Caring for your carpet
Your carpet should complete the perfect look in your home. It will add style, comfort and warmth. Naturally, you’ll want the look, feel and enjoyment to last. To help you do just that you’ll need to take good care of it, maintain it as well as you can, and clean it properly.
Maintenance
The key to good maintenance is to avoid dirt and dust working their way into the carpet pile where they can act abrasively on the fibres and discolour the carpet. So we recommend the following;
- Vacuum regularly at least 2-3 times a week for cut pile carpets use a beater bar vacuum, for loop pile check the manufacturers’ recommendation.
- A large, quality doormat will reduce dirt from outside being spread around the house.
- Shoes, especially trainers or abrasive soles, will tear and damage the carpet pile and cause premature wear. Remove your shoes at the front door and lessen the impact of everyday wear and tear
Vacuuming Carpet
Man –made fibre and wool carpets should be vacuumed regularly and as soon as they are laid.
Loop Pile Carpet
Loop pile carpets are prone to pilling if vacuumed with a beater bar. Some other quality manufacturers do recommend a beater bar so check your manufacturer’s recommendation.
Cut Pile Carpet
Cut pile carpets should ideally be vacuumed with an upright vacuum cleaner with a beater bar and brush. You can also opt to use a cylinder vacuum cleaner with a similar attachment.
Soft Deep Pile Carpet
We recommend a vacuum cleaner with an adjustable height for soft deep cut pile carpets, to ensure proper airflow over the pile surface, during cleaning.
Cleaning
In a busy house with a young family, pets, or plenty of visitors, spills and stains can happen at any time.
The good news is that carpets can be cleaned easily and simply by following the recommended guidelines below:
- Tackle spillages and stains immediately, don’t leave them until later or allow them to dry.
- Blot away all the liquid stain with dry kitchen towel or a clean white dry cloth.
- Semi-solid substances should be removed with a plastic spatula.
- Remember to be patient – don’t rub vigorously or over-soak the stain.
- Always work from the outside of the stain inwards to minimise it spreading.
- To clean off any remaining stains, blot with a clean, damp cloth soaked in warm water.
Stain free polypropylene carpets are often advertised as bleach cleanable, check the manufacturers recommendations however a solution of bleach and warm water can be used. Simply dilute one part bleach to six parts water. Note: Do not use this on wool carpets and take care not to over-soak the carpet. Repeat if required or contact a professional cleaner if more persistent stains remain.
Wool carpet
Axminster has a handy guide on looking after wool carpet here; https://www.axminster-carpets.co.uk/userfiles/files/Carpet-Care-no-crops.pdf.
However we also recommend Woolsafe who have an excellent guide and video https://www.woolsafe.org/carpet-rug-care-guide/