How Often Should You Clean Your Floors and Curtains?
It’s easy to forget about the basics when you’re doing your weekly cleans. Most people focus on bathrooms, wiping surfaces and hoovering (which are all essential), but make the mistake of missing the staples.
It’s super common to assume that carpets, sofas and curtains all fend for themselves, and most people focus on obvious dirt or stains that mount up. But what if we told you that the average carpet holds up to four times its own weight in dirt!
If your carpet hasn’t been cleaned recently, it’s most likely stuffed with dust, crumbs, dead skin, dust mites and pollen – and that’s before you consider what you bring in on dirty shoes!
So, to prevent all this from accumulating, here’s how often you should be cleaning your floors, curtains, and furniture.
Flooring
Your floor’s material will determine how frequently it should be cleaned. If your house is made up predominantly of wooden flooring or tiles, you may be able to get away with hoovering and mopping.
This is because there’s no room for small substances like crumbs and dust to get lost unlike in carpets, instead they sit on top and remain visible, making it easier to identify when you need to clean.
Tiling
In addition to hoovering and mopping your tiles, you need to think about what bacteria may be getting caught up in the grout between tiles. It’s easy for harmful substances to accumulate within tile grout and if left untreated, these can trigger health issues, especially for those struggling with respiratory conditions, skin infections, or allergens.
It’s therefore very important to deep clean grout every 4 to 6 months, to avoid build-up of bacteria and keep your floor looking new. You can do this yourself with the appropriate surface cleaners and equipment. You can use bleach, ammonia or if you’re taking a more DIY approach, vinegar, bicarbonate powder, and citric acids, to scrub the grout and remove toxins.
However, we recommend hiring professional help to do tile and grout cleaning for you. They are experts with the best materials available, so you’re guaranteed a proper deep clean.
Carpets
The amount of bacteria and dirt that accumulates between the fibres of your carpet depends on how much foot traffic there is, whether pets are allowed to roam in those areas or whether shoes are worn. Areas that are subject to all three should be deep cleaned more regularly than other carpets which don’t see as much action.
As a rule, we suggest every carpet should be cleaned at least once a year. Any area of carpet exposed to pet hair, soil or crumbs should be deep cleaned every 3 to 6 months. Any additional hoovering or shampooing will help to increase this time.
Rugs
Rugs have similar rules to carpets but can be left a little longer. Most rugs should be cleaned every 12 to 18 months but depending on the type of rug you have and how often it’s used.
You should use a customized cleaning formula for your rug depending on how delicate the fibres are. Because rugs are more varied than carpets, it’s an idea to get professionals in to help you out. Some cleaning products can be too strong and can damage your rugs, so be careful if you’re doing it yourself.
Curtains
It’s recommended that curtains are cleaned every 3 to 6 months, but we can guarantee most households won’t be doing this! Because they receive less direct contact with children, pets and traffic, people don’t consider that curtains need cleaning.
However, if your curtains stand next to doors that open frequently or drafty windows you should consider how bacteria from outside is being blown onto the fabric. This is on top of any existing dust inside your home.
Hoovering your curtains can help with dust settling but may not remove any bacteria that has worked its way into the fabric. This happens frequently, which is why odors cling onto the fabric of curtains well. Shampooing your curtains is recommended too but be sure to check that the strength of your cleaning products won’t encourage the fabric to deteriorate.
If you’re unsure, it’s best to leave the deep cleaning to the professionals – this way you can make sure the job is done correctly and the right equipment and products are used.
Final Thoughts
It may have surprised you how frequently your floors and curtains need to be cleaned, but in order to prevent the consequences of bacteria and dust build-up, it’s necessary! If you’re based in Texas and need help with annual deep cleans or emergency cleaning services, be sure to call us on (281) 801-6266 and our professional H-Town team will assist you in whatever way we can.
