Cleaning During a Crisis: Helpful Tips For Your Home
First things first, when it comes to our current situation, we are in uncharted territory. None of us know how this will turn out or how long it will last. Nobody has the perfect plan for how to navigate this new kind of life at home. We are all doing what we can to keep ourselves safe and healthy, so we decided to share a few helpful cleaning and disinfecting tips when it comes to clean carpet and rugs in your home.
For the most part, soft surfaces like carpet and rugs require very little maintenance. Sure, you need to vacuum regularly, but compared to hard surfaces, they are a breeze. The one thing you need to remember is to regularly clean carpet professionally once every single year. You can address stains as they come but we highly recommend that you clean carpet as a yearly routine. Just think about how much of the outside world gets trapped in the fibers when you walk in from the streets. Now more than ever, you should be conscious of all the germs you invite into your home.
Carpet Shampooing and other Floor Care services are the best ways to attack the contaminated particles at the source, and to prevent re-circulation. Infected people can shed over 4 million infected skin cells per day, in addition to any droplets they spread. These get re-suspended in the air when a floor surface is walked on, which is the most common form of airborne infection. Using a hot water extraction system, CCS Carpet Shampooing prevents the re-suspension of particles infected by COVID-19 and eradicates other entrenched, damaging dirt, allergen, and bacteria particles that vacuuming cannot remove.
For more info on how to keep clean carpet, continue to read below!
“No Shoes Policy”
The number one tip we always share with our customers is that YOU SHOULD HAVE A NO SHOES POLICY IN YOUR HOME. Not only does is prevent unnecessary wear and stains, it’s also the only way to keep unwanted germs out of your house. If you can get family members to take them off in the garage or mudroom, that is a great place to start to guaranteeing clean carpet.
After doing some light research, we found that the University of Houston did a study that concluded that 39% of shoes contain bacteria. Another study done by the University of Arizona concluded that 9 different forms of bacteria were found on the bottom of shoes!
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, ran a test with a brand new pair of shoes. Within just two weeks of wearing the new shoes he found 440,000 units of bacteria. Research found that 27% of total bacteria were deadly including E Coli. Klebsiella, and pneumonia. These facts aren’t meant to scare you, but only to alert you to just how many unwanted germs can be found on your shoes. The one saving grace is that the solution is easy; take your shoes off before you enter!
Safe Ways to Deal with Stains on Carpet
We all spill something every once in a while, but knowing how to clean up seems to cause debate. The best home remedy we’ve ever heard is diluted white vinegar. In most cases, this will do the trick. Keep in mind when cleaning up a spill or stain to blot the area, do not try and rub. That will only make the area worse. This is meant to be a very mild solution and is the only way to guarantee no harm is caused to the carpet or rug fibers. If that’s not enough, simply send as a photo and we’ll consult with our trusted clean carpet professional.
In our next Blog post we’ll be doing a Q & A with Coleman Clifford, owner of Clifford Fine Fabric Care focusing on clean carpet and other Covid-19 related cleaning tips for your home. The other home remedy he mentioned for natural stains like pet urine, tea, coffee, blood, and even wine is hydrogen peroxide. Yes, the brown bottle of 3% peroxide that you get from the pharmacy is effective and usually a very safe option. Spray it on and then wait. There is a chemical reaction that will eliminate the stain and then the peroxide (H202) will break down to water and oxygen and does not need to be rinsed or neutralized. This process may take a few hours and you may need to repeat this application a few times but it works like a charm!
Green Guard
Aside from taking your shoes off and using safe home remedies for spot cleaning, there is one other preventative measure you can take to ensure clean carpet. We call it Green Guard. With every new carpet or rug purchase, we offer a natural stain protectant. Along with its ability to repel stains and dirt, this guard is skin-friendly, reduces allergens and contains no fragrances or dyes. It is approved safe for children and even pets. If you’d like more information and would like this service, please contact us at info@carpetworkroom.com
Get Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned Every Year!
Here is one last reminder to have your carpets professionally cleaned once per year. It is the only way to ensure your home environment is safe during the current pandemic. Aside from that, soil and shoes are also very abrasive. If left unvacuumed or uncleaned, your carpet will wear out faster. Protect your investment and get your carpet clean today!
For more information about our carpet cleaning services, please email us at info@carpetworkroom.com
Resources:
- Rashid, T., et al. “Shoe Soles as a Potential Vector for Pathogen Transmission: a Systematic Review.” Society for Applied Microbiology, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 19 Sept. 2016, sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jam.13250.
- https://carpetworkroom.com/repair-cleaning/
