Does anything beat the feeling of a fresh new carpet? Suddenly, even tired decor looks alive again, and you can’t believe how springy that plush new installation feels under your feet!

The trouble is that, like all good things in the home, that just-laid look and feel doesn’t last long. For people with pets or young kids, especially, it can seem like, no sooner is that carpet laid, than you’re dealing with stains, wear, and the potential for replacement.

In reality, though, the estimated lifespan of a carpet ranges between 5 to 15 years. That’s a pretty wide scope, meaning that, if you can find the secret of the ten years between them, you really can capture that fresh carpet feeling for longer. But, what exactly is the secret formula?

Keep on top with cleaning

Not so much a secret as a carpet go-to, regular cleaning is fundamental for floors that look fresher for longer. Far from just vacuuming regularly (once or twice a week, at least,) it’s also fundamental to clean spills as they happen and to invest in professional carpet cleaning at least once a year to really lift ingrained dirt. What’s more, homeowners should keep the area as clean as possible in a general sense by keeping shoes at bay, and generally making every effort to avoid dirt that gets deep into those carpet fibers.

Use rugs in high-traffic areas

Even the cleanest carpet in the world is going to look worse for wear under heavy use. To avoid this, it’s worth investing in rugs for your high-traffic areas such as landings and stairs, or even just busy hubs in the home like the living room.

As well as being an amazing design feature, a quality rug is fantastic because it’s easily replaceable. Unlike a carpet, you could simply pick it up and head out to buy a new one that you then install yourself. As such, it’s far better for rugs to take the brunt of footfall over a carpet that you’re trying to keep in the best condition. Considering that rugs also work to keep large areas of your carpet clean, this is most definitely a win-win solution.

Think about your furniture

No matter how well you clean or cover the space, heavy furniture can cause terrible indentations which damage carpet integrity and, ultimately, stand to make it look old before its time.

To avoid this, homeowners should always aim to rearrange their furniture at least every year or so, even if that simply means shifting things along a few inches. Or, you could take this excuse to have an entire overhaul of your room which freshens things up, and exposes new and undamaged areas of carpet.

It’s also always worth taking further steps for protection in the form of small rubber mats that you attach to the legs of any furniture, thus keeping your carpet even safer from damage and, ultimately, contributing a great deal to that longer lifespan.

Avoid loose ends and bunching

Snags or loose ends can be any carpet’s undoing, so your last port of call is to avoid these at all costs. Most notably, you’re going to want to remove loose ends as and when they arise, ensuring that you don’t pull them and compromise your carpet any more than necessary. Instead, you should aim to trim any loose bits before the problem worsens, leaving your carpets looking almost as good as new, even where sharp claws or general wear are concerned.

Equally, adding a plastic floor runner in any areas where your carpet meets tiles or wooden floors can prevent loose ends that turn over or become frayed over time.

It’s also well worth your while to stretch your carpet if it begins to bunch in certain areas. This can both keep things looking pristine and keep your carpets as healthy as possible for a whole lot longer. You can either embark on this yourself using tools like a carpet chisel and a knee kicker, or you can turn to professionals to save you a job.

Conclusion

As any homeowner knows, keeping carpets pristine can be a real challenge, especially if they’re a light color. In fact, many of us assume that tired or worn looking carpets are inevitable at least every five or so years. But, this doesn’t have to be the case, and your carpet should certainly last you the full fifteen years if you take these precautionary measures.