Vacuuming is the best preventative maintenance to keep your carpet looking at its best. If vacuuming is neglected, sand, dirt, and other dry soils can attach to carpet fibers and settle on the base of the carpet.

With the presence of trapped debris, foot traffic can act like scrubbers and force the debris to abrade and fray carpet. This causes permanent damage, which includes dulling of carpet, matting, and traffic lane development. By now, the only solution would be either a timely and expensive carpet revival, or a total carpet replacement. To reduce damage to your carpet and avoid this dilemma, an effective vacuuming routine needs to be developed. This vacuuming routine should be based on:

1. Traffic level and areas of activity. Plan an effective vacuuming route, for example, that maximizes vacuuming frequency in high traffic areas and minimizes vacuuming frequency in low traffic areas.
2. Distance from entrances. The closer to the entrance, the higher the activity level is. Similar to the first rule, areas near the entrances will require a higher vacuuming frequency.
3. Choose an appropriate vacuum and chemical cleaner for the area. For high traffic areas, a high-performance vacuum is required for embedded dry soil removal. For low traffic areas, riding or back-pack vacuums can be used. For matted carpet, a pile lifter should be used. Allocating different vacuums for different areas can significantly cut down on time and cost.

An effective vacuuming plan and regular maintenance of your carpet will help extend your carpet’s life and protect your carpet investment. An appropriate plan and proper maintenance investment can also reduce the life cycle cost of the carpet. According to the CRI, “routine vacuuming is the most important part of any maintenance program”.

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