Can The Right Cleaning Routine Prolong The Life Of your Carpet?

If you own a carpet washer do you still need a vacuum cleaner? It's a fair question and the answer is - yes you do. Although they look very similar - at least at first glance - vacuum cleaners and carpet washers work in a different way.

Vacuum cleaners make use of suction to remove loose dust and dirt from the carpet's upper layers. The majority of modern cleaners also agitate the carpet fibres using rotating brushes. The intent of this is agitate and free as much of the dirt as possible so that it can be more easily removed by suction. There are any number of different designs of vacuum cleaner these days, upright and cylinder, bagged, bagless, cordless - even robotic ones, but they all work more or less as described above.

In order to keep your carpet looking good and odour free, you need to vacuum on a regular basis. What you want to do is remove as much dirt and dust as possible before it has a chance to get ground into your carpet. However, regardless of how diligent you are, it's inevitable that some dirt will be ground deep into your carpet and become trapped. That's where carpet washers come in.

Carpet washers use a mixture of detergent and water to liberate dust and dirt which is trapped deep in the fibres of your carpet. The dirt and dust clings to the detergent which is then sucked out, together with the water. Many carpet washers make use of pre-treatment sprays for heavily stained areas. Most of them also use brushes to scrub the carpet so as to better release the trapped dirt.However, there's need to wash your carpet anything like as frequently as you vacuum it. There are various different factors which will determine the required frequency - but, for most family homes, twice a year should probably do the trick.

The majority of carpet washers incorporate a selection of tools so that they can be used for cleaning stairs and also curtains, upholstery - and even car seats and carpets. Apart from being very useful for cleaning up any accidental spills before they get established and become stains, you'll find plenty of uses for your carpet washer around the home in between "big cleans".

If you want to keep your carpets looking good and extend their lifetime, then vacuuming alone won't do the trick - but neither will using only a carpet washer. You need a twin pronged approach employing both types of carpet cleaners as laid out below:

1. Use a conventional vacuum to clean your carpets twice weekly so as to remove loose dirt and dust before it has the opportunity to become established. Heavy traffic areas may need to be cleaned even more frequently.
2. Every six months or so, you should give your carpets a deep clean using a carpet washer. It can also be used to treat any accidental spills - whether on upholstery or carpets - quickly before they turn into stains.

If it sounds like a lot of hassle, then console yourself with the fact that, as well as looking good and being odour free, even if you have pets, your carpets will last longer - so you will save a lot of money and hassle in the long term.