How to Kid-Proof Your Carpet in 4 Steps

Children are known for bringing much joy into our lives. But they are also known for their mess.

Dirt, drink spills, food remnants squished into carpet fibres, colouring adventures … you name it, a small human somewhere has probably done it.

We have some great tips to kid-proof your carpet and help it to survive (almost) anything.

4 Ways to Protect Your Carpets from Common Stains Caused by Children

You may feel powerless to keep your carpet clean with kids around but there are some practical things you can do to give your carpet a chance.

 

1. Buy a rug or two

It seems simple but placing a rug on your floors is an easy way to limit the impact on your expensive carpet

• Rugs are a great idea for the bedroom. Picking out something colourful could be a fun activity to do together and that layer of protection will extend the life of your carpet.

• Place a rug in high traffic areas, even if it is just during the school holidays or when you have visitors over.

• Buy darker colours if they suit your décor – they’re often easier to clean. We have a navy-blue rug at home and being able to take it outside to clean whenever my little one drops her bedtime milk all over it is a godsend.

• We also recommend padded playmats like these from Kmart – they are safe for kids to play on, have a fun design and are so easy to wipe down if mess occurs.

• You could also place an abrasive doormat at the front door as another way of stopping some of the dirt and debris before it gets onto the carpet.

 

2. Get the vacuum out regularly

Here’s the bad news. You need to start vacuuming your carpet more regularly, particularly when the kids are hanging around at home more than usual.

The good news? Giving the carpet a once over every second day or so will keep it in great shape.

• Your carpet usually only needs a thorough vacuum once a week but doing smaller ones regularly during busier times will help you stay on top of any dirt being dragged in.

• Most primary school aged kids and older should be able to operate vacuum. Turn it into a game or a way (#bribe) for them to do an activity of their choosing if they vacuum their rooms first.

 

3. Bust out your cotton socks

There’s nothing wrong with asking your guests – and your children - to remove their shoes before they come into the house. Your carpet will thank you for it!

• Make sure that socks are left on. Surprisingly, bare feet aren’t great for your carpet as your body oils are absorbed into the carpet fibres, making it easier for dirt and grime to stick to them.

• Our feet shed skin into the carpet too, which attracts bacteria and dust mites, who love to feed on dead skin. Dust mite excrement contains toxins known to cause allergic or respiratory reactions, such as a runny nose, headaches and pesky coughs!

4. Be smart about stain removal

As a rule, you should always tend to a stain as quickly as possible, removing any excess substance first before attacking the spill.

• Check out our stain removal guide, which should cover how to remove most stains. Our blog has many articles on a variety of different stains too – bookmark any relevant ones so that they are easy to find when a spill occurs!

• While you’re cleaning, make sure you gently blot, not rub. Rubbing can damage your carpet and push the stain further into carpet fibres, making it tougher to remove.

• Invest in a carpet protector to stop stains from sticking to carpet fibres. A good quality protector will prolong the life of your carpet and should include a sanitising agent to protect against germs, bacteria and fungi.

 

Can children help with cleaning?

Kids are much more capable than we give them credit for. Think about all the smart gadgets they’ve mastered to play games on … surely a washing machine or vacuum cleaner can’t be much more difficult.

Educating children on how to clean teaches them valuable life lessons that will serve them well in adult life. Better yet, it gives you a bit of a break as well.

Obviously, you’ll need to provide age-appropriate chores but having a reward system in place is a great tool to get kids of most ages helping out in some way.

 

How does electrodry remove stains?

When it comes to stain removal, we’re the best in the business.

Stain removal isn’t a one-cleaner-fits-all approach. Depending on what the spill is, and how long it has been there will determine how it is best cleaned. It’s all about the chemistry.

We explain the chemistry of cleaning in more detail here but on a basic level, the pH level of what was spilled will determine how it needs to be neutralised.

Our technicians have undergone intensive training in this process and as a company with more than 40 years’ experience, our technicians have seen it all.

Give us a call on 13 27 13 or visit our book us online.