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There are times when it's obvious that your home's carpets need to be professionally cleaned; there may be visible stains or very worn spots in traffic areas, and your regular vacuuming does nothing to address these. Store-bought stain removal products may also be limited as to their effectiveness in cleaning your carpets, so when you can't remove them this way, it's time to call a professional. 

However, you don't always want to wait until your carpets are that obviously dirty to get them cleaned, as carpets hold dust, allergens, bacteria, cigarette smoke, pollution, and a host of other very unhealthy elements. Note some things to look for that indicate it's time to get your carpets cleaned:

1. When you or friends notice a bad smell as you step into the home

When you're around a smell quite often, you may tend to "tune it out" the way you tune out constant noise. You may then notice the smell after you've been out of the house for several hours, or friends may note that something smells dirty in your home. If you've taken out the garbage and changed the cat litter box, chances are it's your carpets that are creating that smell. They may be holding cigarette smoke, dead bugs, and other elements that make your entire house smell less than clean. 

2. When your skin or the air itself feels dry

Because carpets hold dust and dirt, these can irritate your skin and pull moisture from the air. This dust and dirt and other irritants can settle into your home's vents and then eventually onto your carpets, where they dry the air. If your home doesn't have hard water but you still have very dry skin, and especially if you feel as if you're breathing dry air, consider having the carpets cleaned.

3. When you see thick dust in other areas of the home

While you may dust your coffee table and other parts of your home frequently, if you notice thick dust in areas you don't clean regularly such as on top of a ceiling fan or on the legs of wood furniture, keep in mind that this is indicative of how much dust has settled onto your carpets. Vacuums typically only pull up the top layer of dust and dirt, and anything ground-in or that has been allowed to settle for days or weeks won't come up with a standard vacuuming. When you notice thick dust in your home, it's then time to have your carpets cleaned.

Contact a company such as Adam's Carpet Cleaning to learn more.