Here’s What is Lurking in Your Carpet — Germs, Dust & Mold
Your carpet probably feels clean beneath your feet when you walk across it. Most homeowners don’t realize that thousands of microscopic contaminants are hiding between the carpet fibers.
Think of carpet as your home’s largest air filter. Every day your carpet traps dirt, dust, allergens, pet dander, bacteria and various other contaminants that are tracked into your home from outdoors. While vacuuming does a good job at removing surface debris, vacuuming can’t always reach the pollutants that become lodged deep down inside your carpet fibers and padding.
ThoroClean has been helping homeowners keep their carpets clean and healthier for longer in Albuquerque for years. Here’s a look at some of the nastiness that could be hiding in your carpet.
Dirty Carpet Secrets
Your carpet endures high traffic from foot traffic, dirty shoes, spills, pets, and outdoor contaminants. Every time someone enters your home they track in dirt, dust, pollen, bacteria and other germs from outdoors.
These contaminants become trapped inside the fibers of your carpet and can make their way down into the carpet padding below. Moisture from spills, humidity, pets or other liquid compounds can cause carpets to develop bacteria, mold and trap allergens.
Think of Your Carpet as a Filter
Believe it or not, your carpet works very similar to the filter in your HVAC system. Just as your HVAC filter traps indoor airborne contaminants, your carpet traps airborne particles as they travel throughout your home. While carpet does a great job at keeping these particles from staying in the air, it also means they are being deposited into the carpet.
Periodically filtering (cleaning) your carpet is necessary to avoid trapping unwanted allergens and microscopic organisms.
5 Common Contaminants Found in Carpets
Shocked to learn what hides inside your carpet? Here are some of the most common contaminants found inside dirty carpets.
Bacteria
Believe it or not, carpets can contain a large buildup of bacteria from dirty shoes, contact with pets, and everyday traffic comes in and out of your home.
Common sources of bacteria found in carpets include:
- Outdoor soil or dirt
- Food particles
- Pet accidents
- Incoming outdoor contaminants
There are many types of bacteria, but most won’t affect your family’s health. However, if left unaddressed can produce odor problems.
Dust Mites
Dust Mites are microscopic organisms that can be found in carpeting, furniture, and pillows.
These pests eat flakes of dead skin that people and pets shed every day. Dust Mites can trigger several allergy symptoms such as:
- Sneezing
- Congestion
- Itchy eyes
- Coughing
- Worsening Asthma Symptoms
Mold and Mildew
Water and carpets don’t mix. Common causes of moisture intrusion include spills, leaky pipes, humidity, and pet accidents. Left untreated, your carpet can develop patches of mold or mildew that can linger below the surface of your carpet.
Often mold can grow in carpet padding unnoticed by the naked eye and still affect the air you breathe.
Pet Hair/Dander/Pet Accidents
While pets are an incredible addition to any home, they can also cause several issues within your carpet.
Common pet-related issues found in carpets include:
- Pet hair
- Pet dander
- Pet saliva
- Pet urine
Incoming outdoor elements
Pets love to roam outside and track the dirt inside. If pet urine is allowed to sit within carpet it can produce a chronic odor.
Outdoor Pollen and Allergens
Who would have thought pollen could be indoors? Pollen can find its way inside your home by walking on shoes, clothing, pets, and simply by leaving windows and doors open.
When pollutants like pollen hide inside carpets they can worsen allergy symptoms.
Health Issues Caused by Dirty Carpets
Did you know that dirty carpets can cause some household health concerns? Let’s look at some of the negative health effects your carpet can cause.
Sinus and Respiratory Irritation
Dust, pollen, mold spores and pet dander can become stirred up into the air when walking across carpeting. These contaminants can cause heightened allergies and respiratory issues.
Skin Irritation
Some allergens found in dirty carpets can irritate the skin.
Increased Allergy Symptoms
If you or a family member suffers from allergies, dirty carpets can intensify your symptoms.
Odors
Have you ever smelled pee coming from your carpet? Pets, mold, and spilled food can produce odors that linger in your carpet.
Carpet vacuuming doesn’t cut it
While vacuuming your carpet helps prevent dirt and debris from accumulating on the surface of carpeting. Unfortunately, vacuuming cannot reach the contaminants that become deeply embedded inside your carpet.
Deep Dirt
Over time the dirt that remains after vacuuming will continue to accumulate and get deeper into your carpet.
Requires Professional Help
To remove these contaminants a professional carpet cleaning company will be needed to deep clean your carpets.
Spot the Difference
Professional carpet cleaners have special equipment that allows them to extract dirt and bacteria that is deep within the carpet fibers. Professional carpet cleaning provides the following:
- Dirt & Soil
- Allergens
- Pet Dander
- Dust Mites
- Odor causing bacteria
- A deeper and more hygienic clean.
Benefits of Professional Carpet Cleaning
- Fewer allergies
- Extends carpet life
- Reduce odor causing bacteria
- Remove stains
- Improves air quality
How Often Should You Clean Carpets?
Pets or Children in the home
We recommend carpets be cleaned every 6 months if you have pets, children or high traffic.
High Traffic Areas
If you have rooms that get lots of traffic, we recommend cleaning your carpets every 6 months.
Low Traffic
If you have low traffic during your home, you can get away by getting your carpets cleaned once a year.
Water Damage or Carpet Spills
If any accidents or water leaks occur, we advise you to clean your carpets as soon as possible to prevent mold growth or permanent staining.
DIY vs Professional Carpet Cleaning
Nope. While you may see slight improvements by using carpet cleaning machines from the store or rental stores. Carpet Cleaning machines don’t go deep enough into your carpet to truly clean it and often leave behind moisture which will attract more dirt.
Professional Carpet Cleaning trucks have powerful extraction devices that remove the moisture from your carpet.
Trusted By Albuquerque Families
For over 5 years homeowners have trusted ThoroClean to keep their carpets clean. Here’s why.
- New Mexico Family-Owned Business
- We Service Albuquerque and Surrounding Areas.
- Pet and Child Friendly
- Our carpets cleaning products are safe to use around children and pets.
- Professional Carpet Cleaning Equipment
- We use professional truck mounted carpet cleaning equipment.
- Experienced Technicians
- Our team has years of experience and is trained in carpet cleaning techniques to keep your rugs clean.
- Commitment to Customer Satisfaction
- We value your business and strive to produce quality results for all our clients.
- Clean carpets make for a happy home
The surface of your carpet may look clean, but underneath could be a whole other story. Pollutants like dust, allergens, bacteria, pet dander, and outdoor contaminants can hide inside your carpet and cause some unwanted effects.
Not only can these pollutants decrease the air quality in your home, but they can cause your carpets to look old and worn.
Professional carpet cleaning extracts the dirt and grime that’s hiding deep within your carpets. Not only will your carpets smell fresh, but they will look cleaner and last you years longer.
Give your carpets the deep clean they deserve and schedule professional carpet cleaning with ThoroClean today. Call us at 505-883-0437 or contact us online to learn more about our professional carpet cleaning services. Our office is ready to assist you!