Carpets are easy victims of neglect. Perhaps it is because we only interact with carpets passively — walking over them or seeing them as a background while we move around — that we forget proper carpet care.
By the time you remember to look closely at your carpets, it might be too late already. For some homeowners, you might only notice the state of your carpets after an unfortunate accident.
When this does happen, you’re left wondering whether or not to call a professional carpet cleaner or replace it altogether. Don’t worry, though — this is a common question among homeowners.
You may continue to read below to gain more insight about whether it’s time for a carpet replacement or a carpet cleaning.
Replace Carpets or Clean Them?
The Rule Of Thumb
In general, the rule is to replace carpets if they start to pose health risks for you and your family or are severely damaged and stained. Unless it has reached this point, you can postpone buying and installing new carpets.
Even extremely dirty carpets can still be restored to their former beauty with some serious cleaning. If your home vacuum and DIY solutions aren’t enough to get the grime out, there are still other options.
You can get help from professional carpet cleaners like SaniClean Dry Carpet Cleaning to revive your old, neglected carpets.
Signs You Need To Replace Your Carpet
Every home carpet will need to be replaced eventually, though proper maintenance and care will help prolong the life of your carpet. If you observe these signs on your carpets, consider getting a new one right away.
Permanent Or Stubborn Stains
Covering up permanent or stubborn stains with rugs, tables, and furniture is a huge sign you need to replace your carpet.
Some tough stains may still be remedied using special carpet cleaners and solutions. However, if you still see stains even after using specialized stain removers, start looking for a new carpet.
This also applies to carpets that have been discolored and bleached after failed attempts to remove permanent stains.
Tearing And Other Damage
Check your home carpeting for any rips, tears, flattened fibers, matting, and other signs of damage. All of these not only make your home look bad but may even be dangerous for you and your family.
Large tears can snag at your shoes. If you share your home with children and pets, these could potentially cause serious accidents.
Lingering Carpet Odor
Having pets in your home can quickly cause stinky carpets. The smell may be diminished or eliminated with immediate action and special cleaning products.
However, if you were unlucky enough not to notice the cause of the odor right away, it can penetrate deep into the carpet fibers, padding, and even the floor baseboard. This can make removing the odor near impossible unless you pull out your carpets.
Mold Or Mildew Growth
Unpleasant and lingering carpet odor may be a sign of other more serious issues. If a musty smell starts to permeate your home, you may be dealing with carpet mold and mildew growth.
DIY solutions may eradicate mold growth, such as a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide. Generally, though, it is best to leave the cleaning to professionals or replace the carpet completely.
Sometimes, the mold growth may have expanded to the floorboards below your carpet. This is common in carpets that were flooded and not properly dried through. In such cases, removing your carpet and properly cleaning the baseboards is necessary.
Uneven Or Thinning Carpet Padding
If you notice your carpet is uneven, has wrinkles, or makes crinkling sounds whenever you walk over it, you will need to check the padding.
Carpet padding is the foundational support of your carpet. This, together with the fibers themselves, is what makes your carpets comfortable to walk over or lay on. It also provides minimal insulation benefits.
Carpet padding thinned out and no longer performed well is a sign of old and abused carpets needing replacement.
Recently Waterlogged Carpets
If your carpets have been damaged by a flood recently, consider replacing them altogether.
It doesn’t matter whether the flood is caused by clean or dirty water. A drenched carpet will inevitably cause your baseboards to absorb water and potentially buckle, rot, or grow mold.
Removing the carpets, cleaning the floor underneath, and installing clean, new carpets reduce the risk of fungal growth and other health risks.
How Often Should You Change or Replace Your Carpet?
Generally, you should change out your home’s carpets every six to seven years. If you properly clean and maintain your carpets, though, it can last you up to over a decade!
However, the question of how often you should replace your carpet is extremely subjective. It all depends on the cleanliness, damage, and overall usage your carpet gets. If you notice your carpet is damaged, growing mold, or has stubborn stains, start looking for replacements immediately — even if it hasn’t been six years yet.
Note that even carpets purchased simultaneously and installed at the same house may need to be replaced (and cleaned) at different times. For instance, the carpet by your entryway, hallways, and dining area may be dirtier and more scuffed up than the carpet inside your bedroom.
Signs You Need To Have Your Carpet Cleaned
Looking at your carpet carefully is often enough to tell whether it needs a quick vacuum, a home wash, or a deep professional clean.
Some of the signs of a carpet needing a thorough cleaning may be mistaken as signs for carpet replacement. You will need to do your due diligence and check whether the problems you notice can still be remedied using regular cleaning methods.
Here are some signs your carpet requires a professional clean:
Grime And Dirt Stains
Walking over carpets daily causes dirt to track onto the carpet. When you walk over a stain, you can cause the dirt to permeate deeper into the fibers and the padding. This causes persistent dirt, grime, and stains on your carpet.
Carpets that have seemingly turned a different color often only need a thorough wash. The stains have been there for years; call in the professional carpet cleaners first unless you are sure. You can ask them for advice on whether or not certain stains can still be removed to save you money on buying a new carpet.
Dull Or Discolored Carpets
Carpets that simply look dull and discolored can be remedied with a deep cleaning session. If you can no longer remember the true color of your tired-looking carpets, you can check underneath large pieces of furniture.
Since the carpeting under these furniture has not been dirtied, you’ll be able to see how your carpet should look. Send a quick photo of the difference between the exposed and hidden carpet to your trusted local carpet cleaners to know whether they can bring back its former beauty.
Crumbs Tangled In The Fibers
The carpet in your dining area and the hallway leading into your kitchen are prime spots for crumbs, food droppings, and related stains. If you haven’t made a habit of vacuuming your carpet regularly, even if it’s only once a month, you’ll find a lot of crumbs tangled in the fibers.
Crumbs and other food that have dried up can be hard to remove. You can either shampoo your carpet yourself or save time and energy by phoning local carpet cleaners in Seattle.
A Year Or More Since The Last Cleaning
If it has been more than 12 months since you last cleaned your carpet, do it immediately. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a home DIY wash or a professional job — your carpet is long overdue for a cleaning.
Make it a habit to clean your carpet yourself and enlist the services of professional cleaners. Remember that regular sweeping, vacuuming, and washing are part of proper carpet care and maintenance.
How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?
A weekly carpet vacuuming schedule works best for a neat and tidy home. This applies when the owners spend limited time at home or do not have kids and pets that may dirty the carpets. Weekly vacuuming schedules are also recommended for house areas that experience light traffic.
If you share your home with pets and children, we recommend daily vacuum sessions or at least a twice-weekly schedule. Vacuuming twice a week also applies to house areas that experience high foot traffic.
However, vacuuming your carpets does not ensure all the dirt, grime, and allergens are completely removed. For this, you also need to wash and shampoo your carpets.
An annual wash is okay for lightly dirty carpets or those in light foot traffic areas. As for extremely stained carpets or those in high-traffic areas, you may need to shampoo them twice a year.
Meanwhile, professional deep cleaning is recommended every 12 to 18 months. This is still only a frequency guideline. Your personal circumstances and home cleaning habits may hasten or prolong the necessary deep cleaning intervals.
The Takeaway
There is only one right answer to homeowners asking, “Should I clean or replace my carpets?” — it depends.
You first need to take a good, long look at the state of your carpets. Check if the damage is repairable, if the stains are permanent, and if there are underlying issues that may pose a risk to your health. If not, then you don’t have to dip into your savings for a new carpet.
If your carpets only look sad, stained, and/or worse for wear, then you can simply call in the experts. SaniClean Dry Carpet Cleaning is here for all your carpet cleaning needs.
We offer a wide range of carpet cleaning services for homeowners and commercial areas in Washington. Whether you need expert carpet cleaners to your Des Moines home, Seattle office, and beyond, SaniClean Dry Carpet Cleaning is the one to call.
Trust our highly trained and professional team to clean, sanitize, and bring your carpets back to their former glory. Best of all, our superior quality cleaning services are available at competitive prices.
Call us today at (206) 590-7174 to get a complimentary cleaning estimate. You may also inquire through the “Request Service” form on this page.
Learn more about your #1 dry carpet cleaning service in Seattle by browsing our website here.