How Often Should My Carpet Be Cleaned?

Regularly cleaning your carpet can help drastically reduce wear and tear, and it can even help your carpet last longer. And it's possible that your carpet warranty requires that your carpet be professionally cleaned at least once a year.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends carpets in residential homes be cleaned every 6-12 months if 2 or fewer people live in the home who are non smokers. For larger families with both kids and pets, the EPA recommends a professional carpet cleaning every 3 months [U.S. EPA letter, January 1989].

Recommendations like this are based on the indoor air quality in homes. Dust, dander and a multitude of soils collect on carpet, which acts as a filter as air circulates through the home. For persons with allergies, asthma, and even pregnant women and the elderly, having clean carpets can make a big difference in their quality of life indoors.

Because indoor air quality is affected by the frequency with which your home's carpets are cleaned, some professional carpet cleaning companies are finding unique ways of providing less expensive cleanings. Some offer new and improved package pricing to their customers who combine carpet cleaning with other services like upholstery and rugs. This allows homeowners to save some money and get all their cleaning taken care of in one visit.

Another unique approach by professional carpet cleaning companies is to offer a stain removal only service. Here, customers pay only for the stain removal and not an entire carpet cleaning. Your professional carpet cleaner may offer an annual cleaning package, where entire rooms are cleaned at a low price throughout the year. While you might have to move furniture yourself and vacuum before the carpet cleaning technician arrives, the low price may offset any minor hassles.

With all the dust, dander, dirt and soot collecting on the surfaces in your home, it is important to remind yourself that what you collect on a dust towel is just a small fraction of what ends up in your carpet. Take inventory of how often you dust your home and make carpet cleaning decisions that help you and your family breathe easier this year.

 Discover more about different carpet cleaning methods here.