The Best Way to Keep Your Carpet Looking as Good as New

There’s nothing worse than your carpet no longer feeling as fluffy and fresh as it was when first installed. The truth is, it goes through a lot every day – especially with kids! – which can unfortunately leave it looking worn out.

Not to fear though, here’s some top tips and tricks to keep your carpet looking as good as new from Suffolk-based furniture shop, Barretts of Woodbridge.

How to Keep Your Carpet Looking & Feeling Fresh

Vacuum on a Regular Basis

It may seem like common sense, but vacuuming your carpet once or twice a week will help revive your carpet. Build-up of dirt and debris can have cause abrasion, so it’s better to bring them out of the carpet as often as possible. This will also help keep the tufts upright and fluffy, so it will feel nice and soft between your toes. As well as vacuuming on a regular basis, make sure to clean your filters regularly too, so they perform to the best of their ability every time.

Top Tip: Make sure you have the right vacuum for your needs; this could mean multiple vacuums to meet your requirements e.g. a cordless one for up the stairs, an upright one for large spaces, a handheld one for furniture, etc.

Use Baking Soda for Fresh Smell

What’s better than a fresh feeling carpet? A fresh smelling carpet! Before your regular vacuum cleaning, sprinkle your carpet with baking soda, leave it for a few minutes, then hoover it up. Any kind of scents that your carpet is holding, any leftover spills or pet odours, will be removed and your carpet will smell fresher for normal.

Keep an Emergency Stain Remover Kit

Stains are inevitable with kids around, so it’s important to build an emergency stain remover kit filled with treatments you can have on-hand when spills strike. By keeping items like commercial carpet cleaner, club soda, washing up liquid, shaving cream, and other tricks you have for carpet stains – we all have our little potions!

Top Tip: Try and reduce the likelihood of spills by avoiding taking anything that could stain into your carpeted room. Maybe incorporate a “no liquids” rule in the specific room or make sure your kids don’t run around the house with things in their hands to eliminate the risk.

Always Deal with Stain Straight Away

First rule of thumb when it comes to stains is to treat them straight away. If a stain begins to set, there is less chance of it being fully removed, so deal with any spills immediately. Second rule of thumb is to blot the stains rather than scrub. Scrubbing will work the stain into your carpet making it harder to remove – and we don’t want that!

Trim Any Loose Ends

If you see any loose snags, tufts or threads appearing in your carpet, give it a little trim with some sharp scissors. Avoid pulling them as this can cause damage to your carpet and try to catch them before little hands or claws start to pull them up. Trim it to the same level as the other tufts or from the base if the fibres are damaged, and no one will ever know the difference.

Regular Deep Cleans Work Wonders

Even though vacuuming on a regular basis can maintain your carpet, a regular deep clean takes it one step further. Whether you invest in your own carpet cleaner or you hire a professional team to work on this, steam cleaning can work wonders for your carpet. By undertaking this every 6 months or so, you can extract embedded dirt and clean more deeply, so you carpet looks brand-new.

Monitor Your High-Traffic Zones for a Focused Approach

The carpeted areas in your home that experience more foot traffic than others should be monitored and maintained a bit more than other areas. One way in which you can relieve the maintenance needs of these areas is by layering a rug or a runner. Cleaning a rug is a lot easier than an entire carpet, and it can also add a pop of colour to your space. What a great excuse to go shopping!

Top Tip: As well as adding a rug to high traffic zone areas, doormats and designated areas for taking off your shoes is another great way to reduce the risk of dirt being spread from outdoor into your house and onto your carpet. Try and avoid wearing shoes in the house and try and make sure your pets’ feet are kept clean too.

Barretts of Woodbridge have been in the home furnishings industry for over 50 years and know a thing or two about how to look after your carpet. There’s no better feeling than freshly installed flooring, so visit Barretts today to view their range of carpets and rugs in-store and to book a free measure and estimate service. Located in Woodbridge, this family-run, independent shop has a friendly team who would be more than happy to help you.