how to clean your carpet
The carpet in your home is often an expression of your personal style and a source of warmth and comfort. But would you really feel that comfort if you knew what lies beneath the soft and inviting cushion of fibres?
dust and dust mites
Dust is in every home and every carpet. Just 10 square feet of carpet can be home to 10,000 dust mites and 100,000 dust mite corpses. Their presence and fecal matter can cause allergies and trigger asthma.
skin cells
Each person sheds an average of 36 million skin cells in a single day. A family of four will shed three pounds of skin cells in 12 months.
pollen, animal dander
Both are extremely sticky and adhere themselves to carpet, furniture, draperies, bedding – almost any soft surface of your home. Animal dander can last up to six months, even after a pet has been removed from a home. Both pollen and animal dander have been identified as significant contributors to allergies and asthma.
bacteria and viruses
Imagine – your carpet may be more contaminated than a toilet seat, with as many as 200,000 bacteria per square inch. Viruses have also been shown to survive up to a month or more on carpets, including Norovirus, which causes stomach flu.
mould and mildew
Organic deposits such as food and beverages, soilings from pets and other “spills” can create an ideal breeding ground for mould and mildew, which can pose a serious health risk. Headaches and breathing issues are commonplace, but living with mould and mildew can also precipitate a myriad of more severe complications.
dirt
It’s inevitable. Dirt can be tracked into a home through many sources. More than a pound of dirt can accumulate in a carpet, in any given room, in just one year.
Sweeping it under the rug won’t help. To alleviate these issues, experts like Hoover recommend vacuuming carpets at least twice weekly, as well as deep cleaning every three to six months. And why not make it far less of a chore with a vacuum that is maneuverable, light weight and fun to operate? For deep cleaning, look for a carpet washer that has a two tank system. It keeps the clean water separate from dirty water for optimal cleaning results that will help your carpet look its best for years to come.
— News Canada