How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?

The carpet in our homes has a dirty, thankless job. Often, that job can lead to the buildup of dirt and stains and have us wondering how we’re supposed to keep our carpets clean. 

For a genuinely spotless carpet that feels as fresh as the day you had it installed, it will take the help of Steam Smart Pro, your carpet cleaning professionals in Tucson, AZ, who can steam clean and vacuum your carpet. Our team can rid your carpet of all imperfections in hours for an affordable rate. Still, figuring out how to clean your carpet is one thing, but how often should you clean your carpet?

Ultimately, carpet cleaning frequency will vary for each homeowner. Your needs depend on several factors, including foot traffic, pets, children, and dark vs. light-colored carpet. 

However, common suggestions and guidelines can give you an idea of how often you should spring to have your carpets cleaned.

What Is Carpet Cleaning? 

Carpet cleaning might sound like it doesn’t need an explanation, but many people get the wrong idea about what the process entails.

Many people conflate carpet cleaning with vacuuming, and while both remove dirt from your flooring, these methods have significant differences. For starters, most vacuums only pick up debris from the surface of the carpet, while the dirt and dust deeper in the flooring get left behind. 

Daily vacuuming might give your carpeting a surface-level appearance of cleanliness, but your floors will still look dirtier than when you first got them. In addition, vacuum cleaners will provide little to no help in removing deep stains from a carpet. 

Removing all debris and stains from carpet flooring requires thorough shampooing and steam cleaning. This process will remove all imperfections that a vacuum cleaner cannot reach.

How Often Should You Clean Your Carpet?

Not every home, or every carpet, is the same. And as such, the time it will take before you should clean your flooring will vary from household to household.

Small Households

Homes with one to two people living in them, without children, pets, or frequent visitors, will likely only need to clean their carpets once a year. 

Of course, this timeline will change based on the lifestyle of the home’s occupants. If their jobs or personal hobbies have them tracking in dirt frequently, hiring a professional cleaner more often than every 12 months might be advisable.

However, the average homeowner living in a house without kids or animals will likely not be bringing much debris into the area. 

Large Households

Bigger homes with three or more residents can wait 12 months before their carpets are dirty enough to warrant a deep cleaning. This is a general guideline for households that don’t engage with many outdoor activities or have many visitors.

On the other hand, if your home has many guests or its residents spend time outdoors frequently, your carpet is likely full of dirt beneath the surface of the flooring and should be washed with a steam cleaner every six months.

Homes With Children

When kids play outside with their friends, they’re likely to track in dirt, allergens, and debris. Additionally, younger children tend to spill food and beverages, leading to frequent staining on a carpet. 

With the average amount of dirt that children can bring to a carpeted floor, most cleaning experts recommend that you steam clean your carpet at least every six months if you live in a house with kids. 

Homes With Pets

Kids, dogs, and cats typically spend much of their day outdoors, engaging with other animals and walking around in the mud and grass. That alone can bring dirt and allergens into your home and onto your carpet. Additionally, many animals produce their own allergens that can become embedded deep in your home’s floor.

With how much dirt your pets can produce, you should clean your carpets once every three to six months, depending on how much time your pet spends outside, how much they shed, and how often they are around other animals.

Other Factors To Consider

The size and occupants of a house will be the most important things determining how often you should clean your carpet, but there are other factors to consider.

• Light vs. dark carpet: The color of your carpet won’t change how dirty the floor is, but it will impact how visible that dirt is. Homes light-colored carpets should have their floors cleaned twice as often as the original recommendation. For example, small households with light carpets should be cleaning their floor every six months rather than 12.
• Allergy sensitivity: People with severe allergies might suffer repeated symptoms if their carpets aren’t cleaned once every two to three months. In homes with carpeted flooring, dust, pet dander, and other common allergens can get embedded deep into the fibers of the carpet, which can trigger fits of coughing, sneezing, and a dry nose for people with allergies.
• Smoking vs. non-smoking: Homes with people who smoke will have a different timeline for how frequently they should clean their carpets than homes with non-smokers. Smoking can lead to tar and nicotine stains in carpet flooring and must be cleaned every three to six months.

Quality Carpet Cleaning From Steam Smart Pro

How often should you clean your carpet? It depends on several factors, from home size to allergy sensitivity. But when the time for carpet cleaning does come, you can count on the team at Steam Smart Pro to handle the job.

Our team of cleaning experts will use the highest quality cleaning products available for every job we take, providing you with beautiful flooring in hours that you can only get from a team of professionals. Open seven days a week for clients across Arizona, and we promise to make your flooring as beautiful as it was when you first bought your home.

To schedule an appointment or learn about required maintenance after carpet cleaning, call Steam Smart Pro today at (520)462 1183.

Author Bio:

Eric Bullard

The owner of Steam Smart Pro in Tucson, AZ, brings over 20 years of invaluable experience in the field of carpet, tile, and air duct cleaning. With a strong dedication to quality and a deep understanding of effective cleaning techniques, Eric consistently delivers outstanding results to his satisfied residential and commercial clients.