Are Your Dirty Carpets Making You Sick?

What to expect from NOT cleaning your carpet: 

1)      Aggravated allergies and asthma. In a study conducted in some 23 countries, researchers found that allergy rates increase when carpet use decreases. (http://www.carpet-health.org/aa.asp)  The reason is that carpet traps pollens, dander, dust and many other airborne pollutants.  This keeps those things on the ground and out of your breathing air.   However, if you don’t clean your carpet, then the pollens, dander, dust, etc. build up until your carpet is completely overrun with these things, aggravating allergies, asthma and many other breathing conditions.  Your carpet is a terrific filter, but it needs regular cleaning.

2)      Bad Smells. Ever walk into someone’s home and notice a funny smell or an unpleasant odor? You would never tell them how their home smelled. Most likely they aren’t even aware of the odor because they have become used to it.  Ever wonder if your home has a funny smell?  Well, quite frankly, dirty carpet smells!  Imagine if you didn’t clean your clothes for a long time.  They would smell, right?  At least until you cleaned them.  Carpet is no different.  It’s basically clothing for your floor.  If you have pets you can be sure your carpet probably smells like them too.  Nasty right?

3)      Embarrassment from unexpected guests. Friends drop by for a visit, you look at your carpet.  The kids accidentally spilled something last week, your traffic lanes look matted and dirty, you’ve been meaning to get them cleaned but kept putting it off.  “It’s not that bad… It’s Awful! ” you tell yourself.  You blush with embarrassment hoping they won’t notice. “Why did they have to stop by today?”When they finally leave, so overcome with frustration, you lean against the closed door and silently scream.  Let’s face it, your home reflects on you.  Having dirty carpet isn’t something anyone wants to be known for.

4)      Worn traffic lanes that cannot be restored.  Dirt in your carpet acts as sandpaper on glass.  It grinds away the life of your carpet, reducing it to the little bits of fuzz that fill up your vacuum bag. Most of the dirt is in your traffic lanes, causing the most damage there.  Once the carpet has been worn down by constant abuse, it cannot be recovered.  We can clean it but it will never look like new again.  Don’t wait until that happens.

5)      Permanent “ground in dirt”.  This is very similar to wear caused by dirt.  It is possible to allow the dirt to build up to a point where it will NOT come up.  In some cases the dirt bonds with the carpet through oxidation. The result is permanent dirt in your carpet.  It is very difficult to save your carpet when you have allowed so much dirt to build up that it cannot be removed.

6)      Black soiling lines around walls and under doors.  These soiling lines around the edge of your carpet are caused by your carpet filtering out your air.  In time you get a build up around the edge of your carpet, which is where the air travels in your home.  If left untreated you will eventually get black “soil” lines all around your home which are very difficult to remove.

7)      Color loss. The damage caused by dirt grinding your carpet, dirt building up and oxidizing with your carpet, and the damage left behind by “filtration” soiling can fade the color of your carpet.  Even after cleaning you could be left with grayish, shaded, and faded traffic lanes, and color loss around the edges of your carpet, and color change caused by dirt bonding with your carpet.  This damage cannot be repaired.

8)      A voided warranty. The carpet manufacturers often require you to show proof that you have “hot water extracted” your carpet at least once a year and reapplied carpet protector, or they will not honor their stain or wear warranties.  The only method of cleaning they recommend for deep cleaning is hot water extraction because it is the ONLY PROVEN METHOD to remove the deep down dirt in your carpet. 

9)   The huge expense of having to replace your carpet because it is now beyond help!  By waiting too long or putting off cleaning your carpet you are damaging a very expensive investment in your home.  Carpet is meant to last many, many years.  You could have “like new” looking carpet for 10-20 years if you clean it regularly.  Trying to save money on carpet cleaning will cost you ten times more in the long run.  Don’t let your expensive carpet be turned into a worthless rag!