Here at Aquamist, we’re all about ensuring your carpets remain in tip-top condition. We take great pride in our work and in the satisfaction our customers all take in said result. Though we’ve been Victoria’s favourite carpet cleaning specialists for nearly thirty years, sometimes even we can’t save carpets. If a carpet is in dire need of replacement, it can’t be salvaged even by the world’s best cleaner. Of course, we’ll be eager to tell you if your carpet is nearing the end of its life, but there are many different indicators and signs you can use. That way, you’ll have a great idea for yourself when it’s time to go shopping for some new carpet.
Excessive wear and tear
Over time, high traffic walkways and carpet junctions like doorways and corners can wear out faster. If you have any furniture that hasn’t moved in a decade or two, have a look underneath to see the difference. If you’re moving furniture or find yourself adding extra staples often, it might be time to consider professional repairs or replacement. A sign that your replacement is overdue is if large tears cause cuts, slips, or even falls. Around stairwells, the injury risk is quite high.
Age, particularly in older homes
Most manufacturers agree that a a quality modern carpet can last between 10-15 years. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on how your carpets are cared for. If your property or residence still has shag carpets that predate the collapse of the Soviet Union, those carpets need to go. Older carpets often experience wrinkling, padding erosion, fading, matting, and color fading. Though it can often be challenging to spot carpet aging over time if you’ve lived somewhere for a while, take a quick look around. Your house and its history will have answers for you if you know where to look.
Worsening allergy symptoms and health of inhabitants
Chances are you know someone who has high sensitivity to environmental allergens. Maybe they even live in your home. Either way, you can leverage their unfortunate sensitivity in warmer months to determine air cleanliness. You could also opt to purchase a purifier that has a contaminant indicator light or signal on it. Before you find your answer though, check other factors in the room or area like smoking, pets, or leaky windows. After those have been ruled out, it might be time to get a cleaner in to assess whether replacement is due.
Degradation of carpet underlay and padding
Carpet cleaning is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your floors. After all, without underlay or padding, carpet is little more than plushy fabric. Good shape padding is crucial for buffering sound and even insulating rooms to keep them warmer in the cooler months. Unfortunately, spills and damage over time can impact carpet padding even worse than the surface carpet. Signs to look for include unevenness in carpets, bad wrinkling, and curious squeaks.
Mold problems or bad smells in the surrounding area
Even perfectly-maintained carpets can suffer from serious issues with mold or odors. In Victoria’s humid climate, a carpet with too much moisture is likely to exacerbate smells and bad odors. If your room needs frequent “airing out” and maintains a musty smell that makes people sneeze, that’s a solid indicator. If you’re thinking of selling or renting your home, this is particularly important. The same is true of carpets at businesses with high traffic.
If any or many of these issues are causing problems for you in your home or even if you’re merely concerned that they might be, don’t hesitate to let us know! Our carpet cleaning experts are friendly, non-judgmental, and eager to support you in making informed choices. Know that we’re not carpet salespeople, and thus there’s no real incentive for us to meet sales quotas or deceive you. Clean and great condition carpets make us as happy as they make you, so don’t hesitate to pick up the phone for your next cleaning job when you’re ready!