Even if you vacuum on a regular basis, your carpets will, over time, become dull, flat and tired looking. This is because vacuuming can only remove loose dirt and dust from the surface of the carpet. Deeply ingrained dirt and oily, sticky stains cannot be satisfactorily treated by vacuuming alone.

Areas of heavy traffic are especially susceptible to this kind of dirt, simply because the increased number of footsteps in these areas will tend to lead to the dirt being ground further into the carpet. During certain seasons of the year, wet, muddy shoes can aggravate the problem even more, as can the presence of family pets.

Regular vacuuming, two or three times a week in the heaviest traffic areas, can help by removing dust and dirt whilst it is still loose and before it has the opportunity to get ground in and become trapped within the carpet. However, there’s no way to avoid some dirt becoming trapped and the only effective way to remove this is by using a carpet washer to deep clean your carpets.

Carpet washers use a mixture of water and detergent to loosen the trapped dirt and then remove it by sucking it out, along with the water and detergent. They are easy to use and look very much like a standard vacuum cleaner. Similar to vacuum cleaners, they typically come as either upright or canister models. They are simply passed over the floor to be cleaned, much like a vacuum, but one pass is treating the carpet with water and detergent whilst the other is sucking the mixture (plus the dirt) back out of the carpet.

You can usually rent carpet washers at larger supermarkets and DIY stores. You can even contract a professional cleaning company to come to your home and clean your carpets for you if you like. However, the retail price of these washers has now come down to a level where, for a lot of people, the convenience of having one on permanently to hand more than justifies the purchase price.

The latest generation of carpet washers start at prices somewhat less than a standard vacuum cleaner. Having your own carpet washer means that you won’t have to clean all the carpets in your house within a fixed rental period, typically 24 hours to two days, and you will always have it close at hand so that you can deal with any accidental spills before a stain has a chance to become ingrained. Whether you decide to hire, contract professionals or purchase your own carpet washer, the money you save by prolonging the life of your carpets will more than justify your outgoings.