The floor carpet seems to be one of the most tedious areas of the house to clean. Carpets must be cleaned regularly and thoroughly of dirt, grime, and stain. Check this out for the contrast between steam cleaning and shampooing carpets.
When your environment is unclean, you are at risk of rising stress levels, affecting your immunity. When your immunity is down, the bacteria harbored in your dirty carpets will make you susceptible to diseases. Among the most dangerous microbes that can be in dirty carpets are mycotoxins, and these microbes can cause allergies, stomach infections, and respiratory diseases.
Unclean carpets can also cause skin infections. It can cause an athlete’s foot; dirty carpets become favorite breeding places for bacteria and fungi. When you step on dirty carpets, you get in contact with these bacteria and fungi, it gets into wounds or openings on the skin, and you get athlete’s foot. Unclean carpets can also trigger skin asthma attacks.
Dirty carpets also cause respiratory illnesses. Bacteria and other allergens that will thrive in dirty carpets, when inhaled, will cause flu-like symptoms that can develop into more serious respiratory problems if repeatedly incurred. In addition, these bacteria and fungi that will thrive in the carpets will eventually encourage the breeding of dust mites. When these dust mites die, their carcasses will become irritants that would cause nose and eye diseases.
Common Diseases That May Arise From Dirty Carpets:
Campylobacteriosis – it causes diarrhea, stomach pains, fever, and cramps. It is caused by bacteria known as Campylobacter, which strives in unclean carpets during the winter season.
Salmonella – symptoms include fever, cramps, and diarrhea, and stomach pain. This may not cause great harm to adults, but it is dangerous for children. The disease will last for seven days, and symptoms will show 7 to 12 hours after infection.
The Athlete’s Foot – is not a life-threatening disease but is painful and itchy, and it is uncomfortable for people infected with it. It is caused by germs from the dirty carpet.
Kawasaki Syndrome – mainly occurs in the early days of spring or just before winter ends. When toxins and bacteria in your dirty carpet are inhaled and reach the lungs, they cause a life-threatening disease called Kawasaki Syndrome, which causes disabilities or kills the patient. This mostly affects children 1 to 2 years old.
Dust Mites And Asthma – Dust mites breed on dirty carpets; they feed on dead skin cells and fungi. When they die, their carcasses cause skin irritation, eye and nose irritation, and asthma. These may not be life-threatening illnesses, but they can cause great inconvenience to people suffering from them.
Norovirus – causes digestive diseases and flu. When there is a movement across a dirty carpet, this virus flies up in the air and is inhaled by the victim.
Mold – molds can be found in dirty carpets, walls, doors, and everywhere when the home is unclean. It causes issues such as asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, immunologic effects, and others.
Clean Your Carpets Effectively
Clean Carpets Every Six Months – carpet cleaning must not be done on occasions only; it must be done regularly every six months. Weather changes bring about different dirt and grime inside your homes, from dust and dirt during summer, twigs and leaves during autumn, ice and snow during winter, to all the pollen that can fall off and get stuck on your clothes and shoes during spring. If you clean carpets every six months, you ensure that your home is free of dust, dirt, and grime every time.
Do Not Rub Spills – Almost automatically, when something spills on the floor, we get a towel or rag and rub the spill off the rug. This is not the right way of cleaning up spills. The best way to do it is to blot them off. Use a paper towel or cotton towel and blot the spill from the edge to the middle. This ensures that the spill is taken off and minimizes staining the carpet.
High Traffic Areas – parts of the carpet that are most traveled must be focused on. Down the stairs, in front of the TV and the refrigerator, the living room, and fronting the doorway are likely to be the high traffic areas in your homes. These areas will show wear and tear soonest than the other parts, so it is essential that these areas are cleaned more often, vacuumed more frequently.
No Eating Anywhere – food crumbs or drips will certainly be among the highest cause of stains on the carpets. Hence, kids mustn’t be allowed to eat anywhere.
Choose A Vacuum That Is Best Suited To Your Cleaning Needs – your vacuum cleaner must be able to handle the expected dirt and grime in your home. If you have pets, your cleaner must be able to handle hair and fur. If there are children in your home, you will need vacuum cleaners to handle big loads of mess. If you have small spaces that need to be also vacuumed, you probably need a handheld vacuum strong enough to handle the cleaning load you need at home.
Choosing Your Carpet Vacuum Cleaners
You can rent a steam cleaner or buy one. If you prefer to buy one, remember that the pricier, the more powerful the water jets and suction are. Do some research on the internet and find out about vacuum cleaners and weigh your preferences. You can also click here for a list of carpet steam cleaners.
Further, here are some tips to take care of your carpets.
Clean Them Before They Get Dirty – when the color starts to look dull, you must clean them. Please do not wait until they are filthy before you clean them, as taking off dirt and grime will become more complicated when it has already stayed there for a long time.
Before And After Cleaning You Vacuum Well – remove the large particles and debris first before you clean off your carpets with soap and water. Right after cleaning and drying, vacuum again.
Stains and traffic areas must be pre-treated to ensure that stain, dirt, and grime come off easily and thoroughly.
Remove or lift furniture off to clean the hidden places.
Make sure not to over-wet the carpets and dry them thoroughly after cleaning.
