Is Your Carpet Making You Sick?

It’s one of the most luxurious surfaces in your home. It’s warm in winter, soft under your feet and creates a quiet oasis from the outside world. And your carpet is much dirtier than you think. On average, carpets can accumulate up to 40 pounds of dirt in a year. Home carpets provide a place for germs, bacteria, and mold to grow. Did you know that the Norovirus, linked to causing stomach flu, can survive on an uncleaned carpet for more than one month?

How to Keep Your Carpets Clean

If you want your floors clean, fluffy, bright AND healthy as they can be, read on.

They Don’t Last Forever

Carpets have a lifespan that can be lengthened with a regular cleaning schedule, or shortened by excessive wear and tear. Over time dirt, sand, dander, bacteria, and other chemical residues accumulate to create an environment of disease. When these irritants are inhaled into your lungs, they can cause respiratory issues, skin problems, headaches and the effects of mold growth.

Be thoughtful when it’s time to replace it. When removing the old carpet, homes built before 1978 could have lead dust under or in the carpeting or padding. After removal, safely sanitize the walls and floor surfaces before adding new carpet. Request the carpet installers to use low-emission adhesives or tack it down; avoid high VOC glues.

Use A Better Vacuum

In general, most experts suggest vacuuming daily or at least once per week. Depending on the breed, pet owners might need to clean daily. The National Center for Healthy Housing recommends you pass the vacuum over the carpet multiple times or at least one minute per square yard.

Using an older vacuum can cause more harm than good. Microbiologists have identified air blown from a running vacuum cleaner as one of the five places in the home with the highest number of germs. HEPA vacuums will clean the carpets plus the air. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air: a type of mechanical air filter that forces air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and tobacco smoke.

Supplement with Regular, Professional Cleaning

Along with regular maintenance, carpets should be professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months. The results of homeowners using rental cleaning equipment are limited. You will have to clean more often and get a less clean home. A professional cleaning crew with a truck-mounted deep cleaning system can clean much deeper and faster than you can. Professional grade hot water extraction systems are much more capable of removing heavy stains or treating heavily soiled areas. This equipment has much more suction power and much hotter water, thus removing more dirt and stains than even the best consumer-grade cleaners available.

Choose K-tech Kleening

When you choose K-tech Kleening to clean your carpets, you can be confident that you’re hiring highly trained and certified technicians. Certified experts use a hot water extraction system and environmentally-friendly green products, leaving no residue with a faster drying time. By examining each location, the team will recommend the correct products for your home. K-tech Kleening even specializes in sanitizing drug lab clean up. These makeshift laboratories pose a significant threat; hazardous chemical residues must be removed before it is safe to occupy the space. You can trust K-tech Kleening for expertise in even the most difficult clean ups.

Headquartered in Weston, Wisconsin, K-tech serves customers in Wausau and throughout the Northwoods communities. Multiple offices and the 45-plus fleet of vehicles provide an extensive reach to outlying rural and metropolitan locations. Call 715-496-2955 for K-tech Kleening or visit k-techkleening.com.