The right flooring can make a dramatic difference in the look and feel of your home. While proper maintenance can significantly increase the life of your carpeting, it’s just a matter of time before it must be replaced. Here are three signs that your carpet has reached the end of its life:
Wear and Tear
Perhaps the most obvious sign that it’s time to replace your carpet is wear and tear. Heavy foot traffic and cleaning with abrasive equipment and chemicals can mat and damage carpet fibers irreparably. If carpet no longer feels plush underfoot, and even a professional cleaning can’t rejuvenate it, it most likely is worn bare and needs replacing. If you find yourself putting area rugs over gashes or tears, or moving furniture around to deal with the obviously worn areas of the carpet, it’s time to replace.
Odors
If you own a pet or haven’t cleaned your carpet in a while, you may notice a lingering odor. Old carpet can emit a stale and dirty smell, and cleaning might even worsen the odor. If that’s the case, it means the odor has penetrated deep into the carpet fibers, pad, or subfloor, and it may even indicate mold and mildew growth. A carpet that continues to emit an odor after cleaning is a carpet that needs replacing. Some odors become too deeply embedded and replacement is the only way to remove them.
Stains
When your carpet is professionally cleaned, it should look brand new. If there are still visible stains after cleaning, you should consider replacement. Most carpet cleaners only clean to the base of your carpet, in order to avoid damage to the glue that binds your carpet to the pad. Unfortunately, this doesn’t eliminate any stains that penetrate deeper than the carpet. Stains caused by pets are generally easy to remove if you act quickly. However, if they are left untreated, they will absorb into the carpet padding, leading to mold and mildew buildup under the carpet. If these stains are in multiple places, you should consider replacing the entire carpet to prevent health hazards with mold.
Once you’ve installed replacement carpet in your home, be sure to get the most out of it by maintaining it properly. Always clean up stains as soon as they occur, and be careful to use the proper cleaning solution. Have a professional carpet cleaning service come out every few months to give it a deep clean and extend its life by picking up any dust and dirt that your vacuum might have missed.
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