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How To Choose New Flooring Like A Pro!
Carpet | Vinyl Tile & Plank | Hardwood | Local Stores (Free Information by Consumer Advocate - No Flooring Sales)
How To Care and Maintain Your New Carpet?
Why is Vacuuming so Important?
Once the carpet fibers lose their shine, they begin to look dull and dirty. Abrasion is the reason why your new carpet looks worn out.
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to make your ugly looking, dull, lifeless carpet look like-new again. Dirt and grime is one of the key reasons that carpet fibers lose their shine.
The dirt and grime that grinds into the carpet pile is the root cause of the loss of carpet shine. Frequent vacuuming is one way to keep your carpet looking like new longer!
How often should I have my Carpets Cleaned?You must follow your carpet manufacturer's carpet cleaning and maintenance guidelines to the letter if you want to keep your new carpet warranty in force. You should hire a professional to clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months, or as required by your new carpet warranty, whether you think your carpet is dirty or not.
Always Keep All Your Original Carpet Cleaning Sales Receipts!You may be asked to show proof of professional carpet cleanings as required by your new carpet warranty. Read your carpet warranty and follow the carpet maintenance suggestions to the letter.
This is how you can make sure your carpet lasts as long as possible! Spot clean as necessary and use approved carpet cleaning products. Need a Reputable Carpet Cleaner? Check out my free Carpet Cleaning Service Directory
New Carpet Warranty Requirements
Make sure you know which warranties apply to your particular carpet. Warranty limits are usually posted on the backs of samples in the store at the time of purchase. It is your responsibility to know which warranties apply to your specific carpet brand and style, and obtain a copy to review.
Why
Hire a Certified Carpet Cleaner?
Watch out for carpet cleaning companies that have low-cost specials that sound too good to be true. Check out my free Carpet Cleaning Service Directory
You don't want to hire a inexperienced carpet cleaner that will do more harm than good. Excessive soaking of the carpet and padding can ruin any carpet and cause mold and mildew to grow if the carpet takes too long to dry.
A bad carpet cleaning job can easily void your carpet warranty too and ruin even the most expensive carpets! Should I Buy New Carpet or Have My Old Carpet Cleaned?
Carpet Cleaning Certification
There are other ways carpet cleaning businesses can be certified or properly trained in some alternative method. You just want to steer clear of those carpet cleaning companies who's help wanted ads say Start Today! No Experience Necessary.
How Often Should I Vacuum My Carpet?
How many people live in your home? Four? Then you should vacuum your new carpet about four times a week! Some folks need to vacuum everyday! More people and more pets means more vacuuming for your new carpet. Want your carpet to keep looking like new longer? Then you should vacuum more often. You can't vacuum too much!
More vacuuming may be necessary if you:
Having any of these 8 factors mean you should be vacuuming practically everyday. But vacuuming everyday won't help if you don't have a good quality vacuum or if your vacuum is not operating at it's peak efficiency. What does your new carpet warranty say about carpet vacuums?
Reducing Carpet Abrasion
The damaging effects of abrasion is most obvious on stairs, down hallways or other heavy-traffic lanes. Carpet fibers can only tolerate a certain amount of abrasion before they show the effects.
While frequent vacuuming won't undo damage caused by active kids and pets, it will help reduce the amount pf damage by removing the majority of gritty abrasive sand-like dirt and debris.
If your vacuum is not doing a good enough job, the dirt that penetrates the nap of your carpet will begin grinding away at the fibers. This leads to dulling of the color and matting and crushing of the pile, which in turn makes your carpet look worn out faster, and once your carpet starts to lose it's shine and look dingy, nothing can be done to make it regain it's original like-new shiny appearance.
There's more to maintaining your carpet than just dealing with the problem of grit, dirt and dust penetrating deep into the nap of your carpet. Children and pets can significantly increase the daily wear and tear on your carpets.
Running, jumping, dancing, playing with toys and other common busy activities are very damaging to the carpet pile. Rigorous activities help grind and force dirt and abrasives deep into the nap, often too deep for older or less-powerful vacuums to remove. This is why having a good quality vacuum with a beater bar and enough suction power is so important. Learn more: Top Carpet Vacuums
Filing a Carpet Warranty Claim
To initiate a valid carpet warranty claim, you should notify your carpet retailer in writing. Describe your concerns and if possible provide photos or other documentation and include a copy of your sales invoice and receipts for required periodic professional cleanings.
Your carpet retailer will arrange a convenient time to come to your home and investigate your claim and attempt to satisfy your concerns.
Sometimes it is an easy fix. More often they will need to notify the original installer or the carpet manufacturer as they deem necessary to satisfy your complaint. They will in turn, come to your home to try to determine who may responsible for addressing your concerns and hopefully provide a satisfactory resolution.
If you bought carpet from Home Depot or Lowe's you may have to contact the carpet manufacturer or carpet installer yourself to seek a remedy to your problems or concerns. Big Box carpet retailers are quick to take your money but have limited customer service after the sale. Here is a List of Carpet Mill Websites and their phone numbers.
Have you read your manufacturer's new carpet warranty? It's an eye opening experience! Every manufacturer has their carpet warranty worded a little bit different so be sure to read the full warranty for the carpet you are considering... before you buy.
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