Winter in Michigan is no joke. Snow, ice, slush, rain, salt, ashes, dirt, mud. The amount of moisture and gunk and build-up that occurs outside also follows you into your house. Don’t allow your carpets to be exposed to such serious destruction.
If you have a hard time tolerating the cold and precipitation that the atmosphere produces, you certainly don’t want the aftereffects to linger in your home. But that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t take your shoes off before walking around on your clean carpet.
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Here are four common elements that you need to combat against in the wintertime that could stain, damage, and even destroy your carpet:
- Snow and ice. The white stuff may seem completely innocent and incapable of damaging your carpet. After all, snow and ice are just water, right? Alas, snow that’s been outside for a little while can also be laced with dirt, leaves, road covering, pet droppings, and more. Water stains aren’t uncommon either. Make sure you and the kids have a drip board or a non-carpeted area where you can remove your snow-covered footwear before sinking your feet into your carpet for a warm-up.
- Salt. Salt and ashes are necessary to keep your car from sliding out of control on Michigan winter highways. However, you see what salt can do to your car, even if its a junk car, and how easily and thickly it sticks. Track through some salt with your shoes and you’ll bring that same kind of debris into your home and onto your carpet. Along with wiping your feet, stomp them too to get as much salt, ice melt, and other elements off of your boots before going inside.
- Boots. No amount of wiping your feet on the doormat is ever enough to thoroughly clean your winter boots from everything they have collected while you’re out and about. Take the time to smack them together outside to free them of any ground-in dirt, rocks, or otherwise. And don’t hesitate to give them a good wipe-down more often than not. It might seem like a ridiculous amount of effort, but if you’re trudging around in the Michigan weather for any period of time, you know just how filthy your footwear can become.
- Pets. Are you the kind of pet parent who suits up your dog with a pair of boots or paw covers before he or she heads out into the elements? If not, you can expect that your beloved pet will be bringing some of Michigan winter back inside on their paws and fur. Pets are one of the biggest sources of carpet stains in general. At the very least, take the time to wipe your pet’s paws when you return to the house – you’ll save your carpet from unnecessary damage, and your pet will love you even more for warming up their chilly feet.
Even if you make a great effort to take your shoes off before walking through your house during the winter, remember that any distance you walk while still wearing your shoes has the opportunity to make it into your carpet anyway. Hardwood and tile tolerate the elements far better than carpet fibers, but if you don’t wipe up any wetness or dirt off the uncarpeted flooring, someone will eventually walk over it with their socks or bare feet and transfer that detritus to your rug.
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The types of carpet stains you have matter when it comes to carpet cleaning. A Michigan carpet cleaning company understands what you’re dealing with during the winter months. Contact Nu-Way Carpet Cleaning in Macomb, Michigan, to discuss your carpet cleaning needs during or after the long days of winter.