Common Myths About Carpet Care And Cleaning

If you care about your carpet’s long-term health, you’ve probably already put a lot of thought into sourcing the best carpet cleaning Brisbane options for your rug. If you’re committed to keeping a clean carpet, there are tons of things you can do on a weekly and monthly basis to make sure you’re taking the best possible care of your purchase. However, there also happen to be a ton of myths and bad facts floating around when it comes to the best carpet care. As a homeowner, it’s up to you to make sure you’re not working off of misleading information when taking care of your home rugs, especially since one wrong move could equal big trouble for your carpet. If you’re serious about keeping your rug fresh, clean, and healthy in the long-term, here are a few false facts you’ll want to ignore.

You Should Only Clean When Your Carpet Looks Dirty

When it comes to home cleaning, many homeowners prefer to put things off for as long as possible, especially when the damage isn’t fully visible. But think about it: Would you leave dusting or vacuuming your floors until a visible layer of dust and grime had built up? Of course not. The same goes for your rug. While it may take a long time for a brand new rug to start to look dirty, that doesn’t mean that invisible, harmful elements like dust and bacteria haven’t begun to settle deep in your rug’s fibers. The best way to protect your rug or any article of clothing or upholstery for that matter is to do preventative care rather than damage control. You wouldn’t wait for your favorite sweater to get a stain before cleaning it. Think of your rug like one of your most treasured pieces of clothing: It should be cleaned at least weekly but vacuum, and taken to the dry cleaners at least every few months to keep it looking fresh and to prevent any long-term damage from taking place.

Your Carpet Will Shrink after Cleaning

Homeowners who have brand new wool rugs can be paranoid about spot cleaning or putting any amount of water on their rugs. They have reason to be cautious: Pure wool rugs are some of the most delicate types of fiber rugs on the market, and they should be treated with extreme professional care. However, that doesn’t mean that a drop of water equals instant shrinkage. Wool rugs are actually more prone to shrinking and damage when steam heat is applied, not water. Spot cleaning with the right wool rug cleaner is totally fine, as long as the area stays mostly dry. The main problem with spot treating your rug is the danger of overwetting, especially when it comes to natural fiber rugs that can end up growing mold if they aren’t cleaned properly. However, this problem can be easily solved by using only the most conservative amounts of water to spot clean, or by taking your rug to the dry cleaner’s if you’re too anxious.

Steam Cleaning is Better than Dry Cleaning

When it comes to types of professional rug cleaning, it really depends on your rug’s fibers, strand length, and design to figure out which cleaner is right for you. And while many homeowners prefer dry cleaning for its efficiency and protection from mold growth or mess, steam cleaning can be just as effective whether you rent a machine and do it at home or have a professional come and perform the procedure. Professional cleanings that involve soaking your rug and “shampooing” it without allowing it the proper time to dry can lead to mold growth and furniture damage. However, it’s simple enough to choose a cleaner that knows your rug’s specific sensitivities and how to treat them. If your rug is made of synthetic fibers like nylon or polyester, you have a lot more room to compromise and use different cleaning agents. As a general rule of thumb for natural fiber rugs, however, keep things as dry as possible for best results.

All Rug Cleaning Products are the Same

Just as you should always be wary of using too much water to spot-treat your rugs, so should you be hyper aware of what kind of products you’re using to fight stains and odor. If your rug is made of natural fibers, you can usually find a DIY solution without restoring to chemical-heavy cleaners. Keeping things as green as possible by using household products like baking soda and white vinegar is the best way to keep your rug free of irritants and potential damage when spot cleaning. However, if you’re dealing with a very tough stain, you might want to think about taking your rug to get professionally cleaned.