Who doesn’t love a soft and luxurious carpet complementing their modern home?

According to research, eight out of ten people are opting to switch their traditional rugs for the plush carpet designs.

But where to start?

Not only do these carpet styles complement your home, but they also feel great on your feet.

However...

Even with all the glamour, anyone with a soft carpet knows how important it's to keep it clean.

Unlike conventional carpets, these carpet designs also require special soft carpet vacuuming techniques.

That said...

Here are few guidelines to help you keep your home clean and also retain the texture and classic look of your soft carpets.

Vacuuming Soft Carpets

Soft carpets have taken the flooring industry by storm, and at the rate at which people are switching up their loop pile and other carpet designs of these luxurious designs, they’re clearly here to stay.

It's true:

The cosy feel of these softer carpet fibres has also made them very popular with consumers and retailers alike.

Who wouldn’t want to place their feet on a warm and comforting platform after a tedious workday?

Want to know more?

Soft carpets are available in nylon,¹  triexta, and polyester fibres;²  and in styles that range from thick friezes to shorter looped Berber designs.

While they bring several advantages to your bedroom or living room, there’s one potential disadvantage that most people don’t realise until after they install or have the carpet installed.

These soft carpets are somewhat impossible to vacuum properly.

Why Soft Carpets Are Difficult to Vacuum

Soft carpets feel so cosy and fluffy for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the fibres the designers use to make them are of better quality than those used to make traditional carpets. Finer strands have a softer and more relaxing feel than thicker strands.

Secondly, each carpet tuft features an augmented number of fibre strands as compared to standard carpets.

And this isn't the end of the story...

Some soft carpet brands, like the famous Mohawk SmartStrand Silk, contain up to three times more fibres than conventional carpets.

The extra fibres in soft carpets add up the density of these carpets, which makes it more challenging to push a vacuum cleaner through them.

To add to that:

According to consumer reports, 70% of soft carpet consumers have been struggling to manoeuvre their vacuums through these carpets, an issue that most didn’t have with their traditional rugs.

The Best Vacuum Features for Soft Carpets

Even though these carpets give you a hard time vacuuming, it doesn’t mean that you can’t vacuum them.

If your current vacuum isn’t meeting the demands, consider upgrading to a carpet-optimised design.

Now...

There are several characteristics that you should carefully look into when buying a hoover for your soft carpets, to help make them easier to care for.

Here are some of the most essential:

#01. Adjustable Height

You can opt to raise or lower your vacuum cleaner.

However, it'll depend on the surface that you’re using the hoover for.

It’s one of the essential features to consider if you own a soft carpet since it helps in ensuring proper airflow.

Here's why:

A vacuum that’s too low for the carpet can’t only be impossible to push through the fibres, but it can completely ruin the carpet’s texture and design.

The suction³  generated by the motor lifts all the dust particles out of the fibres.

Still, if you place it too close to the carpet backing, it can lift the carpet slightly off the padding beneath it – leading to the buckling of the carpet.

Moreover...

Your soft rug can also be damaged by a rotating brush that’s too low.

Since its work is to agitate the fibres to help in dirt elimination, the rotating brush can be too abrasive if it’s too close to the threads.

It can lead to blooming, ultimately causing the carpet to have a distorted, fuzzy appearance.

To sum up:

Various carpet design experts recommend starting with the most elevated height setting on your vacuum cleaner.

If pushing it's so stress-free, and it doesn’t appear to be making contact with the fibres, then you need to lower it one setting at a time until it sits on or above the tips of the rotating brush’s threads.

#02. Large Wheels

Upright vacuums with larger wheels can easily manoeuvre to get through those long, dense, soft carpet fibres.

So, when shopping for a hoover, make sure that you look into the wheel size in regards to your carpet’s fibre length.

#03. Optional Beater Bar

Most vacuums use a beater bar or powerhead to brush up the carpet fibres to clean between the fibres efficiently and effectively.

Beater bars can pose a significant risk to specific styles of carpet.

My advice is:

You shouldn’t use it on looped styles of carpet (like the Berber) or on very long, thick shag or frieze styles.

So, when shopping for one, look for a device that has the option of turning the beater bar off or removing the powerhead and replacing it with a suction-only attachment.

The Perfect Vacuum Cleaner

Consumers have been concerned with the issue of the difficulty that comes with vacuuming soft carpets for a while now.

It has mainly been one of the most critical topics that Mohawk, the biggest fluffy carpet manufacturer (including the aforementioned SmartStrand collection), has been dealing with.

With complaints increasing daily, this company has resulted in issuing its consumers with a list of recommended vacuums for soft carpets.

Common Questions

In Conclusion

Having a luxurious carpet in your home is a considerable investment.

Nevertheless, the cost of having the proper tools (like the right vacuum cleaner) to care for it is worth the performance, comfort, and enjoyment you’ll get from your soft carpet.​ So invest wisely in a soft carpet vacuum.

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