A home without a carpet is incomplete. One could go so far as to say that this isn’t a controversial statement at all. There are wonderful benefits to carpets in a home but the one issue we all have with carpets is that they don’t last as long as other forms of flooring. This begs the question, how often should you change your carpet in your house?
The answer to this question depends on the quality, appearance, texture, and smell of your carpet. In some cases, your carpet would need replacement after 15 to 20 years but in other cases, you may need to change your carpet in your house every 5 to 10 years. This timeline is also dependent on foot traffic, location of the carpet, and your cleaning routine.
There’s only so much that you can do to maintain the appearance and extend the lifespan of a carpet.
Before delving into that, we need to examine the primary uses of a carpet so that we can properly assess whether it needs to be replaced or not.
What Are The Benefits Of A Carpet?
Most carpets offer the following benefits to home owners:
- It is soft and comfortable to walk on.
- It warms up the floor.
- It minimizes the risk of injury when someone falls on the carpet.
- It can appear to be a feature piece that ties the decor of your room together.
- It can add ambience to a space and provide a warm homely feel.
In order for a carpet to satisfy these uses, it needs to look clean, feel prestine, be devoid of stains and defects, and not discolored.
Put differently, if you find that your carpet has lost it’s color, is torn and faded, stained and frayed, feels weak and flat, or smells bad no matter how much you wash it, then it’s time for you to change your carpet in your house.
Cleaning and maintenance may prolong or restore some of the softness and vibrancy to your carpet but a severely damaged or worn out carpet will not improve by much.
Be that as it may, let’s take a look at some of the factors that influence how often you should change your carpet in your house.
Factors That Affect The Lifespan Of Carpets
Foot traffic and lifestyle
It is an undeniable fact that foot traffic severely impacts the lifespan of a carpet.
In a home with lots of kids, pets, and people passing through, it is incredibly difficult to prevent wear and tear from occuring. In fact, the likelihood that you won’t deal with stains and excessive dirt is slim to none.
Depending on the amount of foot traffic, you may find that there are certain defects or damages that cannot be repaired.
For example, tears, frays, and deep stains that affect the overall design may probably render your carpet irreperable.
At that point, you probably will need to replace the carpet.
Homes with high foot traffic can get atleast 5 to 10 years of usage from a carpet, especially if it is of a high quality. In some cases, you could stretch the lifespan to 15 years.
Quality and placement
Another factor that determines the lifespan of a carpet is the quality. Certain types of material that are produced properly can offer supreme durability and resilience to stains, fraying, discoloration, and damage.
But, where you place these carpets can also affect the lifespan.
For instance, if you were to place carpets by entryways or hallways, it’s going to experience high degrees of foot traffic that will speed up damage and discoloration.
Similarly, placing a carpet in an area with high moisture levels or exposure to water like in bathrooms or kitchens can also cause liquid damage.
Cleaning and maintenance
With regular cleaning, it is highly possible that you would only need to change your carpet in your house after a decade or two.
Vacuuming weekly and washing your carpet bi-yearly can significantly improve it’s appearance and prolong it’s lifespan.
Similarly, steam cleaning can remove stubborn patches of dirt or stains.
A professional carpet cleaning service may also be equipped with all the latest cleaning solutions and equipment to restore the quality and appearance of your carpet. Even tears and damages can be repaired, provided that it is possible.
If you invested a lot of money into a high quality carpet, I strongly recommend that you implement the cleaning routine I’ve just shared with you.
Mold and fungi infestation
Believe it or not but one of the most overlooked causes of carpet damage actually comes from moisture which results in mold and fungi.
Mold and fungi love to grow and spread in dark and moist places.
Moist carpets are a breeding ground for them, especially if they aren’t cleaned, disinfected, and dried properly.
They don’t just grow ontop of your carpet but they can also grow and spread underneath.
Mold and fungi tend to cause a bad odor and can permanently stain or discolor carpet. If you notice that spots of your carpet is smelling bad and it has black or green spots, it’s probably a sign of mold and fungi.
If this isn’t addressed soon enough, you may be forced to change your carpet in your home much sooner than you ordinarily would.
Final Thoughts
That brings us to the end of this article on how often should you change your carpet in your house.
Look, you have to assess the quality of your carpet and be objective about it’s texture, appearance, and quality. If it looks run down, discolored, frayed, torn, and tattered, then it’s probably time for you to change it.
This is especially true if you have tried to clean it professionally.
Allow me to just emphasize that your first course of action is to have it shampood or cleaned using a specially formulated carpet cleaner.
If that doesn’t work and the carpet is expensive, then I recommend seeking out the assistance of a professional carpet cleaning service.
If they feel like they would be unable to restore your carpet to a satisfactory condition, then you probably need to replace it.
With that being said, I hope you found this article to be insightful and helpful. If you would like to learn more about carpets, please check out some of the articles that I have carefully selected for you below.
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