Flushing Out The Grime That Is In The Carpet
During spring cleaning, homeowners look to freshen up the house, and give it a new look and feel. It’s time to tidy up those shelves, clean out the closets, and stack all that kitchenware in order. A thorough scrubbing of surfaces to remove stains, cleaning the clutter that makes the space feel all cramped up – lots of aspects are involved – just ensure you don’t forget your carpet.
Dust mites Favourite Playground
Not to over-dramatize the gravity of the situation, but the carpet is one of the top spots for dust mites in the household. All that dead skin that is shed by people and pets on the premises piles up in the lush fibre of the carpet, providing nourishment to the colonies of these microscopic insects that are calling the carpet their home.
While the mites themselves are not directly a threat to people, their faecal residue is. The faecal pellets come with protein elements that trigger allergic reactions in sensitive people. In addition to the health risks, this makes the interior space uncomfortable. After all, all that sneezing and nasal irritation is not how you want to spend your time. A thorough carpet cleaning where these microscopic creatures are flushed out of the carpet is needed.
A Hotbed of Bacteria And Allergens
Picture this: Fluffy steps into some faeces while out in the dog park, and then tracks this into your home. Or Kitty hopping through the litter bins picks up some grime under the paws, and brings this home. Suddenly, you have pathogens like E. Coli in the carpet. These are not the only sources. That food residue in the carpet is a magnet for insects like cockroaches, and even larger pests like rodents. As these come over to feed on the free food, they carry pathogens, and also deposit more in the faecal matter all over the carpet. Add this to the grime that is tracked in under people’s shoes as they come in from their various activities outdoors. With the average indoor carpet clocking about 4,000 times more grime compared to a toilet seat, there’s bound to be plenty of risks that your family members are being exposed to.
The conditions in the carpet enable the germs to thrive. From those feeding on the decaying organic matter, to those like the Campylobacter bacteria that especially thrive during the winter months in the damp carpet, E. coli and micrococcus pathogens strewn within the fibres, stubborn trains like MRSA that could have been brought into the home form the gyms and locker rooms – these all pose a risk to the household members. Conditions like athlete’s foot can easily be spread especially for the family members walking barefoot on the carpet. Carrying out routine and thorough washing will enable you to protect your loved ones.
Fur and dander
Are there cats or dogs in the household? Normal shedding of the fur by the pets contributes to the grime build up in the lush fibres. What’s more, the pets enjoy playing and napping on the carpet, meaning that there will be more body waste left behind. As they come from their outdoor escapades, they can also track in soiling under their paws, and debris within the fur, that gets transferred onto the carpet. Even pests are an issue, such as the fleas and mites that the pets pick up from the outdoors and their interactions with other animals. These pests will find the carpet to be a suitable hiding spot. You don’t want your family members being terrorised by fleas hopping form the carpet onto their skin. An in-depth carpet cleaning that kills the pests and flushes their dead bodies from the carpet, as well as the rest of the fur and dander left behind is key.
Stain problems
Despite one’s measures to be extra careful, there will eventually be stains on the carpet. All it takes is one accident where beverages are spilled onto the lush material to leave behind an unsightly mess. Spills should be treated with urgency. The sooner that you clean up the spot, the greater the chances that you will be able to remove it completely. With an absorbent cloth or towel, blot up the excess liquids. Do not rub the spot, as this will only drive the stain deeper into the material. Next, use a cleaning agent that is safe for your particular type of carpet to remove the stain. Over time, there will be some stains that prove troublesome to remove with spot cleaning -perhaps because they were not noticed in time, or you simply don’t have the right stain removing solution at hand. When there are multiple stains riddling the carpet, it takes away the appeal of the unit. However, this does not have to be a permanent fate. Call in the professional carpet cleaning crew to assess the condition of your unit, and determine the most appropriate approach to get rid of the stains without damaging the underlying material.
The abrasive debris that is tracked under people’s shoes as they walk into the house is a direct threat to the carpet. This is because it wears down the material, reducing its structural integrity and lifespan. Over time, the particles are broken down, and all through this while they will be grinding against the fibres of the carpet whenever people walk on it. Placing a mat at the entrance of the house will cut down the amount of soiling getting tracked into the house. Actually, it is also recommended that you insist on a “No-Shoe” policy in your home, where those coming in switch from their outdoor footwear into slippers or sandals strictly meant for the house, to help in protecting your carpet. Frequent vacuuming also helps in reducing the rate at which the debris builds up in the unit, and the frequency of this will depend on the amount of traffic that the carpet witnesses. Scheduling the occasional deep carpet cleaning will flush out the grime buried with the lush fibres, and prolong the lifespan of your unit.
