Berber carpet!?
Question:I have berber carpet throughout my whole house and it is so hard to keep clean! I vaccuum it every other day but it still seems to have dirt stuck in down in the fibers because they are so tightly woven. I also spot clean it with a carpet cleaner every week but it's just an endless cycle to keep it looking decent. Anyone else have berber and if so do you have any tips for cleaning it?
Answers:
I used to have berber in my basement rooms and ended up replacing it with tile because it is so hard to keep clean. Two things I learned that helped a bit...
You need a vacuum with serious suction. I ended up buying a Dyson. It was pricy, but since it got the floors cleaner, I had to vacuum less often. The beater bars on a vacuum cleaner don't do much good with a tightly woven carpet, so you need as much suction power as possible.
Don't over clean the carpet with the carpet cleaner. Berber draws in and traps moisture more than traditional carpet, which can make stains that are deep in the carpet come up to the surface and spread out, and also make the carpet smell musty. When I used a carpet cleaner, I would put a fan on the spot I'd cleaned to make it dry faster. If you do the whole room, turn the A/C up for a few hours. Don't make more than one pass over each area your cleaning either.
I also put floor rugs down in the high traffic areas, and if I knew someone well enough, I'd ask them to take their shoes off at the door. Seems extreme, but my berber was a very light beige so it showed everything!
Good luck!
Scotchguard
Rugs over entries
Stay outside as much as possible since the weather is warmer
wear sox inside and change them when they are dirty
Make sure to have your Berber carpet professionally steam cleaned every 18 -24 months. With hot water high vacuum extraction method (truck mounted) Get it treated for stains after wards to prevent leaving fibers exposed to soil and stains. Every time you use your carpet cleaner it takes off more of the stain treatment. It will help. Medium colors are a better choice for carpet in the future.
Good luck,
Jen
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