Protecting Carpets from Winter Weather

In this blog entry, the professional New Jersey carpet and rug cleaning team here at Carpetline will detail the best ways to protect your carpets from winter weather.

What are the threats to carpets during the winter?

  • Snow, mold, and moisture – when snow melts on your carpets, or ice, you can work its way into the carpet fibers. This often happens when people walk on your carpets wearing wet shoes. It’s a trap moisture can lead to the growth of mold and mildew overtime, which can cause health hazards and bad odors.
  • Road salt – strong chemicals in a road salt can attract there, leave white spots on carpets, and damage Ellicott carpet fibers. South build up and permanently damage your carpet, which is why it’s absolutely necessary to have your carpets professionally cleaned if they are exposed to road salt, whether it is mineral based or chemically based.
  • Mud and dirt – When snow melts, it often combines with slush and dirt, creating a disgusting gray mix that can easily be trapped inside your home. Wet mud from slash can deeply penetrate carpet fibers, much more so than dry dirt, and causes stubborn, grime and stains that are very difficult to remove.
  • Foot traffic from gatherings – put traffic from gatherings like holiday parties increases the chance of carpet damage, as well as increases the risk of spills on carpet, as people are eating and drinking in your home. Over the holiday season, carpets often get very very dirty.
  • Dry air – heating systems that are on in the winter can easily dry out the air inside your home. This can cause your carpets to experience increased static electricity. This static more easily attracts debris and dust, making your carpet get much dirtier, much more quickly.

Winter Carpet Protection Tips

  • Use mats in entranceways or rugs to create a protective barrier from dirt and moisture entering your carpet. Do you recommend using heavy duty and absorbent Matt with Robert backs. Used to mass, one outside of your home, and another inside to soak up moisture. Consider placing runner rugs and busy areas like hallways and walkways. Regularly clean these masses by shaking them out outside or vacuuming them once a week.
  • Create a no shoes policy inside your home in order to avoid tracking in salt, moisture, dirt, and Snow. Can you recommend keeping this rule in all other seasons of the year? Consider creating a special shoe place or shoe rack in the entranceway of your home to hold wet or damp shoes.
  • Increase the frequency of vacuuming. Vacuum twice a week during the winter, and more so if you have pets or high traffic areas of your property. We recommend using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Vacuum lightly in different directions and do not ignore hidden areas like baseboards or corners. 
  • Clean stains as soon as possible. Do not let stains linger. Clean all stands related to road salt, mud, or food spills as soon as possible in order to avoid lasting carpet and rug damage.