Minimizing Wear From Carpet Traffic Patterns

Carpet fibers are designed to reflect light, giving carpets a rich, luxurious appearance. When this reflective quality is obscured, carpets look dull and dirty. Dirt is the main cause of compromised fabric light reflection, not only because it accumulates and settles in carpeting, obstructing light reflection, but also because sharp dirt particles grind against carpet fibers and cause matting and abrasive damage. In fact, the illusion of dirty, soiled carpeting may persist even after the carpet is cleaned, because matting and abrasion are permanent carpet damage.

How to Prevent Premature Wear

Although all carpeting eventually wears out and needs to be replaced, there are a few preventative measures you can take that will make a world of difference on how many years of use you will get from your carpeting. Dirt and grit lodged in carpeting will scratch and tear carpet fibers as people walk across the carpet. Reducing or removing that dirt and grit is incredibly important for avoiding premature wear of carpeting. How? Through the use of door mats, regular vacuuming, and professional cleaning…

Door Mats

You can dramatically reduce the amount of dirt your carpets are exposed to by placing door mats in entrances. Different materials for door mats, such as nylon, polyester, wool, rubber, or vinyl, offer different looks and benefits, but any door mat is better than none. Door mats help absorb moisture, dirt, and debris that would otherwise end up on your carpet.

Vacuuming

Regular vacuuming, even when carpets don’t look like they need to be vacuumed, will not only lift and rejuvenate the shape of carpet fibers, but it will also reduce the accumulation and settling of dry soils and dirt that causes carpet fibers to break down.

Professional Cleaning

Even with regular vacuuming, moist soils and sharp dirt particles can remain lodged in carpet fibers. Professional carpet cleaning removes embedded dirt and other clingy contaminants, such as grease, oil particles, and gasses. Although professional cleaning will not undo existing abrasive damage and matting, it will help minimize
further damage and refresh the appearance of your carpeting.

This is one of a series of articles written and published  on behalf of surpHaces Partners.