How to Protect the Carpets in Your Rental Home

Renting can be tough at times.

Once you’ve beaten the rental market and found a property that feels like home, you’re forever on tenterhooks hoping that nothing gets permanently damaged.

As carpet cleaning experts, we know a thing or two about keeping your floors clean and protected – these are our top tips for renters.

10 Tips to Keeping The Carpet in Your Rental Clean

A landlord will appreciate a tenant who looks after the property and most of us want to feel house proud.

Protecting your carpets is important and we can show you how. But it’s also important to know your rights as well too. These are our favourite tips for protecting both your carpet and yourself.

1. Take photos

If you’ve just moved in or are inspecting before moving in, taking photos of the carpet (and the rest of the property) is a great idea so that it’s completely transparent that shape that the carpet was in when your tenancy period began.

Take photos of any stains or markings, as minor as they may be, as these can worsen over time even with general wear and tear.

We recommend including photos of blinds, curtains, walls, and cupboards as well, as anything you think is worth documenting.

Be sure to date the photographs and that the property manager acknowledges that they have been received. Keep your copies of the images, too. Photograph as many details as you can but don’t worry about being too fastidious; your pictures don’t need to be professional.

2. Closely review the inspection report

Once received, give the inspection report a thorough look over. You may need to attach an extra sheet to it should you need to make any additional comments or observations.

Take your time with this and don’t skimp on any details to ensure that nothing is missed – you’ll be grateful for this later down the track.

3. Kids + Carpet = Danger

It’s unavoidable; kids are mess magnets.

If you have small children at home, think about purchasing a large rug to cover the majority of the carpet in high-traffic areas like the living room.

If you have carpet in the dining room, you’re playing with fire not protecting the area underneath where your child sits. Unfortunately, food is strewn everywhere when a small child sits down to eat. Invest in a piece of heavyweight clear plastic that fits perfectly underneath the dinner table.

Plastic is easy to wipe down and replace if need be.

4. Be an expert stain remover

Carpet stains and spills are a part of everyday household life so you would be wise to learn how to tackle life’s little accidents.

Our carpet cleaning technicians have heard it all, which is why Electrodry’s website has a dedicated page for stain removal, focusing on the worst stains our clients have encountered.

If you’re in a pinch, just google Electrodry and the name of whatever it is you’re trying to remove, and your treatment advice will come to the rescue.

Here are a couple of general carpet stain removal tips

• Clean spills immediately after they occur.

• Avoid rubbing the carpet spill as pushing it into the carpet fibres can make it worse.

• Blot with a clean white cloth from the outside, being careful not to spread the spill.

• Be prepared and have the tools you need to clean up spills on hand at all times.

5. Embrace rugs

Rugs and mats are a great idea for any home, to keep your carpet safe from both spills and general wear and tear.

We recommend purchasing a rug or two (check on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for second-hand bargains) for high-traffic areas.

A new rug can personalise your space and make the rental feel like home.

6. No more shoes

If you don’t always take your shoes at the door, you’re not alone. There are a lot of people who have a shoes-off policy – but what’s yours?

Wearing shoes inside is a bad idea if you’re eager to keep your carpets as clean as possible.

Ensure people are removing their shoes at the door. You can place a shoe rack by the door as a subtle hint or reminder for the family.

Your best bet is to replace your shoes with socks or house slippers while you’re inside. Bare feet will leave body oils and shed skin in the carpet which attracts bacteria and can cause staining.

7. Vacuum regularly

We highly recommend vacuuming once a week, to give you a chance to keep an eye on the carpet for any stains or marks you may have missed.

Vacuum carpet fibres in both directions, making sure that you are including corners and edges as well.

8. Compare your photographs

When you are moving out, compare the carpets with the ones that you took at the start of your tenancy.

If you note any differences, be sure to let the carpet cleaning technician pay particular attention to the area.

9. Pick a carpet cleaner you can trust

Double-check with your state’s regulations, but generally, you should be able to choose your own carpet cleaning company.

Pick one that you trust, with a good reputation and a guarantee policy – Electrodry, for example, offers a 14-day satisfaction guarantee so that if you are unhappy with the results you can have them re-cleaned at no charge.

A guarantee will give you the peace of mind that the job will be done at a satisfactory level. Some stains can be permanent though so it’s worth knowing what can cause permanent stains and taking special care around the use of these items. Ink and textas spring to my mind so don’t let the kids use them on the carpet!

Urine stains are also another problematic issue, so keep the pets outside.

10. Remember to do a final check

Following the professional cleaning, check the results against the original photographs again. If you feel that the matter has been unfairly treated, you can find your nearest Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service by visiting www.tenants.org.au or calling 8117 3700.