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How Often Should I Clean My
Carpet?
This is a commonly asked question. I have had
people say that they have not had their carpets cleaned in 10 years or more
because they have relied on myths and misconceptions. The fact is
that cleaning extends the life of your carpet and saves you the tremendous
amount of money required to replace prematurely worn carpet. Carpets
cleaned on a regular basis provide a healthy, safe living environment for you
and your family at the same time adding years of life to one of the larger
investments in your home. So the question is, how often should they be
cleaned? The answer can depend on several factors. The chart below
taken from the IICRC Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning can assist
you in answering this all important question.
| RESIDENTIAL
CARPET CLEANING FREQUENCY CHART |
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| Traffic Soil
Rating |
Carpet Owner /
Maintainer |
Professional Carpet
Cleaner / Restorer |
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Vacuuming |
Spot Cleaning |
Heavy-Use Area Cleaning |
Restorative
Cleaning |
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| Light
Soil |
1x per week |
Daily or as soon |
Traffic areas every |
Every 2 years or per |
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as spots are |
12 to 18 months |
manufacturer warranty. |
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noticed. |
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| Normal
Soil |
1 to 2x per week |
Daily or as soon |
Traffic areas every |
Annually |
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| (families
with |
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as spots are |
6 to 12 months |
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| children, |
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noticed. |
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| elderly) |
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| Heavy
Soil |
2 to 4x per week |
Daily or as soon |
Traffic areas every |
Semi-Annually |
| (families
with |
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as spots are |
3 to 6 months |
(2x anually) |
| pets,
smoking) |
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noticed. |
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| Extreme |
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Daily |
Daily or as soon |
Traffic lanes every |
Quarterly |
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| Conditions |
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as spots are |
2-3 months |
(4x annually) |
| (large
families, |
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noticed. |
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| multiple
pets) |
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Did you know that according to the Institute of
Inspection, Cleaning and |
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Restoration (IIRC) you should have
your carpets cleaned AT LEAST 1 |
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TIME PER YEAR
depending on the amount of traffic? The IIRC is a |
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professional association that trains
& monitors cleaning technicians |
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throughout the United States. To help you decide how often your
carpets |
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need to be cleaned, I have included a
graph from the IIRC S100 book, |
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2002. These standards provide the
guidelines used by the Carpet Industry to give your carpet the longest
life possible. |
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