When you get a brand new carpet fitted, those bright, vibrant colours will completely bring the room to life, enhancing your decor and freshening up the whole area.
Unfortunately, this effect doesn't always last.
Carpets are often prone to fading over time, even if you're a careful sort of person. Despite your best efforts, there are factors that cause colours to dull that are out of your control – or so you may think.
The problem is that it's often difficult to identify exactly what's causing the fading, which makes it impossible to stop it from happening. To help you keep your carpet looking bright and brand new, here are some of the common causes of fading so you can try and counteract them.
Sunlight
The number one cause of faded carpets is exposure to ultraviolet rays. It's not just carpets, in fact; the sun will cause colour fading in all kinds of furnishings, fabrics, and artwork. Of course, you're probably not going to want to keep the curtains closed and sit in darkness all day, so what can you do?
If the sun shines directly through the window at a certain point in the day, closing the curtains temporarily can make a big difference. You can also fit window stickers that filter out ultraviolet light.
Limiting the amount of sunlight getting to your carpets will extend their life considerably.
Cleaning products
You'll probably want to keep your carpets clean by using products on them from time to time, but these can be harmful. Before you use anything, test it on a bit of carpet that's usually out of sight to make sure it doesn't cause any fading. But be aware that, even if there's no immediate damage, the fading can gradually build up over time. Avoid anything that contains bleach, and don't clean the carpets more than you really need to.
Personal products
People tend to use all sorts of creams and lotions, and you might not think about the effect they can have on fabrics. Treading these products across your carpet can, over time, cause the colours to fade. Wear socks or slippers when you can and try to avoid using excessive amounts of lotion.
Spillages
While you might clean up any spills quickly enough that you can't see any staining, small amounts can remain in the carpet fibres. Some food and drink can cause a bleaching effect, and you'd be surprised how much could be sitting in your carpet fibres. Use a protective spray to help stop spillages sinking into the pile.