What’s Trapped in Your Carpet?
Carpet isn’t exactly a divisive topic, but people tend to have mixed feelings about it. Some love it. Others hate it. Most of us are fairly indifferent. What matters is that we all understand what is involved with carpet.
It’s a great flooring choice for many settings, but carpet requires very different maintenance and care when compared to other flooring options. Most of all, cleaning a carpet is more involved. You can’t just pour a strong cleaning agent on the ground and mop it up. Carpets require vacuums and specialized cleaners.
Considering the effort involved, it might help to know exactly what these cleaning resources are accomplishing. What actually gets trapped in your carpet? Why does it really matter if you stay on top of carpet cleaning or not?
Dust
You already know that dust is in your carpet. If you have ever used a vacuum cleaner, you have seen it pull dust out of the fibers. The dust is what provides the brown, dirty look to unclean carpets.
Here’s what you may or may not understand. Dust builds up in carpets over time, and it gets compacted by foot traffic. The dust is literally ground into the pad, so if you go too long between carpet cleanings, it can become very difficult to get all of the dust out.
On top of that, dust can contain fine sand particles. Those can grind into the carpet fibers and fray them over time. Even though other items on this list might sound more intimidating, dust is one of the worst things that can get trapped in a carpet.
Microbes
Bacteria and fungi can hole up in your carpet as well. Any amount of moisture is enough for them to survive. While these microbes are unlikely to make you sick in most cases, they can increase the risk of skin infection. Bacterial infections are a bigger risk if you have an open cut or sore anywhere.
Fungal infections might concern you more. If someone walks over the carpet with an active fungal infection (like athlete’s foot), the spores inundate the carpet. It is vital to sanitize your carpets when that happens. Otherwise, the infection can recur again and again.
If your carpet is in a public space, regular sanitations help to keep these risks under control.
Allergens
Things that make you sneeze can get trapped in the carpet fibers. This includes pollens, spores (as mentioned above), perfumes, and just about anything else you can imagine, and it happens all the time.
Doctors and researchers recommend regular vacuuming and carpet cleaning specifically to help combat allergies.
Additionally, irritants that collect in carpets can trigger or exacerbate cases of asthma. In general, clean carpets are just better for your health.
Oils
It’s easy to overlook, but a lot of oils are tracked onto carpets. When people walk barefoot on a carpet, the oils from their skin get into the fibers. Shoes are actually worse, as they track oils from roads, sidewalks, and other carpets.
Oils can saturate a carpet and make it feel and appear much dirtier. More than that, oils can shorten the life of a carpet. Depending on the oils, they can create stress for the fabric that makes it wear out faster.
On top of all of that, oils in the carpet feed the microbes that are lurking under the fibers. In all ways, oils are bad for your carpets, and they are inevitably present.
Debris
Typically, debris makes us envision large objects. When it comes to your carpet, the word takes on a different meaning. Debris in carpet is small in form. These are things like stickers from plants that can get stuck in the padding. Debris can also refer to staples, broken glass, and other sharp objects. Clearly, you don’t want any of these objects sticking out of your carpet. The worst-case occurs when you accidentally find them by stepping on one.
Regular vacuuming keeps most debris at bay. Occasional deep cleanings add more protection to the equation. Keeping debris under control is the most important component of keeping carpets safe, whether they are residential or commercial carpets. You can see why it is so important to keep your carpets clean. The next thing to consider is how you intend to do so. Zeppelin Cleaning Services offers professional carpet cleaning and janitorial services throughout the St. Clair Shores area. Contact us today. We can discuss services and schedules to make sure your carpet is adequately protected from all of those things that would otherwise be trapped in it.