How Often Should I Clean My Rugs?

 

NYU Microbiologist Phillip Tierno recommends cleaning area rugs once every six months, while the American Lung Association recommends deep cleaning carpets once every year.

 

We recommend frequent routine cleaning when your rug is in a high-traffic area or there are household members with health and respiratory concerns.

 

Cleaning is recommended if you’ve stained your rug and if it’s visibly dirty.

 

 

Rugs are by far one of the dirtiest items in your home.

 

They are highly effective at trapping germs, dirt, dead skin, pollen, dust, allergens, bacteria, pet dander, rotting food particles, and even a variety of tiny bugs.

 

However, as the fibers are agitated through traffic, these pollutants can become airborne and track through the rest of your house from your family or your pet’s feet.

 

Phillip Tierno, the aforementioned microbiologist, found 7 pathogens, like E. Coli, stomach flu causing Norovirus, and penicillin-resistant MRSA in carpeting within the average home.

 

There are a few situations in which you can be certain your rug cleaning is ready for professional rug cleaning services:

 

 

 

1. Your rug is in a high-traffic area or it is visibly dirty.

 

 

Area rugs are extremely effective at hiding dust deep within their fibers. If you can see visible dirt on the surface, you can be sure that the worst of it, which can’t meet the eye, is hiding underneath and posing a potential health hazard.

 

 

2. You have stained your rug.

 

 

As covered in our article on what to do when you stain your rug, the best course of action is the extraction of the stain followed by a professional cleaning.

 

This minimizes the risk of damage and maximizes the chances of avoiding costly professional stain removal services, as the probability that the stain will come out during the wash is highest when the stain is still fresh and other products which may affect the chemistry of the cleaning process have not been used.

 

 

3. Your rug is in a neglected, low-traffic area for a prolonged amount of time and there is an active moth infestation.

 

 

This likely means that moth damage is a potential issue.

 

While chances of moth damage may be minimized by regularly vacuuming the rug every two weeks, depending on the condition of the rug, some sticky moth larvae may survive and begin to populate and feed on the rugs over time.

 

Professional cleaning would destroy any potential infection.

 

Dartmouth College Electron Microscope Facility

 

 

4. Allergies or asthma are a concern, and your rug has not been cleaned in more than six months.

 

 

Even if the rugs are in a low-traffic area, area rugs are constantly absorbing air pollutants, steam from cooking oil, dead skin cells, and other allergy-inducing particulates from the air.

 

They cause a host of respiratory issues because they release these particulates back into the air.

 

While the truth may be frightening, the good news is that a professional area rug cleaning process is one of the most effective means of cleaning any household item in your home.

 

That’s because submersion-based rug cleaning processes like ours soak rugs in water individually and have them cleaned with specialized detergents and machinery by hand in a process that can last two weeks to complete.

 

The process, where necessary, can be more intensive than a shower, detailed car wash, and pressurized cleaning combined.

 

 

 

5. You are health conscious or members of your household have respiratory or skin sensitivities.

 

 

Routine cleaning is advised for individuals who are health conscious or concerned.

 

Air pollution is responsible for discomfort, diseases, allergies, asthma attacks, other respiratory, skin aging, and cancer in humans and pets. [University of Athens, Athens, Greece] [EPA]

 

Children and elderly populations are especially prone to these effects.

 

Air pollution is thought to be responsible for around 7 million premature deaths per year. [World Health Organization]

 

Clean carpets and area rugs have been documented to improve air quality. [Cornell]

 

“Research by AgResearch scientists has revealed that wool carpets significantly improve indoor air quality by rapidly absorbing the common pollutants formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Not only does wool neutralise these contaminants more quickly and completely than synthetic carpet fibres, wool does not re-emit them, even when heated. Wool carpet may continue purifying the air for up to 30 years.” [AG Research]

 

Improved indoor air quality has also been linked to enhanced cognitive function.

 

“At the end of the week, they took the cognitive tests… The results were dramatic. When volunteers worked in well-ventilated conditions (which lowered the levels of CO2 and VOCs), they scored 61% higher than when they worked in typical office building conditions. When they worked in the cleanest conditions, with even lower CO2 levels and higher ventilation rates, their scores climbed 101%… They also reported sleeping better and experiencing fewer “sick building” symptoms.” [Harvard]

 

You can reduce the number of cleanings required by taking shoes off in the house, vacuuming your rugs regularly, and using an indoor air purifier with a HEPA filter.

 

 

 

How Often Should I Wash My Bathroom Rugs?

 

 

Bathroom rugs should be washed every 2-4 weeks due to the humidity of this space and the nature of the traffic bathroom rugs get.

 

Bathroom rugs attract bacteria, mold, and mildew. Meanwhile, the size of your family and the traffic in your bathroom may involve a reasonable adjustment of this recommended frequency. 

 

How Long Should You Keep A Rug?

 

 

Carpets should be replaced once every 10 years but rugs should only be replaced when they are severely damaged, as wool rugs, when maintained with care, can last through a couple of generations if not more. We regularly receive rugs for cleaning and repair that are over 100 years old.

 

 

Can Old Carpets Make You Sick?

 

 

Old carpets that have not been cleaned can cause respiratory illness, skin damage, and even cancer to humans and pets.

 

After about 10 years, soil and pollutants lodged deep within the carpet can no longer be cleaned using steam cleaning and hot water extraction, so it is advised to replace carpets then.

 

Area rugs do not have the same problem as they can be deep cleaned, front and back, using the submersion process.

 

 

Do Carpets Get Dirty Faster After Cleaning?

 

 

If detergent used in the washing process is not fully rinsed, oily dirt-attracting residue will cause the carpet to become dirty faster after cleaning.

 

A lot of carpets and synthetic rugs are coated with liquid-repellent protection by the manufacturer, which can wash off from the cleaning process.

 

The protection can be reapplied by a professional rug or carpet cleaning facility.

 

For a proper rug cleaning woodland hills procedure, take your rug to a facility that utilizes a deep cleaning process.