How to Know If My Carpet Is Dirty? Carpets have the unique quality of storing dirt. They accumulate a lot of dust, grime, and organic matter over time. But how to tell if your carpet is dirty and needs deep sanitization.
Besides the dirt that you can see, there are other signs that betray the messy condition of your carpet. Here is how to know if your carpet is dirty. Read on!
1. Mold
Spills are a common event in any house. Unfortunately, not all spills on the carpet receive immediate treatment. Hence the liquids absorb into the carpet fiber, creating breeding conditions for bacteria growth. Since the bacteria find themselves deep down the carpet, noticing the issue is not easy.
The mold and mildew can grow at the backing of the carpet and on the floor. You can check whether any mold has grown by lifting the edge of the carpet. If spills are commonplace in your house or if humidity is high, chances are you will find a mold surprise under the carpet.
Use appropriate products to remove the mold patches from the floor and carpet. For the floor, you can use a mixture of water and bleach. For carpet, bleach is unacceptable. You have to go with safer options, such as baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. These products deal no damage to the carpet fabric.
2. Darker carpet
Another tell-tale sign that your carpet is dirty is if it turns darker than its natural color. The darker tone may have to do with dirt accumulations at the bottom of the carpet. Whether it’s food residue, shoe dirt, insect feces, or pet accidents, they all change the visual appeal of the carpet.
It would be better if the darkening occurs only in special areas. Thus the created contrast will suggest the presence of soil buildups at the carpet backing.
Dust accumulations on the fibers will also modify the overall appearance of your carpet. So you got to have a keep eye to detect the sometimes slight contrast. Of course, this trick works only with white or light-colored carpets.
With a dark-colored carpet, you are good to start cleaning it without guessing whether it is dirty or not.
3. Odors
If it’s hard to spot the pet accident or mold growth visually, your nose will come to help. Odors coming from the carpet are an obvious sign that something is wrong with it. You should start deep cleaning and deodorizing it immediately to prevent the spreading of pungent smells throughout the house.
Try to identify the source of the odor to know which deodorizing agent to use.
4. High traffic
If the carpet traditionally experiences high traffic, it will get dirty faster. A dirty carpet is not only the one that has tons of dirt and dust on it. There are tiny particles that accumulate on it while keeping it visually clean. We talk here of dust mites and dead skin flakes that store in the carpet without notice.
Considerable buildups of these particles can cause certain health issues and affect the environment. With that said, if your family has many members, know that they bring a lot of dead skin flakes on the carpet. Don’t wait much and vacuum it to remove the flakes.
The higher traffic the carpet experiences, the more dead skin it accumulates, and the more often cleaning it requires.
5. Pet accidents
The presence of pets in the house also leads to dirty carpets often. Pet accidents may occur when you are not home, so you may not know about them. You are better off cleaning the carpet without waiting for tell-tale signs, like a sharp smell, to appear.
Set up a regular cleaning routine to prevent undetected pet accidents from bringing further damage to the carpet and environment.
How to Know If My Carpet Is Dirty? – Conclusion
If you see your carpet clean, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not dirty. Pet waste, dust mites, dead skin, mold, soil buildups, all are hardly visible.
However, they make the carpet messy and demand its immediate cleaning. Even if you don’t see the mess source, you are good to follow a frequent cleaning routine. By cleaning the carpet on regular basis, you will ensure that neither visible nor invisible dirt accumulates.
Contact us today if you need help with cleaning your carpet!