How many of us have seen this sign at the door of a home, “Please Remove Your Shoes”? When someone has spent their hard earned money on new carpet, they want to make it last for years to come and you want to respect their wishes and remove your shoes. Now if you are wearing sandals or like me and wear shoes without socks, then there is another dilemma you need to ask yourself; are bare feet on the carpet worse than shoes?
You see your bare feet release many natural oils from the skins not to even mention the lotion you have applied to lubricate the dry skin too. These natural oils have a sticky residue that over time will attract normal everyday dry floating particles know as dust, that will attach themselves to the left behind oils on the carpet and become a spot. Since we walk in a normal pattern through a home on carpet, we can begin to see a foot traffic pattern formed by these oils left behind by the bare foot. We see this all the time because we believe that our bare feet are clean and won’t be a problem and forget that we do have natural oil and lotions applied to our feet.
In the picture provided, is an example over time of what a foot traffic pattern can look like and it is not from shoes but the bare feet method. A good intention of preserving the carpets was applied in the case by not wearing their shoes in the home and asking guess to do the same.
The good news is, we can clean this up if you have your carpets professional cleaned on a regular bases because, we use enzymes with the proper heat to suspend the oils and extract them from your carpet. However; if you wait too long in between cleanings, the fibers can be damages and abrasions can occur to the fibers. These damaged fibers will reflect light differently from them, causing a slight shading of that area causing a homeowner to think the carpet is still dirty but in reality, the fiber is damaged.
We recommend that if not shoes being allowed in the home is your practice, than ask that socks be worn instead to cover up the feet and eliminate the oil and lotion issues. You can even have a few spares strategically located at the entrance to your home to accommodate those wearing sandals of flip flops. Eliminate the oils and lotions and you can make your carpet last longer and stay beautiful for many years of enjoyment.
