Carpeting can transform a noisy, cold and uncomfortable home into one that's cozy, comfy and quiet, not to mention great-looking. But everything has its downside, even carpeting, and some of that downside can be pretty gross. The good news is that if you take regular advantage of Steve's Carpet Care carpet cleaning services you will rarely encounter any of the following rather disgusting facts about dirty carpet.
6 Reasons Why You Should Never Let Your Carpets Get Too Dirty
Most carpets don’t go from “fresh” to “filthy” overnight. The real trouble starts when everyday dust, moisture, pet hair and outdoor grime slowly build up deep in the fibers where your vacuum can’t easily reach. As that buildup grows, it creates the perfect environment for bugs, mold, bacteria and allergens to thrive – often long before the carpet actually looks dirty. Understanding what’s really hiding below the surface is a powerful motivator to clean more often and schedule regular professional steam cleaning.
When a homeowner lets the carpeting get too dirty it can come back to haunt them in some pretty disgusting ways. So hold your nose and let's begin.
1: It invites bugs
Carpets feel great underfoot and can make a home much warmer and more comfortable. Unfortunately, humans are not the only ones who think so. If you go too long between vacuuming and carpet cleaning you provide a variety of tiny insects with an opportunity to set up house. And once that happens you have 2 problems: dirty carpets and bugs.
2: It gets moldy
When dirt and other airborne particles collect in the carpet they trap moisture. That moisture, in turn, allows mold spores to take root and multiply. Before you know it you have mold and mildew in the pile of your carpet and your house takes on a persistent musty odor. If the mold gets into the carpet padding or starts to grow on the floor under the carpet even professional carpet cleaning may not be enough to get rid of it. You might have to rip up the carpeting and start again.
3: It becomes a repository of dead skin cells
The average person sheds 5 billion skin cells per hour. If you spend half your time in the house that's 60 billion dead skin cells per day. If there are 4 people in the house that's 240 billion dead skin cells every day, 365 days per year. A high percentage of those dead skin cells wind up in the carpet. Therefore, if you don't vacuum regularly you'll wind up walking on a soft blanket of dead skin cells. Yuck!
4: It traps dog feces
You don't have to own a dog to wind up with dog poop in your carpet. That's because every time you go outside you pick up traces of dog droppings that are on the grass in the park, on the sidewalk and on the street. When you come home you bring that doggy doo in the house with you and it rubs off the bottom of your shoes onto the carpet, where it becomes food for all those bugs we mentioned earlier. This is one reason why high-heat steam is so important when deep cleaning your home's carpet.
5: Say hello to dust mites
While we're on the topic of bugs it's important to note that all those dead skin cells in the carpet are like an all-you-can-eat buffet for dust mites. Let enough of those dead skin cells accummulate in the carpet and you'll be looking at billions of dust mites crawling around on the floor and on your skin too while you're trying to watch your favorite streaming show. The easiest way to keep dust mite numbers under control is to vacuum often and have Steve's Carpet Care perform steam carpet cleaning twice a year.
6: The dirt in your carpet might outweigh the carpet itself
It's reckoned that the average carpet can hold 4 times its weight in dirt. Now, we're not saying anyone would let their carpet get that dirty. But there might be a few folks out there who don't vacuum and haven't had their carpet cleaned in a few years and now the dirt in the carpet weighs almost as much as the carpet itself. The point is, if you don't have the carpet properly cleaned it essentially becomes a blanket of fuzzy dirt.
Bonus nasties
Too much pollen accumulating in the carpet can cause respiratory distress. Too much pet hair and pet dander in the carpet can cause asthma attacks and allergic reactions. Dirty carpets can contain E. coli, salmonella and staphylococcus and cause digestive problems and skin infections.
Studies have found that neglected carpets can harbor a variety of bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella and staphylococcus species, along with other environmental microbes. Most arrive via shoes, pets, food spills and moisture. Regular vacuuming helps, but high-heat professional steam cleaning is far more effective at reducing these bacterial loads deep in the pile and padding.
Yes, in some situations. Harmful bacteria and pathogens in carpet can contribute to stomach bugs, skin irritation, and infections—especially for crawling infants, people with allergies, asthma, or weakened immune systems. The risk increases when carpets are damp, heavily soiled, or exposed to pet accidents and food spills that are not thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.
Pathogens typically enter carpets on the bottoms of shoes, on pet paws and fur, in tracked-in soil, from bathroom moisture, and from spills or accidents involving food or bodily fluids. Because carpet fibers are absorbent and textured, they can trap and protect these microbes, allowing them to linger much longer than they would on a hard surface floor.
Combine several habits: remove shoes at the door, vacuum slowly with a HEPA-filter vacuum at least weekly, address spills and pet accidents immediately, keep humidity under control, and schedule professional hot-water extraction (steam cleaning) on a regular basis. Truck-mounted systems, like the ones that we use, reach deep into the carpet to flush out embedded soil, bacteria, and allergens.
Contact Steve's Carpet Care for Expert Carpet Cleaning Services
Professional carpet cleaning by Steve's Carpet Care will ensure your carpet never becomes a hotbed of bacteria or dust mites or winds up clogged with dead skin cells, pet hair or pollen. Our state of the art truck mounted steam cleaning machine scours your carpet right down to the base of the pile, returning it to a like-new state of clean in short order.