Proper maintenance is the key to keeping your
carpet looking like- new longer!
Vacuuming your carpet
frequently is an absolute
must if you want it to last as long as it was intended. Most people don't vacuum enough. How
to shop for a vacuum
Most carpets don't
wear out, they ugly-out! This is the common description for a carpet fiber
that loses it's shine and mats down in heavy traffic lanes. Once your carpet fibers lose their shine, they start to
look dull. Then, your new carpet starts to look worn out. Unfortunately, there
is nothing you can do to make your ugly looking, dull carpet look like new
again. Dirt and grime is the key reason why carpet fibers lose their
shine. The grit, dirt and dust that grinds into the carpet pile is the cause of the loss of carpet shine. Proper
maintenance is the answer to keeping your carpet looking like new as long as
possible! Visit my Carpet
Care Guide to learn how to make your carpet last years longer.
How
Often Should I Vacuum?
Question:
How many people live in your home? That's how many times you should vacuum each week,
especially in high traffic areas, stair, and heavy traffic lanes!
Do
you have four people living in your home? Then you should vacuum your carpet
about
four times
a week! Some folks might need to vacuum everyday! More people means more
vacuuming. This
is the minimum you should vacuum per week and more vacuuming may be necessary if you:
Have active teenagers, or active children under the
age of 5
Have pets,
Entertain often,
Live in a dusty or
rural area,
Have allergies or asthma
Live in a moist or humid climate
This means you should be vacuuming
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. 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 looking dingy, nothing
can be done to make it regain it's original like-new appearance.
There's more to maintaining your carpet than just dealing with the problem of
dirt and dust penetrating the nap of your carpet, small children and active
teens can significantly increase the daily wear and tear on your carpets.
Running, jumping, dancing, and other common activities are very hard on carpet. Rigorous
activities force dirt and debris deep into the nap, often too deep for some
older or less-powerful vacuums to remove. See
the Top
Rated Vacuums
This is why having a good quality
vacuum with enough suction power is important. Abrasion is also a main cause of
carpet wear. You can see the effects of abrasion most obvious in the hallways or
other main traffic lanes. Carpet fibers can only tolerate a certain amount of
abrasion before they show the effects. While diligent vacuuming won't undo damage caused by active kids, it will help
reduce the damaging effects by removing the majority of gritty sand-like dirt
and debris.
Buying New
Carpet?
Be
sure to invest in a good quality Vacuum!
America's
Largest in Mail Order
Vacuum Cleaners since 1977
For
info or to order
1-800-285-8145
M-F 9-5 Sat 9-3 Central
Richard
Baccus - Owner
(Note: ABC Vacuum Warehouse is
not affiliated with AbcCarpets.com)
Sliding heavy objects
like furniture across the carpet can also be very damaging to carpet. It's better to lift
heavy objects or use a dolly to roll items into place. Just like the skin on
your knees, your carpet can get a "rug-burn" which can actually melt
the carpet fibers causing permanent damage. How
to shop for a vacuum
Which Vacuum Should I Buy?
Depending
on the carpet style you buy, some carpet manufacturers might suggest that
you use a vacuum without a beater bar or roller brush. They fear that carpet
will become damaged by the revolving brushes. This is true with some Berbers
and other looped style carpets. The carpet warranty will be void if you do
not follow their carpet care instructions to the letter.
Some
carpet manufacturers warn against using a vacuum with too much suction and
will not cover any carpet damage if this should happen. I think that if a
carpet can be sucked apart with a vacuum, the carpet is not made very well
and should be avoided. Who wants to buy a carpet that will fall apart just from
using a good quality vacuum? Not me! See
the Top
Rated Vacuums
There are
many good quality vacuums available today and while I don't personally recommend
any one model or brand in particular, I have a friend in the business who
can help you make a wise and informed choice. You have to decide which vacuum will
meet your needs and goals (and pocketbook!) Do you want professional
help choosing the right vacuum for you? Get expert help from ABC Vacuum
Warehouse just by filling out
the Vacuum
Selection Request Form
There is only
one online
Vacuum Dealer that I recommend to my readers. They have all the major brands,
provide first-class customer service, a low-price guarantee and offer FREE
SHIPPING too! Here is a link to their website.
The Dyson was the
first vacuum I saw with the cyclonic feature and I now own one. It is a very useful and
powerful vacuum. It has easy to use attachments and my wife just loves it too.
With four teens and two cats in the house, we needed a super duper powerful vacuum
to deal with all the pet hair and lots of tracked in dirt.
Dyson
has several new models to choose from, including models designed for homes with pets, that's the one
I purchased for my family. Be prepared to spend several hundred on a good
quality vacuum because it's a wise investment. You have to consider the cost
compared to the increased lifespan of your carpet. How much does new
carpet cost? A good vacuum can literally help your carpet last years longer.
Using a bad vacuum or not vacuuming enough can cause your carpet to lose
half of it's intended life span. Ouch!
The
New High- Tech Vacuums
Gone are the
days where all a vacuum had to do was suck up loose dirt. Today's new
technology allows the vacuum to help clean the air, remove pollutants,
pollen, mites, and even kill bacteria with the new UV light feature. Still, there
are two main features that your vacuum must be able to perform well:
One:
To beat and/or brush the carpet to help loosen dirt, dust and debris. This
is why it is important to have a beater bar / roller brush on your vacuum. Many canister type
vacuums do not have a beater bar and therefore do not do a sufficient job of
removing dirt.
Two: To have
sufficient suction to remove all the dirt and debris trapped in the carpet pile.
The suction power of vacuums is determined by the motor amperage or amps. Older
model vacuums used to get plugged up and lose suction power when the bag became
full. New models now have a cyclonic effect that prevents the vacuum from losing
it's suction power.
Features,
options, benefits and more...
Beyond
these two basic functions, every other added feature you may opt to have on your
vacuum just makes using your vacuum more fun, easier to use, and makes you feel
better about what it cost you. You don't have to spend more for features you
don't need so consider your situation carefully. It's like buying a car, you can
pay extra to get air conditioning if you want, but you may not need to if you
live in Alaska. Here are some of the options you may want to consider having on
your next vacuum:
Hepa filter
Cyclonic or wind-tunnel design
Extra powerful motor (measured in amps)
Bag-less design
Light-weight design
Extra Attachments
Self- propelled or power assist
Pet or animal-hair models
Fold-down models
Ergonomic designs
Vacuum Maintenance
and repair
No
matter what the vacuum maker says in their ads, all Vacuums
require regular care and maintenance and unless you can do this yourself, you need to
have your vacuum serviced on a regular basis. In my home, my daughters all
have long hair and it gets wrapped up around the roller brush / beater bar.
I have to remove the hair several times a year.
Finding
the right vacuum cleaner is very important. The best vacuum will have features
that suit your needs as well as have the capability to do a good job of cleaning
you carpets, furniture and other household duties.
You need
to have a vacuum that is simple and easy to operate and has the features you need
to help you get the job done properly and efficiently. I have found that if a
vacuum is too complicated to use or too heavy, no one will enjoy using it. And if everyone in
your household dislikes using it, your carpet will not get the deep-cleaning it requires. See
the Top
Rated Vacuums
Vacuum
Allergy Ratings
Concerned
about allergies and air quality? Take a look at these allergy ratings for vacuums provided by ABC
Vacuum Warehouse. Vacuum
Cleaner Allergy Ratings
Your
Vacuum, Carpet Care and Your Carpet Warranty!
You must follow your
carpet manufacturer's carpet cleaning guidelines to the letter if you want to
keep you carpet warranty in force. You can clean your carpets yourself if you
keep all the receipts for cleaning solutions and detailed records. Before and
after photos would be nice to have too. Otherwise, you should hire a
professional to clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months. Keep the sales receipts!
Read your carpet warranty and follow the carpet maintenance suggestions to
the letter. Visit my Carpet
Care Guide to learn how to make your carpet last years longer.
It's
hard to find a reputable carpet dealer these days! I have built a
special list of hand-picked carpet retailers who are locally owned, give
free estimates, offer fair prices, have knowledgeable staff, provide
honest measuring and hire qualified installers. See
who I recommend near you!
________________________________
Homeowners want straight answers to these
questions:
How do I find the best vacuum
cleaner?
Which vacuum is best for pet hair? How often should I vacuum my carpets? Is there a vacuum cleaner comparison
chart? Where do I find the best price on vacuums?
What's the best vacuum for Berber carpet?
What's the best vacuum for pets? Who has the lowest
vacuum cleaner prices?
Can I buy vacuums wholesale? How important is a
carpet vacuum cleaning schedule?
How often should I vacuum new carpet? Which vacuum should I buy?
Should I fix my old vacuum? Best vacuum for dogs. Best vacuum for
allergies.
Best vacuum price. Recommended vacuums, honest vacuum dealer. Alan's
list of
recommended carpet dealers Should
I Choose
New Carpet or have your Old
Carpet Cleaned?
The Best Carpet Vacuums,
How Often Should I Vacuum?
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fuzz, Carpet shedding, Worst Carpet Vacuums
