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How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?

How often you clean your carpet will depend on the type of carpet you have, your living environment and the type of clean you are doing. We’ll give advice on how often you should hoover, shampoo and deep clean your carpet to keep them in pristine condition.

How to know if your carpet needs cleaning?

There are a few ways to tell if your carpet needs cleaning. If you have not cleaned your carpet within the past year, it will be due for a clean. Another factor is if you or others living in your home are having allergy problems or notice a lingering smell. If there are noticeable stains, visible marks or dullness, these are also signs that your carpet is due a clean.

How often should you clean your carpet?

To maintain a good looking carpet and a healthy living environment, it is recommended to:

  • Hoover your carpet at least once a week (or more if you have pets that shed a lot of fur)
  • Shampoo your carpet once every 6 to 12 months (and more frequently if you have a light coloured carpet with heavy foot traffic)
  • Deep clean your carpet once a year (especially if you are or live with a smoker)

It’s important to be consistent with cleaning your carpets as the more regularly they are cleaner, the easier it is to maintain their good condition.

Is it bad to clean your carpets often?

Contrary to what some may think, you can’t overclean your carpet. It is actually more damaging to your carpets to not clean them, as the build up of dirt can get worse over time and more difficult to fix. Some carpets, if not cleaned regularly enough, can be damaged beyond repair.

How hard is it to clean your carpet?

Cleaning your carpet is straightforward – most hoovers on the market are powerful enough to provide a thorough clean. Depending on the size of your house and the thickness of your carpets, a weekly hoover session should be manageable.

For carpet shampooing, you can use a home kit, or you can hire a professional carpet cleaning provider. If attempting to shampoo your carpet yourself, you can buy a ready made spray, or add some drops of carpet shampoo to warm water in a spray bottle, and spray the mixture over the carpet. Be careful not to over-hydrate the carpet. Brush over the carpet with a brush to remove the dirt first, then blot the area with a kitchen towel to remove the extra moisture.

As well as pre-made carpet shampoos that you can buy in most supermarkets and home stores, you can also make a homemade carpet shampoo with vinegar and water, or baking soda.

If you want a more intense, professional deep clean of your carpet, you can hire a cleaning company who will use a purpose built machine to shampoo and condition your carpet. This is recommended for lighter coloured carpets, or carpets in larger houses with heavy footfall.

Top tips for keeping your carpets in good shape

  • When hoovering, hoover slowly and make sure to go round the edges of rooms, in corners and underneath furniture so there are no missed sections where a build up could form.
  • When doing a carpet shampoo, be sure to hoover first so you’re removing all the top level dirt and dust before going any deeper.
  • To get the most out of your hoover, empty your hoover bag after every cleaning session, keep your filter clean and cut away any hairs that may be wrapped around your brush head.
  • Treat stains as quickly as possible – if you do drop something on your carpet that causes a mark or stain, address it right away rather than letting it soak in and dry.
  • When treating a stain, always blot rather than scrub, as this will prevent the stain from spreading and damaging more of the carpet.

If you would like to hire one of our specialist carpet cleaning services, get in touch with one of our team members today.