10 Things That Could Damage Your Carpet

A carpet is great addition to any home. It could be a simple centerpiece rug that adds that warm cozy touch to your living room. Or maybe it is a full wall to wall unit you have to help keep your home warm. Whatever the case, it is hard to go wrong with a good carpet. However, as the home owner it is your responsibility to ensure that you protect the carpet from any kind of damage. This ensures that you get to enjoy both the aesthetic and functional benefits for a very long time. The best way to do this is by understanding what causes damage to home carpets. This allows you to identify the best ways to address these risks for the sake of your carpet. Without further ado, below are 10 things that could damage your carpet.

1. Use of harsh cleaning chemicals

One of the fastest ways to ruin a good carpet is by using harsh detergents while cleaning. These wreak all sorts of havoc on the carpet fiber. One common effect is discoloration with some spots having the dye bleached clean off the fabric. Other common effects include weakened fibers and chemical burns on the carpet. Fortunately, this is a rookie mistake that is easily avoided by working with experienced professional carpet cleaning crews.

2. Use of rough cleaning equipment

When it comes to carpet cleaning, there are many different types of cleaning equipment. Those with brushes as part of cleaning accessories are particularly popular when it comes to deep cleaning a carpet. Despite being so effective in scrubbing off stains and brushing dirt away from the carpet, some of these can do more harm than good. This usually happens when carpet cleaners with rough bristles are used to clean carpets with delicate fabric. It may result in unraveling of the fabric which basically ruins your carpet.

3. Using the wrong cleaning technique on the wrong fabric

Cleaning could also cause damage to a carpet if the wrong cleaning technique is used. When it comes to professional carpet cleaning, there are many different cleaning methods available. These range from good old fashion soap and water extraction methods to modern dry cleaning methods. It is important to work with experienced professionals who understand the specific needs of different types of carpet fabrics. This is because if the wrong technique is used it could lead to damage. A great example is that of shrinkage of carpets when water-based methods are used.

4. Wearing outdoor shoes indoors

This is the case especially with heeled shoes. These tend to be especially rough on the carpet fabric. Wearing such shoes on the carpet could cause different problems including unraveling of the carpet’s woven matrix as well as loosening of fibers. Outdoor shoes also damage the carpet by introducing contaminants from outside. The most common in this case is mud. It soils the carpet and could lead to permanent staining if the mess is not cleared up right away.

5. Spills and messes left unattended

Something else that could really cost your carpet is leaving messes unattended. It could be that you spilt your morning coffee and simply didn’t feel like cleaning it up immediately after because you were tired. Or maybe your baby decided to use their lunch as paint and the carpet as canvas for their artwork and you were too frustrated to clean up. Ignoring messes like these is the easiest way to ensure that you damage your carpet. It will lead to unsightly stains which tend to become more difficult to remove the longer they are left on the carpet.

6. Pets

Pets can damage your carpet in two ways. The first is by actually tearing away at the fibers either using their claws or their teeth. This is common with cats and young untrained puppies. Pets could also damage your carpet by peeing or pooping on it. In this case, they leave stains that are very difficult to get rid of. In both cases, the best way to protect your carpet is by simply training the pet.

7. Water

Water is good for carpet cleaning but can be the enemy in some situations. In most cases, this happens when the carpet is left wet or at least dump after cleaning or after a spill. In this case, there is a huge risk of the carpet suffering water damage. One of the most common manifestations of this is growth of mold and mildew.

8. Carpet pests

A dirty carpet can host very many different pests. A few of these are attracted to the fibers themselves and will damage the carpet if left uncontrolled. The most common in this case are the carpet moths and carpet beetles. They feed on the fabric and could lead to loosening of fibers and in some instances complete destruction with unsightly holes in the carpet.

9. Heavy foot traffic

This is more common in the commercial setting. In this case, constant pressure on the carpet will lead to damage. This is as a result of friction and is pretty much inevitable. The best that you can do here is to ensure that the carpet is cleaned and conditioned regularly. This increases the strength and integrity of the fibers making them better suited to handle the constant pressure.

10. Dragging furniture

Finally, if you are constantly drugging heavy furniture across the floor over the carpet then you are likely to damage it. In this case, fibers tend to get caught in the furniture legs with the pulling causing them to loosen and unravel. The best solution in this case is to invest in furniture coasters.

Bottom line

With all this information in mind, you should be in a great position to protect your carpet. Just make sure to avoid what you can and take extra care when it comes to things that you cannot change. In addition to this, it is important to ensure that you keep your carpet clean. A clean carpet is a strong carpet and is less likely to succumb to damage by these and other factors. So make sure to set apart some time for carpet cleaning whether it is routine vacuuming or professional carpet cleaning. That way, you will have your carpet looking and feeling great for a very long time.