Avoiding these seven practices can help keep your rugs clean:
Maintaining Clean and Long-Lasting Rugs: Breaking Bad Habits
Keeping your home hygienic and extending the lifespan of your floor coverings, especially rugs, requires a bit of mindfulness and routine maintenance. Here are seven bad habits to avoid for a cleaner and longer-lasting rug experience.
- Wearing Shoes Indoors
One of the worst habits that makes your floors dirty is wearing shoes indoors. Shoes track in bacteria, pollen, tiny rocks, and oils from sidewalks, which can grind into rug fibers and break them down over time.
- Neglecting to Vacuum Under Rugs
Not cleaning beneath a rug is a common rug cleaning mistake that makes your rug dirtier and reduces its lifespan. Lifting and flipping rugs and vacuuming high-traffic areas a couple times a week, especially if you have pets or a lot of movement through one space, is recommended.
- Using the Wrong Type of Rug for Your Space
Using the wrong rug for the wrong space is a habit that makes your home harder to clean. For example, high-pile or shag rugs under the dinner table trap crumbs, spills, and pet hair deep in the pile where regular vacuums can't reach.
- Skipping Deep Cleans
Skipping deep cleans is a bad habit that can lead to dirt, oils, and allergens getting embedded into the rug backing where the vacuum can't reach. A quarterly deep clean using a carpet extractor or hot water rinse is recommended to keep your home hygienic and extend the lifespan of your floor coverings.
- Not Using Doormats
Not using doormats is a missed opportunity to catch dirt at entry points. The best doormats act as the first line of defense, catching the worst of it before it hits your indoor floors.
- Using the Wrong Cleaning Products
Using the wrong cleaning products on delicate rugs can bleach or fade colors and break down fibers. Baking soda is a natural abrasive that helps break down tough deposits without scratching delicate surfaces, while White vinegar is the best non-toxic product for killing mold and removing odors.
- Vacuuming or Cleaning Too Aggressively
Using too much cleaning product can lead to soggy rug pads, moldy odors, or soap residue that attracts more dirt. Instead, use gentle cleaning methods with minimal water and mild products to preserve rug quality and lifespan.
Additional advice includes avoiding soaking rugs in water, scrubbing harshly, and over-cleaning, which can break down fibers and loosen glue, inviting mold. Instead, use gentle cleaning methods with minimal water and mild products to preserve rug quality and lifespan.
For a budget-friendly and thorough cleaning solution, consider the Ultenic vac, a cordless vacuum with a built-in laser light to show hidden dirt on carpets and rugs. And for a cleaner entryway, having shoe storage cabinets or a multi-functional storage bench can keep shoes off the floor and help maintain an organized entryway.
A simple shoe-free rule or offering guests clean socks or slippers can significantly help in maintaining clean floors. Durham Plant Stands from Wayfair are perfect for using a drip tray under indoor plants to protect floors and keep rugs clean when watering.
By breaking these bad habits, you'll ensure your rugs stay cleaner, last longer, and continue to add warmth and style to your home.
- Maintaining a home that combines the beauty of indoor plants and a clean lifestyle, it's essential to consider using Durham Plant Stands from Wayfair to prevent water damage on rugs during plant watering.
- Embracing a home-and-garden lifestyle, one should incorporate the addition of a multi-functional storage bench or shoe storage cabinets to keep shoes off the floor and off indoor rugs, maintaining an organized entryway and ensuring the longevity of rugs.
