Keeping your carpet and furniture in pristine condition can seem like mission impossible when you have children and animals around, however kids and four legged friends don’t have to be a death sentence for nice things. Carpet and furniture are investments that you hope will last for many years, but you might lose all hope the first time your puppy has an accident on the new carpet, or your toddler decides to take her painting project to the couch. Animals and children are messy, so there isn’t much you can do to change that—however, there are a few ways you can protect your flooring and furniture in order to help them last a little longer. If your carpet and furniture have had enough abuse, read on to learn a few tricks for helping them last as long as you hoped.
Cover Your Upholstery
Despite your best efforts, chances are your little ones and furry friends will climb all over the furniture. Prevention is your best solution in this situation. Fortunately, the plastic coverings favored by grandparents everywhere are not the only solutions when it comes to covering your furniture. Scotchgard combined with washable furniture covers are a modern and attractive solution to the assaults of everyday family life. You might worry that a cover for your chairs or couch will make them look bulky and lumpy. The good news is that there are now slipcovers that allow you to seamlessly cover a piece of furniture and customize the look at the same time so it matches your home décor instead of creating an eyesore in the living room. Then, when your pets and children get a little older, you can remove the covers and have brand new furniture!
Rugs Are Your Best Friend
High traffic areas take more abuse from little feet and paws than the more neglected areas of the carpet. This can lead to more wear on one section of flooring that gives the carpet an uneven appearance. Avoid this problem with strategically placed area rugs. A rug will take all the abuse and is easier and less expensive to replace than the carpet. Some think that rugs are only for tile or hardwood floors, however, you can place a runner or circular rug over the carpet in your foyer or front room. By using a rug in areas with a lot of foot (or paw) traffic, you will not only protect the carpet underneath, but you’ll have a much easier time cleaning a rug instead of the whole carpet.
Become an Obsessive Vacuumer
Dirt and dust are the worst enemies of upholstered furniture and carpet. Over time, the gritty debris works its way deep into the fibers and begins to wear them away. Consistently vacuuming the fabric of furniture and carpets removes dirt before it has the chance to set in. It’s important to vacuum more than once a week, and vacuum more than just the floor. By using an extension tool on your vacuum, you can keep animal hair and dirt from setting into the fabric on your furniture, which will give it a few more years of life. Some homeowners merely vacuum when the floor looks dirty, however, the more often you vacuum, the easier it is to maintain the initial quality of the carpet which will allow you to go longer without replacing it. Keeping a clean environment goes a long way toward the longevity of furnishings.
Use Natural Cleaners
In a house with pets and kids, spills and accidents are inevitable. When these occur on the furniture, the worst thing to do is pull out a chemical cleaner. Most of these products claim to be specially formulated for carpet and upholstery, but the truth is they decrease the lifespan of these items. According to the professionals of AAA Steam Carpet Cleaning Ltd who specialize in carpet cleaning in Kitchener, many of these formulas leave a sticky residue, remove color from carpets and upholstery, and contain enzymes that can weaken textile fibers. Instead of spraying chemicals, try natural cleaners without harmful ingredients to get rid of the mess and ensure a longer life for your furniture.
Rearrange Furniture Often
The key to extending the life of a carpet is to ensure it gets even wear on a day-to-day basis. A great way to accomplish this is to frequently rearrange the furniture. This keeps family and pets from wearing down certain areas and keeps the entire carpet looking new for far longer. While it might not be convenient to rearrange your entire living room or bedroom every month, you can move certain items every few months and create a look that works for the traffic of the room and protects the room at the same time.
If you have little ones and furry friends running around, your carpet and furniture need a little TLC to keep them going. The good news is that as your children age, accidents and spills become less common, and as time goes on, you can train your pets to stay off the furniture. The key is to use treatments and solutions for your flooring and furniture as soon as you can to try and reverse any damage that has been done and prevent possible damage in the future. As far as keeping your children from spilling, or your animals from shedding, we have yet to find a magical solution for those problems.
