Common Carpet Care Myths
Carpeting as an option for floor covering is a significant investment. It keeps the room warm and comfortable and heated floors are what you are looking for during cold winters. The only challenge is if you are using a radiant under floor heating system. It takes a bit longer to heat the room but this can be reduced by proper alignment and placing of the piping and aluminum plates during installation. For all the comfort carpets bring, you will have to put in some effort when it comes to their maintenance. Unfortunately a number of homeowners tend to follow the wrong advice and use myths when it comes to carpet care.
SAVE MONEY BUYING AN INEXPENSIVE CARPET
From the onset it may look like a great deal getting a cheap carpet from discount stores. However, you greatly risk buying poor fiber carpet that has also poor latex backing. Such carpets come with poor fiber like olefin and use a type of clay filler for latex backing. This makes them less durable and areas of heavy traffic become visible as effects of wear and tear set in. Mid-range to upper prices turn out to be a good investment in the long run offering greater comfort and many years of use.
SAVE MONEY WITH AN INEXPENSIVE PAD
Just like the problem above, an inexpensive carpet pad ends up costing you more in the long run. This is because it will quickly break down causing the carpet to be worn out prematurely. It even costs you much more if you had a great quality carpet.
1 OR 2 YEAR OLD CARPET IS STILL NEW
Most new carpet owners believe that only when the dirt is visible can the carpet be cleaned. This is wrong and untrue because what usually harms the carpet fiber coating are the small and unseen dust particles building up at the bottom of the surface. By the time you notice the soiling on your carpet great damage is already happening.
YOU DON’T NEED PROFESSIONAL CLEANING
For a DIY enthusiast, buying or renting a carpet cleaning machine is a great idea and very appealing. In real sense however, you are exposing your carpet to a number of risks. These machines do not sufficiently extract water and also leave plenty of residue behind. This affects the quality of the fiber while making the carpet susceptible to molds because of the amount of moisture left behind.
VACUUM THE CARPET
When dealing with carpet vacuuming, all manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend doing it on a daily basis. This is the only way to get out the dust particles, pollen and other airborne pollutants from the carpet without creating build up. In house pollutants like human hair, dander, dust mites and dead skin also need to be removed on a daily basis. Aside from prolonging the life of your carpet you also get better indoor quality air.
While carpets help in keeping your indoors warm, for the driveway care and protection from moisture you will need driveway heating systems. These are installed under the driveway paving to provide heating from beneath. They work as snow melting systems are crucial during snow falls.
