highest setting.
• Then, turn the machine on. 
• Lower it until you feel the machine tug forward as you begin to gently move forward. 

Set a regular vacuum cleaning schedule

To avoid premature carpet removal, vacuum entryways, and other high traffic areas twice a week. As for the rest of the home, you can manage it once a week. Should you have a party, it would be prudent to vacuum when the guests leave or the next day. Oily shoes attract oily soils, but vacuuming can reduce the soil build-up. 

Pay attention to the carpet bag or filter

Keep in mind, a dirty carpet bag, cup, or filter will cut your machine’s power in half. Talk about wasteful! One of the primary reasons bagless vacuums die easily is the filters are not changed frequently. If you’ve got a bagless machine, replace the filter or wash it if possible at least every three months. Do not wait for vacuum bags to be full. Dump the contents when you see them 3/4 full. 

Choose the right vacuum speed

You need to vacuum at the right speed to take out as much dirt as you can. Make a quick pass over barely used areas. As for high-traffic ones, two slow passes will work best. This gentle approach assures your machine takes out ground-in dirt. 

Utilize walk-off mats or area rugs

If you want to keep carpet removal at bay, our team suggests walk-off mats inside and outside to keep dirt at bay. Putting coarse and rough mats outside entry doors removes soil. Meanwhile, water-absorbent mats within can stop wet shoes from messing up your carpet. Additionally, you can use area rugs in high-traffic areas and your family room for easy cleaning. 

Tip #2: Remove Stains Immediately

Our carpet removal team noticed that most carpets being taken away are peppered with ugly stains. To avoid this scenario, you must get any stain, spill, or mess out swiftly. Time is critical because the longer you wait, the more that stain will settle. Moreover, it can have a chemical reaction with the carpet material making it tougher to remove. Besides, the sooner you remove a spill, the greater the chances that it won’t leave a stain. Follow these clever hacks for the best results:

Never dig or scoop food spillage

The act of scooping and digging works the remnants into your carpet, leaving an ugly mark. Should there be solid particles, use a blunt knife or spoon to carefully scrape the food away. The movement of the scraping should be towards the middle of the spill, so you don’t get the clean parts dirty. If there are wet spills, you must treat the stain. 

Try good, old water first

Tap water actually works on the majority of the spills. To remove the stain, do the following:

• Press a clean white rage over it to absorb the spills. 
• Repeat the process until nothing comes off. 
• From there, work water into the stain with a damp towel. 
• Blog until everything is gone. 

Keep in mind, you must be ready to change rags when necessary. If you have a particularly stubborn one, you may need spot-treatment with baking soda or a store-bought cleaner. Don’t forget to use a fan to dry everything to avoid mold and mildew growth. 

Our team at Jiffy Junk sees a lot of these growing on the underside of carpets. They stink like crazy and cause health problems, so carpet removal is the only solution. They can also infiltrate baseboards and eventually infiltrate furniture. 

The key is to blot and never scrub or rub

Never scrub a stain, no matter how desperate you are to get it out. You will end up damaging carpet fibers, making the area look fuzzy. For best results, blot from the outer edge to the center. This avoids spreading the stain and making a bigger problem. 

Exercise patience because it takes time

When using the water technique, you have to work it in gently into the spill, then blog with a dry cloth. You must repeat this process several times until the stain is gone and the water is absorbed by the dry rag. Patience is key to success. 

Use vinegar or club soda on stubborn spots

If water doesn’t remove it, you can try a white vinegar and water solution. Use equal parts in a spray bottle, and blot with a dry towel until gone. Club soda also works just as well. Do this before trying a commercial solution. 

Spot-test with commercial products

Commercial carpet cleaners need to be tested in an inconspicuous spot first. The chemicals can affect the carpet color or damage the texture. Besides, not all chemical cleaners are made equal. Try the gentle and green ones first before moving on to the harsh ones. 

Tip #3: Rent a DIY Machine for a Thorough Clean

Though a professional carpet cleaner works extremely well, it can be quite expensive. If you want to avoid carpet removal, you can try DIY steam cleaning. You can rent these bigger machines for half a day. They work with a tablespoon of detergent per gallon of water. Notably, rented machines weigh more and hold more water. They are more powerful, too, making them ideal for very high traffic areas. 

You can also buy your own wet machine if you have extra money. The premium model costs more, but they possess more power suctions and come with a heating element to keep the water hot. For best results, research first and read reviews to get your money’s worth. Whether you use a rented or bought machine, here’s what you need to do:

Take your time with cleaning

Rushing your steam cleaning will lead to soap scum and residue. It will also soak through your carpet and pads. As a result, you will face mold or mildew build-up. That’s just a one-way ticket to carpet removal right there! Besides, large rental machines will require more time because they need pulling instead of pushing across your floors. 

Steam clean before it looks dirty

The trick is to steam clean before it looks dirty. It will usually look dirty faster if you have pets and kids. When the color begins to look dull, bring out the wet cleaner. If you wait, the carpet will be more filthy and more complex to clean. 

Dry vacuuming before wet cleaning

Be sure to use your regular vacuum cleaner before wet cleaning to remove large particles. You can vacuum it again when the carpet is dry to pick up what’s left on the surface. 

Pre-treat high-traffic areas and stain

Spray the dirtiest areas with a mix of detergent and hot water. Let the solution sit for ten minutes before commencing with wet cleaning. 

Get furniture out of the way

You need to remove or move furniture away to prevent destroying the pieces. If it is too heavy, put them on top of wood blocks or place a plastic film beneath the legs. This prevents the paint finish from transferring to your damp carpet. 

Do not over-soak the material

If you attempt a DIY, resist the urge to over soak the carpet. It is not as strong as a professional machine, so it can leave wetness. For best results, make only one pass with the detergent solution and another pass with a rinsing. Then make three drying passes with the water turned off. 

Dry the carpets well

Remember, wet carpet is the perfect breeding ground for molds, mildew, and other microorganisms. After wet cleaning, avoid damage and carpet removal by:

• Opening windows to let air circulate
• Using electric fans
• Running a dehumidifier
• Putting the HVAC on a moderate setting (between 72 to 78 degrees)

Finally, don’t put back furniture or walk on the carpet until it is completely dry. Wait for 8 hours to be sure. 

Tip #4: Seek Professional Carpet Removal Help

Most carpet manufacturers recommend at least once a year professional treatment. Hot water extraction offers the best cleaning solution as the heat kills bacteria and germs. Seeking help from maintenance pros is your best bet in extending the life of your carpets. 

They will pre-treat your carpet and use an extremely hot pressure rinse. Everything is then suctioned out. Because they use professional machines, there will be no residue. Though DIY treatment sounds like a good idea because they save money, professional cleaning is a MUST since they do deep cleaning. Doing it on your own only cleans surface dirt. Professional treatment sucks out everything from the floorboards, keeping outs:

• Allergens
• Dust 
• Greasy residue 
• Dander 
• Mites
• Debris
• Particles

For best results, find a reputable carpet cleaner. Seek recommendations from family and friends. Then, go online and check for reviews. Note that truck-mounted equipment works better than any portable DIY equipment since it exhausts dirt efficiently. The stronger suctions don’t just suck out gunk but leave your carpet dryer too. 

Remember, you are welcoming this technician to your home, so vet properly. Do not take bids over the phone because pros take note of your property’s square footage and carpet. Besides, the cheapest price isn’t always the best choice. Many discount cleaners do a surface clean only, leaving residue. They also add pricey add-ons that are supposed to be free from quality pros like spot removal and deodorizer treatment. If you feel that your carpets are beyond TLC, call Jiffy Junk team for carpet removal. With our help, you can get new carpets installed in no time.