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How To Care For Your New Carpet
Proper care & maintenance will help make sure your new carpet lasts as long as possible!
How often should I have my Carpets Cleaned?
You must follow your carpet manufacturer's carpet cleaning guidelines to the letter if you want to keep you carpet warranty in force. You should hire a professional to clean your carpets every 12 to 24 months.
Keep all the sales receipts for professional cleanings that you pay for! These are required as proof of your maintenance records. Read your carpet warranty and follow the carpet maintenance suggestions to the letter. This is how you can make sure your carpet lasts as long as possible!
A Typical New Carpet Warranty Requires You...
Make sure you know which warranties apply to your particular carpet. Warranties are usually posted on the backs of samples in the store at the time of purchase. It is your responsibility to know which warranties apply to your specific carpet.
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Keep proof of all purchases in the form of a bill, invoice, or statement showing the price you paid for the carpet, excluding pad and labor.
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Make sure your carpet is installed according to the guidelines set forth in the Carpet and Rug Institute's Installation Standard CRI-105 (Obtaining qualified installation can be quite a challenge too!).
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Maintain your carpet according to the manufacturer's recommendations..
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Keep every bill, invoice, or statement as proof of periodic cleaning by any Certified Carpet Cleaning Company.
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Have your carpet professionally cleaned at least once every 12 to 24 months. (This can vary depending on the carpet manufacturer) Read more about a new carpet warranty here.
To File a Warranty Claim: You must notify your carpet dealer in writing; describe the specific problem and include a copy of your sales invoice. Your dealer will notify the carpet manufacturer if necessary.
Have you ever read a complete manufacturer's carpet warranty? It's an eye opening experience! Every manufacturer has their carpet warranty worded a little bit different so be sure to read the full warranty for the carpet you are considering buying.
See my list of recommended Carpet Cleaning Businesses near you!
Why
Hire a Certified Carpet Cleaner?
Not
all carpet cleaning companies are created equal. Some are definitely more
reputable than others and homeowners need to be careful who they hire. Costs
can vary greatly and hiring the company with the lowest price may not be the
smartest way to go. Watch out for carpet cleaning companies that have low-cost specials that
sound too good to be true.
You don't want to hire a inexperienced carpet cleaner that will do more damage than good. Excessive soaking of the carpet and padding can ruin any carpet and cause mold and mildew to form if the carpet takes too long to dry. A bad carpet cleaning job can easily void your carpet warranty and ruin even the most expensive carpets!
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How much does Carpet Cleaning Cost?
Carpet Cleaning Certifications
There
are several well-known non-profit organizations that establish and maintain
industry standards. Reputable carpet cleaning businesses receive ongoing education and
training, earn certifications and agree to follow honest business practices;
to use top quality cleaning products and equipment and follow a published code of
ethics. Bottom line: You never want to hire a fly-by-night carpet cleaner!
The two main organizations I trust are; The
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), and
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).
These are their seals of
approval you should look for when looking to hire a reputable carpet cleaning
company.
Why is Vacuuming So Important?
Proper maintenance is the key to keeping your carpet looking like-new longer!
Most carpets don't wear out, they ugly-out! This is the common description for a carpet fiber that loses it's shine. Once your carpet fibers lose their shine, they start to look dull. Then, your new carpet start to look worn out. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to make your ugly looking, dull carpet look like new again.
Dirt and grime is one of the key reasons that carpet fibers lose their shine. The dirt and grime that grind into the carpet pile is the cause of the loss of carpet shine. Proper maintenance is the key to keeping your carpet looking like new longer!
How Often Should I Vacuum My Carpet?
Q. How many people live in your home? That's how many times you should vacuum each week, especially in high traffic areas! Do you have four people living in your home? Then you should vacuum your carpet about four times a week! Some folks need to vacuum everyday! More people means more vacuuming. This is the minimum you should vacuum per week and more vacuuming may be necessary if you:
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Have active teenagers, or active children under the age of 5
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Have indoor dogs, cats or elephants,
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Entertain often, or have teens with lots of friends,
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Live in a dusty or rural area, or near the beach.
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Have allergies or asthma
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Live in a moist or humid climate
This means you should be vacuuming practically everyday. But vacuuming everyday won't help if you don't have a good quality vacuum or if your vacuum is not operating at it's peak efficiency. If your vacuum is not doing a good enough job, the dirt that penetrates the nap of your carpet will begin grinding away at the fibers. This leads to dulling of the color and matting and crushing of the pile, which in turn makes your carpet look worn out faster. And once your carpet starts looking dingy, nothing can be done to make it regain it's original like-new appearance.
There's more to maintaining your carpet than just dealing with the problem of grit, dirt and dust penetrating the nap of your carpet, small children and active teens can significantly increase the daily wear and tear on your carpets. Running, jumping, dancing, playing and other common activities are very damaging to carpet. Rigorous activities force dirt and debris deep into the nap, often too deep for some older or less-powerful vacuums to remove. This is why having a good quality vacuum with enough suction power is so important.
Abrasion is also a main cause of carpet wear. You can see the effects of abrasion most obvious on stairs, down the hallways or other high traffic traffic lanes. Carpet fibers can only tolerate a certain amount of abrasion before they show the effects. While diligent vacuuming won't undo damage caused by active kids, it will help reduce the damaging effects by removing the majority of gritty sand-like dirt and debris.
Learn more:
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How Much Does Carpet Cleaning Cost?
