In decades past, most American women worked in the home, providing childcare, cooking, cleaning, and everything else needed to keep a home looking like new. Of course, in decades past women often had no choice but to work in the home, and today many women follow their dreams beyond the home. But for better or worse, too many moms and wives are expected to not just have it all, but to also do it all, working outside the home and then providing childcare, cooking, and cleaning in the home.
For Americans with carpets, area rugs, or furniture upholstery, carpet cleaning and upholstery often go hand in hand with good old fashioned procrastination. Even though there are about 40,523 carpet cleaning and upholstery businesses in the U.S. generating $4 billion in annual revenue, too many people put off necessary carpet cleaning. In the meantime, their rugs and carpets fall into disrepair, fading and filling up with pet hair, dirt, and dust mites (2,000 mites can live on a single ounce of carpet dust!).
So how do you know when it’s time to bring in professional carpet cleaning and upholstery services, and when you can get away with a quick vacuum and DIY cleaning?
1. Do You Have Pets, Children, Or Smokers Living In Your Home?
If a family pet, smokers, or young children live under your roof, then carpets in your home will require professional carpet cleaning services two to four times every year, otherwise your carpets will wear out and fade far too quickly. And if you have smoking children in your home, then your carpets are in serious trouble (although you might be too, legally speaking).
2. How Much Foot Traffic Do Carpets And Area Rugs Receive?
Carpet cleaning and upholstery experts recommend professionally cleaning high-traffic area rugs and carpets quarterly. That might seem excessive, but just imagine how much wear and tear, dust, and dirt those carpets receive on a daily basis. Sure, you could try and replace some or all of those quarterly cleanings with a DIY cleaning job, but unless you’re secretly a hobbyist collecting industrial carpet cleaning equipment, then you will inevitably leave plenty of dirt and dust behind.
3. Don’t Wait Longer Than…
The best residential carpet cleaners and area rug cleaning services will tell you to get your carpets washed a few times a year. Not only do they want your business, but they care about your rugs, and they know that’s what’s required to ensure they last as long as they’re supposed to. However, if you want to wait as long as possible before bringing in the cheap carpet cleaning pros, then you’ll want to get carpets cleaned every 12 months. At the absolute longest, carpets require cleaning every 18 months.
4. But I Really Want To Clean My Carpets On My Own
If you are unwilling, or unable, to hire carpet cleaning and upholstery services as often as recommended, then you should vacuum rugs at least once a week. And again, those high-traffic areas will require a little extra TLC.
You can extend the life of carpets and area rugs by hiring professional cleaners to care for them. But if you’re determined to do it yourself, then remember to pay your carpets attention every week.
