It’s that time of year again! SPRING!!! And you know what that means? Spring cleaning!!! It’s time to dust off those shelves, pack up all your winter gear, and fill your closets with that colorful spring wardrobe. The only downside to all this gorgeous weather is….ALLERGIES!!! I’m lucky, tigers don’t really suffer from seasonal allergies, but living in Memphis, I know most of you do. Spring may mean allergy season in the Midsouth, but don’t despair – I’m here with some tips and tricks to ease your allergy woes.
Think about it – you’ve been cooped up inside all winter; we’ve had plenty of rain and snow and all around icky weather. How’s your carpet doing? Even if you made it through winter without any muddy shoe or paw prints staining your carpet, there’s still a lot of funky stuff lurking down in those fibers, including bacteria, pollen, dead skin, dust, and even mold. These allergens hiding out in your carpet will only make allergy season more unpleasant, and if you or someone in your household has asthma, trapped allergens can make a dirty carpet downright dangerous.
Become Best Friends with Your Vacuum
Vacuuming may not be particularly fun or glamorous, but it’s the best way to keep your carpets fresh and keep those pesky allergens under control. It’s best to vacuum your carpets once a week, and you’ll want to vacuum even more often if you have severe allergies, asthma, or pets (think pet hair and dander PLUS all the extra pollen they bring into your home on their fur).
Hire a Professional
Vacuuming is great, and should be your #1 defense against indoor allergens, but vacuuming by itself just isn’t enough. Your carpets need to be professionally cleaned AT LEAST twice a year by a reputable carpet cleaning company, such as Tiger Paws Carpet. Don’t skip this step, or rent one of those machines at the grocery store. At-home carpet cleaning systems leave way too much water in your carpets, and excess water means MOLD. At Tiger Paws, we pre-spray your carpets to break up and oils and stains, then use an emulsifier solution to clean your carpets without leaving behind a soapy residue (which only attracts more dirt). Then, our truck-mounted extraction equipment heats water to high temperatures to break up dirt and bacteria, flushing those pollutants from the carpet fibers, and finally, high-pressure suction draws out dirt, debris, & moisture, leaving your carpets nearly dry. This process is the best way to ensure that your carpets are really getting cleaned.