Does Carpet Cleaning Help During Flu Season?
Many people are aware of the ways in which the cold and flu spread; through coughing, sneezing, and other forms of physical contact where germs are able to enter into the respiratory system. What some people are not aware of, however, is that some illnesses containing germs can survive for weeks without a host. This means that surfaces in our homes can harbor germs that could end in us lying miserably on the couch.
As you sanitize your home during cold and flu season you don’t want to forget about soft surfaces in your home such as carpet and upholstery. Germs can embed themselves into the fibers and then end up in your body. It is important to remember to clean and sanitize this area of the home properly to help prevent anyone from coming down with the cold or flu inside your home.
The best way to ensure your soft surfaces are completely clean and sanitized is to hire a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning service. Only professional cleaning equipment can get deep down into the deepest areas of carpet and upholstery to ensure everything living in there is killed and removed. Yes, you can rent equipment to clean these areas yourself, but the machine will not be as high powered as professional equipment. It also will not get as hot and guarantee that germs are killed and your surfaces are truly sanitized.
It may not seem like there would be a whole lot of cold and flu germs hanging out in your carpet because these areas of the home just don’t get thought of as coming in contact without eyes, face, and nose where illness-causing germs can enter. The reality is we touch and use these surfaces often, more often than we realize. It is especially easy to pick up germs from furniture upholstery if we lay down or rest our heads on them. If you have small children in the home that are not yet walking they come in contact with the floor nearly every moment they are awake, not to mention they use their lips and mouth as a way to feel and explore. It is especially important to deep clean/ sanitize soft surfaces in your home if you have a baby.
How You Can Keep Surfaces Clean After a Deep Cleaning
After you have your soft surfaces professionally cleaned you can keep them clean by vacuuming with proper technique daily. Proper vacuuming includes working in overlapping rows and going slow enough to give the vacuum plenty of suction and time. When you are done in one direction make sure to vacuum in the opposite direction. You also want to make sure the canister is never more than half full, as this will cause the vacuum to lose suction power as well. Be careful when emptying the canister so that you do not kick dirt and germs back into the air. Make sure the opening end of the canister is well below the top of the can and that you open it slowly. We suggest emptying it into a can with a lid and quickly closing to trap more in the can.
If you are looking to clean and sanitize your home’s soft surfaces to help prevent cold and flu in your home make an appointment online or over the phone with All Kleen.