Carpet Cleaning and pets: Helpful tips for Fido©

Author: Vartan Khazadian, owner of CleenCarpet®
6/10/2007

We love our pets. They are our companions, and we treat them like people. And just like people, at times we have a love hate relationship with them. Why do they make us so mad though? They can’t help it when they trample through the house with their dirty paws, right? They just don’t know better. Maybe we should rather say our carpets have a love hate relationship with our pets, right? Well, you can make your carpets far more carpet-friendly by following a few simple steps. And by following these few simple steps, you’ll be able to keep your carpet cleaning appointments to a minimum while at the same time save money.

If you have a dog or cat and kids, but still want to present a clean home to outsiders, you’ll need to schedule at least two carpet cleaning appointments per year, but preferably three to four. Why, you ask? Because your carpets are subject to something that houses without pets are not subject to: HAIR….Hair that doesn’t stop coming! And pet dander. And pet saliva. Shall we continue with this list?

The first thing you can do is place a foyer-like area rug in the entrance to where your pet comes and goes for his daily constitution. You’ll want to ensure that the rug is a deep-pile rug (one that has long carpet fiber strands), so that it may get into the nooks and crannies of Fido’s paws when he comes in from the outside. You’ll be surprised how much this trick will help, and the rug can be bought for under $20 from your favorite discount retailer such as Walmart.

Your carpet cleaning technician should ask whether or not you have pets and whether or not they get regular grooming. Regular grooming will cut down on the amount of loose hairs that fall from your pet and subsequently lodge into the carpet matting. This practice not only helps your pets’ appearance, but removal of an average of 20% of excess hair every couple of days can have a huge compound effect over the course of 4 months (the time between your scheduled carpet cleaning appointments). The less deep down lodged hair in your carpets, the less that will stay behind after they have been professionally cleaned.

While it may seem like common sense, the third most important thing a homeowner can do to cut down on carpet cleaning appointments is to vacuum regularly. Regular vacuuming is not only sanitary and healthy, it will also cut down on air-borne allergens and lend to a more aromatic interior. In addition, it will be easier for your carpet cleaning technician to dislodge and remove the embedded hairs in your carpeting, especially if you have deep pile carpeting.

With a few simple common sense tips, we can help present a cleaner home, cut down on carpet cleaning appointments, and save our family money! And our pets will be happier also. And when they are happy, we are happy!