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Carpets and kids often don’t go well together. From spilling food to running muddy shoes through the home, kids will find multiple ways to wreck your carpets if you don’t take precautions.
While some parents switch to hard floors to make life easier, carpets can still have their advantages. In general, carpets provide better comfort, insulation, soundproofing and safety than hard floors. For this reason, it can be worth still clinging onto your carpet. But just how do you keep it clean when you have kids? Below are a few tips.
Set some rules
Keeping a carpet clean with kids requires setting a few rules. The first should be to take off shoes when entering the house – especially if you’ve been out playing in the mud or grass. A second rule could be to always put down a sheet when doing any arts and crafts or messy activities (or to do it at a table). You may also want to consider rules when it comes to having food and juice such as having to eat and drink them at the table – allowing kids to run around with snacks and juice could increase the chance of spillages.
Choose the right carpet
Carpets come in a variety of styles and materials and some are easier to clean than others. A few factors to consider include:
- The texture: Short pile carpets tend to be easier to clean than deep pile carpets. Cut pile twist carpets are some of the most durable options and are the easiest to scrub stains from.
- The material: Nylon is one of the most easy-to-clean materials you can choose for a carpet. It is resistant to mold, chemicals and abrasion. Materials like wool are less suitable.
- The colour: A darker carpet is less likely to show up stains compared to a lighter carpet. This could be something to also consider.
It’s worth inspecting your current carpets and deciding whether they are suitable for a home with kids. If you currently have a white deep-pile wool carpet, you might want to consider replacing it, as it will be harder to keep clean.
Some parents consider options like carpet tiles. If one tile gets stained and you can’t shift it, you can always replace the tile.
Catch mess with rugs and mats
You may be able to place rugs and mats in mess-prone areas in order to catch debris. This could include putting a rug beneath a dining room table or a mat beneath a high chair. Putting a rug beneath a sofa is also common. You may also want to consider some form of rug or mat by the front door of your home.
This will help protect your carpet from food spillages, mud and other substances that could cause stains. Such rugs and mats may be able to be shaken off outdoors or machine-washed.
Upgrade your vacuum cleaner
You could also consider upgrading your vacuum cleaner to help keep your carpets clean.
A carpet cleaning machine could be worth investing in to lift stubborn stains. These machines spray water and solution into the carpets, helping to get rid of dirt and contaminants.
If you simply want to reduce the time and spent vacuuming, then a robot vacuum could be another worthy purchase. These robots can zoom around your carpet cleaning it for you. Young kids will also find these robots entertaining – it could be a way of cleaning the carpet and distracting the kids while putting your feet up.
Hire professional carpet cleaners
If you don’t want to splash out on extra equipment, you could always hire people to clean your carpets for you. This could include general vacuuming or a deep carpet clean using a carpet cleaning machine. Even a one-off clean could be worth investing in for reviving your current carpets.
