How often should you clean your customers’ rugs?

Customers often ask us how often they should be cleaning their rugs. Below is some advice you can share…

If your customer’s rug is in an entry way, in front of the kitchen sink, or in some other high-traffic place, they will take the most abuse from wear and soil. Cleaning it at least once a year is their best defense against premature wear and damage.

If the rug is in a bedroom, family room or dining room, they could get by with once a year to every other year because the foot traffic and soil on these are not as bad. Instruct your clients that in the case of spills or stains, have the rug cleaned by you, or call you to learn how to properly spot clean a particular stain at home rather than reaching for over-the-counter products that are far too harsh for their rugs.

If your customers have pets or small children (or teenagers, for that matter!) they should probably have the rugs cleaned even more often than suggested in order to stay ahead of the game.  Proper, professional, frequent cleaning will not hurt their rug – it will only help them maintain the beauty and extend the life of the rug.

Sand, dirt and grit that the vacuum may miss, along with foot traffic, will eventually chew up the face fibers of a rug, creating worn or bare areas. Soils, pet hair, sticky and sugary stains are also quite attractive to carpet moths. It’s definitely in your customer’s best interest to keep those little pests out of their home! Moths won’t just attack their rugs, but they will damage your customer’s other textiles too!

Don’t forget to mention to your customers the benefit of having walk-off mats placed outside and inside entrances. Their construction and durability go a long way toward helping remove as much gritty soil from shoe soles before bringing it through the house to be tracked onto their better rugs.

If you regularly maintain your customer’s rugs, they will look newer longer. It’s when rugs are allowed to go too long between cleanings that moth damage, worn areas, discoloration and stains become potentially more permanent problems.