How often you need to get your carpet professionally cleaned depends on its use and maintenance. Most carpet warranties recommend a professional steam clean at least once a year. High-traffic areas or spots that get dirty more often might need more frequent cleaning.

Remember to keep your cleaning receipts in case you need to make a warranty claim. And don’t forget—reapplying a carpet protector after cleaning can make a big difference in keeping your carpet looking good longer.

Steam cleaning, also known as hot water extraction, is hands down the best way to deep clean your carpet fibers. This method involves spraying a cleaning solution into the carpet to break down dirt and greasy buildup, then using a powerful vacuum to extract the solution and the grime. After two or three steam cleanings, consider applying a carpet protector like Scotchgard for extra soil and stain protection.

Apex Carpet Care offers one of the most powerful truck-mounted steam cleaners in the Lowcountry, so you can be sure you’re getting effective stain removal and a thorough clean.

Renting a carpet cleaner or using a home machine might seem like a good idea, but these machines often lack the power to extract all the water and detergents properly. Leftover detergents can attract even more dirt, leading to faster re-soiling. Carpet manufacturers recommend professional steam cleaning for a reason.

If you do choose to go the DIY route, avoid using wet shampoo equipment, which can leave soap residue that acts like a dirt magnet.

Regular vacuuming is vital to keeping your carpet in good shape. Even with entry mats, dirt, and grit can still get embedded in the carpet pile, causing discoloration and matting. Up to 80% of the soil in your carpet is dry particulate matter that can be removed with a vacuum cleaner. For light-traffic areas, vacuum heavy foot traffic areas twice a week and the entire area once weekly. Heavily trafficked areas should have the traffic lanes vacuumed daily and the entire area twice weekly.

For lightly soiled areas, three passes with the vacuum should do the trick, but heavily soiled spots might need five to seven passes. Change the direction you vacuum occasionally to help keep the pile upright and reduce matting.