Dirty traffic areas in a home can stand out like a sore thumb.  What are high traffic areas? How do we clean high traffic areas? How are they prevented?

WHAT ARE TRAFFIC AREAS?

Traffic areas are those areas that receive the most foot traffic.  They can be anywhere from hallways to the area in front of your couch.  The dark appearance comes from an increased level of soil in the carpet and from damage made to the fibers.  Soil embedded in carpet acts like sandpaper and foot traffic acts like the sander.  Over time, the fibers begin to become matted and frayed affecting the way that they reflect light.  This leads to a darker appearance. This issue can be exasperated by having foamy residue from low quality carpet cleaning agents in the carpet.  Dirt sticks to this residue resulting in an ugly grey color.

HOW ARE THEY TREATED?

The easiest way to treat traffic areas is to have them professionally cleaned. They should be cleaned at least once a year to get the deep ground-in dirt out to avoid the sand paper affect.

At CitruSolution, our cleaner does not contain any residue so your traffic areas can stay cleaner longer! Avoid over the shelf cleaners. Many of them contain a ridiculous amount of residue that you do not want in your carpets.

Would you apply shampoo to your hair without rinsing and then go working outside in a dirty environment?  Probably not. Dirt and everything else you come in contact with would quickly find it’s home in your hair  This is exactly what happens to carpets that have been treated with residue filled cleaners.

HOW DO I PREVENT TRAFFIC AREAS FROM FORMING?

Vacuum regularly.  This cuts out some of the “sandpaper effect”.  It’s amazing what regular vacuum cleaning will do for a home.

Also, it is advisable to keep your home a “barefoot home”. Shoes wear out carpet dramatically faster than bare feet.  The extra abrasion of the soles of shoes and the added dirt that sticks to them wear carpet out in a hurry.

PRO TIP!

Traffic areas are the worst when they are immediately next to hard surfaces.  A good example is carpet next to a garage entry.  Oil, grease, and dirt will inevitably make their way onto the carpet. To avoid this, buy inexpensive carpet remnants or runner rugs to place in the garage to absorb the excess dirt.  This will save your carpets in the long run.

New Carpet Vs. Traffic Area

Both of these pictures were taken of the same carpet in a closet.  One area wasn’t walked on while the other was a traffic area.  Carpet wear is a real problem.

Call CitruSolution today to preserve your carpets and your investment! (601) 255-1585