How long will a carpet last? Generally, it depends on how well it's been maintained. Not only does regular care and maintenance extend the life of carpet, but it keeps the appearance looking the best it can be. Oftentimes, carpet is replaced due to the poor appearance, not necessarily because it's wearing out.

What can damage carpet? Two of the biggest contributors to carpet damage is dust and grit, because they're tracked into the building every day. Dust is easily removed by vacuuming, but if a carpet isn't vacuumed frequently, dust can get embedded into the fibers and eventually cause more problems like discoloration.

Grit is also easily vacuumed. Unlike dust however, grit is more abrasive and can damage the fibers of the carpet quickly. This is why you often see traffic lanes in carpet. These areas have not been vacuumed often enough, so the grit has been doing it's damage to the fibers, causing the carpet to look worn or thin.

Vacuuming plays a big part in keeping carpets looking great for many years. In order to determine how often a carpet should be vacuumed, look at the foot traffic. Areas that have very heavy traffic should be vacuumed daily. Usually entryways and entry mats receive the heaviest traffic in the building. Other heavy traffic areas might be lobbies, reception areas, elevators, and food areas.

Medium traffic areas usually include traffic lanes in office buildings and upper levels. These areas may also need daily vacuuming if they have a large the number of occupants and public traffic. However if they don't receive a lot of public traffic and don't have a large number of occupants, they may only need vacuuming two or three times a week.

Light traffic areas would include enclosed offices that are further away from the entryways. These areas may only need weekly vacuuming.

Frequent vacuuming is the key to extending the life of carpet. Not only will it keep the carpet looking great on a daily basis, but the carpet won't have to be deep cleaned as often, which saves your customer money.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.