Of all the floor coverings available, carpet is the most comfortable. It feels soft, warm and inviting. However, thanks to its woven nature, it is actually a hotbed of unpleasant things that lurk amongst the fibres! Here are some of the possible offenders:
Food & Drink
No matter how hard you try to be careful, food crumbs and drink stains happen – especially if you have children. Over time, the stains don’t look good, but it can also lead to unpleasant odours and bacterial growth.
Mould & Mildew
Without regular cleaning, your carpet could be harbouring mould, salmonella, E.coli, norovirus and mildew. Carpets can get warm and slightly moist underneath, and this is where mould and mildew form. You might be amazed to learn that some of these bacteria can survive on carpet for up to 4 weeks!
Skin
You don’t have to be a snake to shed your skin. Human shed millions of skin flakes every day, most of them landing in your carpet!
Bugs
Out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, you might not be so comfortable with the thought that microscopic bugs such as fleas and dust mites can thrive in carpets. Dust mites feed on all that skin we’re losing and can cause allergies, so you’ll want to get rid of that uninvited house guest! Bed bugs also like to go on vacation from your mattress to your carpet from time to time. Fleas and ticks bite, so you don’t want those critters in your carpet either.
Dander
Coming from pets, dander is the cause of many pet allergies and can gather in carpeted areas.
Pollen
Coming in through open windows in warmer months, pollen can land on your carpet and cause serious aggravation of hay fever and other allergies.
Chemicals
Basically, anything you might get on your shoes from the outside world can end up on your carpet, including pesticides, oil, herbicides, asbestos, animal faeces or any other chemical. Leaving shoes at the door is always good practice.
How to clean the carpet
Now you’ve read the above, you’re probably eager to get cleaning. For a deep, effective clean, hire a professional Cheltenham Carpet Cleaning Company like http://gnccontractservices.com/
Steps you can take yourself include vacuuming twice a week to pick up surface dirt before it embeds itself. Sprinkling baking soda, leaving for 30 minutes and then vacuuming helps to remove odours, not just mask them.
A professional clean at least twice a year and regular upkeep will help to:
- Remove dust mites, bed bugs and other tiny creepy crawlies.
- Removes dirt like chemicals, pollen, soil and traces of animal faeces walked in from outside.
- Gets rid of dead skin flakes, hair, food particles and other sources of food for beetles and mites.
- Clears out pet dander, ticks and fleas.
- Helps stop the build-up of mould and mildew.
- Eliminates any lurking bacteria and viruses spreading in the carpet.
