Carpets are high-traffic areas of the home. The average carpet can see thousands of footsteps over several months. This is true, particularly during winter months when snow and mud become additional hazards for keeping a clean carpet. The carpet is someone’s first impression when walking into the home. The holidays tend to bring friends and family members together. This means many people are searching for how to get stains out of their carpet before visitors arrive. Use these winter carpet care tips to help protect floors from snow and mud.
Winter Carpet Care Tips: Protecting Your Floors from Snow and Mud
Create an Outside Walkway
Carpets can be challenging to keep clean and maintain, especially during the winter months. Create a small outside walkway that is aesthetically nice but also serves a practical purpose. Walkways can be a good way for people to clear dirt or mud away from their feet.
Choose a rougher surface for an effective walkway. You can also install a simple upright brush, allowing people to scrape off the dirt and debris winter weather brings. Here, guests can remove ice melt, salt, and mud off their shoes before crossing the threshold into the house.
Don’t Let Stains Take Root
Clean any stains immediately. This can mean a spilled glass of red wine or mud from your shoes. Never allow stains to work their way into the carpet’s core, making cleaning up much more challenging.
Clean stains with an oxidizing cleaner. This bubbles out tough stains from the carpet fibers; it’s part of why baking soda and vinegar are sometimes effective stain removers!
Alongside deep-cleaning the carpet, take care of individual stains as soon as they happen.
Have Inside and Outside Shoes
Inside and outside shoes can prevent mud and snow from getting on the carpet. Switching out your shoes means you’ll have less material from outside stepping into the house.
It may seem strange to ask guests to change their shoes when they arrive. However, it is acceptable for family and close friends. Simple slip-on shoes can protect the carpet without feeling inconvenient whenever someone enters (or leaves).
Use a Durable Welcome Mat
Always use a welcome mat at your door. Welcome mats shouldn’t be underestimated. They help trap dirt, moisture, and chemicals from shoes before they can reach the carpet.
They can be useful, quirky, or interesting to add to the house’s individuality! Welcome mats are an opportunity to clean shoes before entering. Welcome mats reduce the dirt and snow people track in and protect against wear and tear.
Traditional welcome mats are usually small, durable, and much easier to clean than the inside carpet.
Deep-Clean the Floor Often
Carpets should be deep-clean at least once every three to six months. Clean areas with heavy foot traffic more often. Deep cleaning gets into the core of the carpet, removing dust and dirt that may have sat there for years.
Many people don’t realize how much dirt is stuck in carpet fibers. They only notice it after deep-cleaning a section and seeing the difference. For best results, deep-clean carpets before and right after the holiday season.
Hiring a professional carpet cleaning company can make the process easier. Deep cleaning is best with professional-grade equipment over trying to do things yourself.
Replace Damaged Sections
Replace damaged carpet sections. Carpets wear just like anything else in the house—though lifting or fraying carpets can indicate an underlying issue.
This is often true for high-traffic carpet areas that have taken a lot of weight. It can also be true for anywhere the humidity is too high. In places where too much water has hit the carpet, you might eventually develop mold or mildew problems.
Keep the carpet in good condition by vacuuming regularly and cleaning stains immediately. Doing this is much cheaper than having to replace larger sections or the entire carpet.
Dry Out Wet Carpets
If any parts of the carpet or area rug become wet from slush or snow, dry it immediately using a hair dryer or fan. Wet carpets are a breeding ground for dirt and potential mold growth. Unfortunately, they’re pretty standard during the plentiful snow season.
Always dry out wet carpets! Wet carpets should never be left to chance.
Like stains, they can become a bigger issue when left alone. Dry wet carpeting as soon as you’ve noticed—and leave a rolled-up towel nearby for people to dry their shoes on instead.
These winter carpet care tips can help you protect your floors from the harsh winter brings us.
Carpet Land | Flooring Installation in Omaha, Lincoln & Sioux Falls | Best Prices on Carpets, Flooring & More
We make shopping for carpet & flooring in Omaha, Lincoln, and Sioux Falls easy! Take advantage of our FREE estimates and consultations today. Our incredible buying power at Carpet Land allows us to deliver the lowest flooring product prices in town, so shift your focus to finding the perfect flooring for your home. We look forward to working with you. Contact us for your FREE Estimate TODAY.
Click here for Carpet Land Omaha, Lincoln, & Sioux Falls Flooring Buying Guide.