A new year is upon us! It’s time to reflect upon the successes and failures of the previous year and to form goals and resolutions for the coming one. Millions of Americans are sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand, writing down intentions for personal improvement, from getting more exercise to reading more books to quitting smoking. While you’re listing what you’d like to accomplish in 2017, why not make some New Years resolutions for your home, as well? Particularly, your carpet.

The carpets in your home represent a sizeable investment in both money and time. They weren’t cheap to install, and taking care of them requires small but consistent amounts of effort over the long term. You want your carpets to last so that you and your family can enjoy them for a long time. You don’t want to have to replace them every few years.

So how do you maximize the life of your carpet? Well, we’ve composed a list of New Years Resolutions you can set to ensure your carpets remain beautiful, clean, and cozy for many years to come.

1. Develop a Consistent Vacuuming Schedule. Regular vacuuming prevents dirt, crumbs, and debris from working their way down into the carpet pile. Without regular vacuuming, your carpet will eventually develop that dull, dingy look, and it can even start to harbor environmental toxins like fungi, allergens, and bacteria. You want your carpets to look vibrant and new, right? So commit to a regular vacuuming schedule. Depending on your circumstances and the room in question, your vacuuming schedule could be once every two weeks or once every two days. For tips on how to determine the best schedule for the rooms in your home or business, visit our blog post on the topic.
2. Keep Toxins Out of Your Carpet. As stated above, regular vacuuming is the first step to keeping your carpets free of environmental toxins. But just as important is keeping harmful toxic products off of your carpet. Most carpet spot cleaners, shampooing solutions, and deodorizing powders are full of chemicals known to adversely affect the health of humans and their pets. So be very careful about what products you use on your carpet!
3. Protection and Prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! You can extend the life of your carpets by preventing the types of abuse that send carpets to the garbage heap. There are many simple preventative measures you can take to avoid carpet damage—from putting out welcome mats at your home’s entryways, to learning how to remove small stains the correct way. For more information on protection and prevention for your carpets, click here to see the blog post we wrote about it.
4. Have Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned. Most people don’t think about getting their carpet cleaned unless it is visibly dirty or has odors. But even if your carpet doesn’t exhibit any stains or odors, it’s still important to have it cleaned periodically in order to protect the health of your home’s inhabitants or your business’ employees and customers. Regular vacuuming goes a long way toward keeping your carpets healthy, but there are some environmental toxins—like bacteria—that your vacuum won’t touch. And for those, you need professional cleanings. Check out our blog post, “How Often Should I Have My Carpets Cleaned” for more information on creating a professional cleaning schedule suited to your circumstances.

Well, that’s it! Now you’re all set to step forward into 2017 with the confidence that you, and your carpets, will be happy, healthy, and protected far into the future.

If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are in need of high quality, professional carpet cleaning that is sustainable and non-toxic, give Five Step a call at 828.772.1824 or use our contact form to get in touch today.

And from all of us at Five Step Carpet Care, we wish you a very Happy New Year!