One of the best things you can do for your carpet, whether it’s in your office or in your home, is to clean it. Usually this means calling in a service that specializes in carpet cleaning, or you can purchase or rent a steam cleaner at most major appliance stores. But before you make a financial plunge like that, is it worth it?
## Should You Invest in a Commercial Carpet Cleaner?
### Why You Should Steam Clean Your Residential Carpet
There are mainly two branches of carpeting– [residential carpeting](http://ozburn-hesseycompany.com/products), which emcomopasses the plushtop and comfortable feeling carpetss you know and love; and [commercial carpeting](http://ozburn-hesseycompany.com/soft-flooring), the thinner, industrial stuff you find in most office buildings and schools. The longevity of such materials are on the lower end of the spectrum, but you can extend it by a good five years or so by cleaning it regularly. Part of that process is a nice steam cleaning every six to 12 months. Steam cleaning your carpet will remove stains and the everyday dirt, debris and animal hair that gets trapped within the fibers. Without this, those molecules have a way of bonding to the fiber of the fabric, making it very difficult to remove. It also improves the air quality of the room, since it means there’s less bad stuff in the air to breathe in.
### Other Methods for Keeping Your Carpets Clean
There are other ways of keeping your carpets clean, of course. One of the old standards- a dollop of soapy water, a brush, and a lot of elbow grease, is still used by many to this day. While that might be acceptable for some of the other flooring materials, such as [laminate plank flooring](http://ozburn-hesseycompany.com/residential), it’s not really the best idea for residential or commercial carpeting anymore. Any time you introduce water to carpet, you run the risk of moisture developing. Everyone in [Nashville ](http://ozburn-hesseycompany.com/)can tell you how annoyingly harmful moisture can be to flooring. Even a small amount of water has the potential for harm, so the old method is something we here at Ozburn-Hessey recommend staying away from. There are dry shampoos, a sort of powder you can work into the fabric of your carpet, but these are not recommended for your home carpets. The powder can occasionally leave a residue that can be harmful if ingested. Dry powdered shampoo is really more for commercial carpets, since you can sprinkle a bit as it is being cleaned and it goes along way to helping the floor stay fresh.
### Store Bought Cleaners: Worth the Risk?
Since the best method in our opinion is steam cleaning your carpets, what is the best way to go about doing it? It really depends on how comfortable you feel cleaning the floors yourself, or if the peace of mind that comes from a professional doing his job is enough to offset the higher cost. If you plan on steam cleaning your carpets regularly, then buying one will pay for itself in the long run. Renting a steam cleaner is the best option if you just want to clean the floors prior to an event or social gathering, and might be the better option if you don’t plan on making it a regular occurance.
Cleaning your carpets is an essential task for prolonging the life of your carpets. If done correctly and regularly, it can add as much as five years to the life of even the lowest quality carpets. There are other options, but the added risk to the process is not recommended. Steam cleaning is the best way to go, just as [Ozburn-Hessey ](http://ozburn-hesseycompany.com/services-overview)is the best way to go when it comes time for a new carpet.
