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Article
Professional Carpet Cleaning

How Often Should I Get My Carpets Cleaned?

By The Clean Trust

Categories: Green Cleaning, Carpets & Flooring
Tagged: Carpet Cleaning, Cleaning Services, Cleaning Strategy, House Cleaning Tips, Professional Carpet Cleaning, Stain Removal

Question: How often should I get my carpets cleaned?

 

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Answer: Frequently-used carpet should be professionally cleaned by a qualified technician at least annually - perhaps a little longer interval for infrequently-used carpet, and even sooner for carpet in homes of respiratory-sensitive or allergic persons, or in homes with indoor pets. [Editor's Note: Ad links featured on this page are not affiliated with The Clean Trust and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by The Clean Trust.]

The following information from The Clean Trust S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning is a guide to cleaning frequencies for carpet. Factors to consider include: traffic, soil level, vacuuming schedules, spot cleaning schedules, professional interim cleaning schedules, and restorative cleaning schedules.

Remember: It's important to follow the carpet manufacturer's recommended cleaning schedule to maintain your warranty.

Residential Carpet Cleaning Frequency Guide

If you have:

Light Soil 

  • Vacuuming: 1x per week  
  • Spot Cleaning: Daily or as soon as spots are noticed   
  • Heavy-Use Area Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Traffic areas every 12 to 18 months   
  • Restorative Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Every 2 years or per manufacturer warranty

Normal Soil (families with children, elderly)

  • Vacuuming: 1 to 2 x per week  
  • Spot Cleaning: Daily or as soon as spots are noticed   
  • Heavy-Use Area Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Traffic areas every 6 to 12 months   
  • Restorative Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Annually

Heavy Soil (families with pets, smoking)

  • Vacuuming: 2 to 4 x per week  
  • Spot Cleaning: Daily or as soon as spots are noticed   
  • Heavy-Use Area Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Traffic areas every 3 to 6 months   
  • Restorative Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Semi-annually (2x annually)

Extreme Conditions (large families, multiple pets)

  • Vacuuming: Daily  
  • Spot Cleaning: Daily or as soon as spots are noticed     
  • Heavy-Use Area Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Traffic lanes every 2 to 3 months   
  • Restorative Cleaning (Professional Carpet Cleaner/Restorer): Quarterly (4x annually)

 (Heavy-Use Area Cleaning and Restorative Cleaning are often best handled by professionals. Find a Certified Professional at www.certifiedcleaners.org.)

The Housekeeping Channel (HC), a for-profit educational LLC, provides the information on HousekeepingChannel.com as a free service to the public. The intent is to disseminate accurate, verified and science-based information on cleaning and housekeeping.

 

While an effort is made to ensure the quality of the content and credibility of sources listed on this site, HC provides no warranty - expressed or implied - and assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed on or in conjunction with the site. The views and opinions of the authors or originators expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of HC: its principals, executives, Board members, advisors or affiliates.

How Often Should I Get My Carpets Cleaned?:  Created on March 5th, 2008.  Last Modified on November 3rd, 2011

 

About The Clean Trust

The Clean Trust

The Clean Trust, formerly known as The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), is an ANSI-accredited standards setting body for the flooring inspection, floor covering and specialized fabric cleaning and disaster restoration industries. Organized in 1972, The Clean Trust currently represents more than 5,700 Certified Firms and 54,000 Certified Technicians in 22 countries. The Clean Trust, with participation from the entire industry, sets standards for inspection, cleaning and disaster restoration. The Clean Trust does not own schools, employ instructors, produce training materials, or promote specific product brands, cleaning methods or systems. It approves schools and instructors that meet the criteria established by The Clean Trust. The Clean Trust also serves as a consumer referral source for Certified Firms and Inspectors. Visit www.thecleantrust.org.