Are you someone who vacuums your carpets once or twice a week, blots up the occasional stain, and figures that's good enough? You're not alone. Many people approach carpet cleaning this way. Your carpet may be okay for a while with this minimalist care approach, but you are missing out on the benefits you could enjoy from regular carpet cleaning. If you want to take great care of your carpets, the best approach is usually to have them professionally cleaned once a year. Here are the key benefits of doing so.

Your carpet will develop less wear and tear.  

Vacuuming removes some of the debris from your carpet, but it does not always remove the deeper down, more ground-in dirt and debris. Any debris that is left behind will increase friction in and between the carpet fibers. In other words, when someone walks over the carpet, the fibers and the debris rub together, causing wear on the carpet fibers. This causes your carpet to start looking worn and tattered sooner than it would otherwise. Regularly shampooing the carpet will remove the debris so there's not so much friction between the fibers. Your carpet will thereby experience less wear and look "like new" for longer.

Your carpet will smell fresher.

Even if you are careful, you introduce smelly compounds to your carpet over time. Walking over the carpet barefoot, for example, introduces some skin oils to your carpet. Setting a box down on the carpet may introduce a slight odor from the cardboard. You may grow nose blind to these odors and no longer notice them, but guests likely notice them. Carpet shampooing removes the odorous particles so your carpet smells fresh. You won't have to rely as heavily on air fresheners and sprays.

Your carpet will retain its color better.

When you have a small amount of dirt scattered over the carpet over time, the entire carpet changes color slowly, and you don't always notice it. Then, you move a piece of furniture and realize what your carpet used to look like. If you have your carpet shampooed regularly, the dirt won't build up to the point of discoloring your carpet, and it will retain more of its original color.

Look for a carpet cleaning service in your area, and give them a call. If you can manage to have your carpets cleaned once a year, you'll reap all of the benefits above.