Giovanni Valle is a licensed architect and LEED-accredited professional and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He is the author and managing editor of various digital publications, including BuilderSpace, Your Own Architect, and Interiors Place.
Replacing your carpet can be expensive, so if you notice it becoming crunchy, you should act quickly. Treating your carpet right can preserve it and extend its life.
If your carpet is crunchy, it may be leftover cleaning residue, foot traffic, a faulty vacuum, uncleaned spills, or high humidity. Solutions for a crunchy carpet include cleaning your carpet, servicing your vacuum, and reducing the moisture in your home.
Throughout this article, I’ll further discuss the following:
- What causes your carpet to feel crunchy and stiff?
- Essential solutions to fix crunchy carpets.
1. Your Carpet Has Leftover Shampoo Residues
After cleaning the carpet in your home, the floor may still be sticky due to residues from the cleaners’ shampoo. These residues can feel crunchy, even if the carpet is clean.
The cleaner may only extract some of these residues, leaving the rest of the shampoo embedded in your carpet’s fibers. Shampoo residues are composed of different chemicals and cleaning solutions used during the cleaning. Eventually, these residues react with dust in the air to form a dry paste that becomes visible on your carpet.
If so, have your carpet cleaned as soon as possible. The leftover sticky residues attract dirt and grime, leading to an even dirtier carpet.
Use a Vacuum and a Towel to Remove the Residues
If the carpet is dry, use a vacuum to remove any residue. If the rug is still wet from cleaning, blot up as much of the leftover shampoo with a towel as possible. You may need to dry your entire carpet before vacuuming it thoroughly.
If you cannot remove the shampoo residue, have your carpet professionally cleaned again. It’s also a good idea to call the cleaners and complain about the problem.
It’s best to play it safe and have the carpet cleaned professionally when in doubt.
2. Your Carpet Gets Stepped Too Often
Dirt and debris accumulate in spots where people walk most often. Such areas will likely have dirtier carpets because the fibers have become compressed. Cleaning these high-traffic areas only helps for a short period because people will inevitably walk on them.
When this happens, the dirt gets pushed through the carpet into the padding below. The padding absorbs this excess dirt and becomes dirty as well. If you walk over a compressed area, the accumulation of dirt and grime can cause your carpet to become dingy and crunchy.
Clean Carpets With Heavy Foot Traffic More Often
If your home has heavy foot traffic, you should consider having your carpet cleaned often. Regular maintenance will keep the fibers in the carpet from becoming compressed and allow you to extract dirt when vacuuming.
The frequency at which you clean your carpets depends on how many people visit and how active those people are. For example, a family with four kids and two adults will likely need to clean carpets more often than a single person who doesn’t have pets or children. Having pets in your home increases the dirt on your carpet and the number of dead skin flakes tracked into your house.
Alternatively, you can purchase an area rug for heavily trafficked areas of the home. An area rug will help to keep dirt and grime from being crushed into your carpeting below.
3. Your Vacuum Is Faulty
If you’ve noticed that your carpet has been crunchy for quite some time, your vacuum may be the culprit. If you have an older vacuum filled with dust or pet hair, the brushes will likely be worn out and useless. Poor functioning brushes can cause your carpets to become crunchy because the vacuum pushes hard debris into the carpet instead of efficiently removing it.
A properly maintained and functioning vacuum is vital to keeping a clean carpet. Often, we forget that we need to have our vacuum regularly serviced. This is especially true if our carpets undergo a lot of traffic and activity.
Clean or Replace Your Vacuum Filters
If you’ve cleaned the filters and checked for clogs in the hose, but the vacuum still doesn’t function well, bring it back to where you bought it or take it to someone who can fix it.
A new filter will also help to keep your carpet cleaner. Even if the entire surface of your carpet seems clean, dirt may still be present in the deeper fibers left behind by a typical vacuum. A more efficient vacuum can remove these particles and ensure a fresher carpet.
For more information, view the video below on how to clean and inspect your vacuum correctly:
4. Your Carpet Has Old, Uncleaned Spills
If you’ve ever had a spill on your carpet, you know how difficult cleaning is. It can be even more challenging if the spot has been there for some time with residue stuck in the fibers.
If there’s a spill and you don’t clean it right away, the carpet can develop a dirty look because of the buildup.
This issue becomes more prominent if you have pets or children who’ll likely spill food and drinks on your flooring. If you don’t address these spills quickly, they’ll harden in place and become a part of your carpet.
Clean Spills or Stains As Soon As You See One
The best way to deal with spills is to manage them right away.
If you already have a stain on your carpet, don’t worry. You can still clean it up. Try using warm water and soap to help break down any residue left on your carpet. If this doesn’t work, try vacuuming over the area to remove some of the stains.
For more stubborn stains, try using a small amount of carpet spot cleaner on a clean cloth and rubbing gently in the direction of the carpet pile.
5. Your House Has High Humidity
If you’ve noticed that the carpet in your home feels crunchy but other areas of the house don’t, this could be because of extra moisture in the air. The moist air is likely being sucked into your vacuum, causing the carpet to rub against the fibers.
Another problem associated with high humidity is mold. Mold thrives when trapped in a moist, warm environment. Mold can grow on areas of your carpet, causing stains and odors to appear.
Turn on Your Dehumidifier To Remove Moisture
If you notice that the carpet feels crunchy, but other areas of the house aren’t, try turning on a dehumidifier to help remove some of the moisture in your home. A dehumidifier will keep the air in your home fresh and prevent mildew from forming on carpeting.
If you’re currently dealing with mold in your carpet, make sure that you remove all of the affected areas and clean the entire carpeting.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a way to keep your carpet from being crunchy and to keep it clean and free of dirt, grime, mold, or spills, there are many things that you can do. Use a vacuum to clean your carpet, and clean it often, especially if it’s in an area with heavy foot traffic. Also, clean any spills or stains as soon as you see them.
Hopefully, the information in this article has given you some ideas about how to get started with making changes that will make a difference!