Moving into a new home is an exciting, fun time, in spite of all the hard work that accompanies it. You may even be looking forward to changing some things and upgrading others. For instance, that old carpet may need replacing as soon as you get your budget sorted out. But while you are waiting for that, ask some questions suggested by brilliancecleaning.com.au to ask about it, just in case that money could be better spent on some other home improvement. Here is what to find out. The neighbours might know the answers.
- How old is the carpet? Good quality carpet lasts a long time. If the carpet in your new home is not that old yet, a professional clean might do the trick.
- What is the carpet made from? You need to know this for cleaning purposes. If you use the wrong cleaner it could fade the carpet or damage the fibres.
- Did the previous owner ever have inside pets? Some people have pets for years, then when they die, don’t want to purchase another one. If the home housed pets the carpets could probably do with being professionally cleaned. They may even need replacing, since dogs and cats sometimes vomit – and do other naughty things – on the carpet.
- Did the previous owners raise young children in the house? If so, there is likely to be more than animal pee in the carpet. It’s not that easy to potty-train toddlers.
- Was the carpet protected if the previous owners did home improvements before selling? If you can’t find out, look closely into the base of the fibres and see if you notice any brown dust that could be fine sawdust.
- Did the previous owner love using tools? If he did it is highly likely he used them to fix something in the house. The carpet could be very dirty if it was not protected.
Depending on the answers you get to your questions, it might be that a professional carpet clean will restore the look and feel of the carpet to almost new again. This can give you some thousands of dollars to spend on other upgrades to the house, something that most people will love.
Or you could use it to pay down more of that mortgage and thus save a great deal of interest over the lifetime of the loan. That said, it won’t be nearly as exciting as spending it on something to enhance your lifestyle, such as a deck out the back, if you don’t have one yet. A deck will give the children a place to play on rainy days, or somewhere for you to enjoy alfresco meals or just relax on a lazy afternoon.