Germs, mold, fungus, bacteria and chemicals of all kinds can settle onto or be tracked into your carpeting. These biological microbes are alive and thriving in your carpets, and as long as it remains dirty, they will continue to breed and grow.
Sticky residue from conventional shampoo, dry foam and dry-chemical methods of cleaning will cause rapid re-soiling due to lack of rinsing and extraction of the chemicals used by these methods. Spots and stains will resurface because they were only pushed a little deeper, and the traffic lanes will appear dirty much sooner for the same reason.
Sand, grit, dust and other hard particles which are deeply embedded in your carpet will cause abrasion of the tips and sides of the fibers. These scratches will make the carpet look dull over time. Light no longer reflects properly as the tips of the carpet tufts plume, causing a shadow effect to appear – permanently.
Dirt particles contain an assortment of minerals and chemicals which are gathered and blended from a wide area. Humidity or moisture tracked into your carpet on shoes can act as a catalyst to this foreign matter. The reaction may cause severe damage to the carpet dye and can actually change the color of the carpet if it remains over a long period of time.
Gasses in the air caused by the burning of various fuels and the action of the sun on certain other gasses in the atmosphere can affect the stability of carpet dye. These gasses filter through carpet fibers causing both filtration stains (those black lines along the walls) and damage to dyes.
About 80% of all soil is dry particulate matter and can be easily removed by normal vacuuming with a power-head. The other 20% is made up of oily soils and bacterium, which will require professional cleaning.
What can be done to keep your carpet from wearing out sooner than it should?
Vacuum everyday (if possible) methodically and slow enough to be a benefit to your carpet. Change the vacuum bag often, since the fuller it gets the less efficient the vacuum becomes. Place removable mats at each entry, both inside and outside of the home but not on the carpet. Wash and vacuum these mats regularly to control soil.
Plan and budget for regular professional steam cleaning to be done at least every 12 months.