When Carpet Needs to Go

As time goes on, your carpet inevitably reaches a point of no return, where no amount of professional cleaning can save it. Most carpet manufacturers and professional cleaners agree that carpeting generally lasts ten years before it can no longer do its job properly. At Preferred Carpet Care, we want to make sure you get the most out of your carpets, but without spending unnecessary time and money trying to squeeze non-existing life out of them. How can you tell when your carpet is ready to be replaced? Here are 5 things to look for that will help you determine when your carpet has had its day.

1. Carpet Matting – With years of walking, twisting, sitting and other movements, the fibers of a carpet get entangled and crushed. Instead of individual fibers, your carpet begins to look more like a dull and dingy head of hair. The matting traps dirt in the carpet so that vacuuming cannot remove it properly. Polyester carpets are especially prone to this. Nylon carpets are more resilient, and a professional cleaning will often restore their original look for a while. However, no carpet can resist matting forever.
2. Stains – Every moderately-used carpet will get a stain sooner or later. Even if you received carpet protection sometime in the past, however, multiple stains prove when a carpet can no longer protect like it used to. Although Preferred Carpet Care is ready to help, we will be sure to let you know when the problem is better resolved by replacing the carpet.
3. Padding – Under every carpet is a layer of padding (or there should be, at least). Padding adds to the softness of the carpet, helps with insulation, and even assists in buffering noise. Just like your carpet, padding eventually gives in to everyday wear – often at a slightly slower rate than the carpet. So, if you notice subtle divots or uneven areas in your carpet, or you hear a crinkling sound as you walk on certain areas, it’s a good indication your whole carpet is beginning to deteriorate.
4. Persistent odors – You might think this one is a little tricky because it’s easy acclimating to a constant odor, as happens with pets or smokers in the home. However, we’re talking about an accumulation of all things spilled, petted, inhaled, etc. over a decade of use – not to mention things like mold and mildew. All these odors penetrate the carpet and eventually get to a point where they stay even after a professional cleaning. The most efficient and const-effective choice is to replace the carpet.
5. Increased Allergies – This might go in-hand with persistent odors, but not always. Carpet fibers act like filters, trapping allergens until you can vacuum them up. As your carpet gets older, it loses this ability. If you notice an increase in allergic reactions, or even an increase in sickness, don’t rule out an older carpet as a possible culprit. In fact, some individuals suffering from allergies in older homes report less allergic issues when the older carpet is replaced.

These are certainly not the only signs of your carpet being past its usefulness, but these are the most common signs. With the hectic world we live in, however, we sometimes don’t pay attention to those signs. If you have any suspicions that your carpet might be getting too old, or if you have any questions about determining the state of your carpet, feel free to contact Preferred Carpet Care. We’ll discuss your carpet and any concerns you have. And if it would be better for you to replace your carpet than have it cleaned, we will honestly let you know.