| Household | Interval |
|---|---|
| Single adult or couple, no pets, shoes off | Every 18 months |
| Average family home | Every 12 months |
| Pets (one or more) | Every 6–12 months |
| Young children plus pets | Every 6 months |
| Allergy or asthma in the household | Every 6 months |
| Rental turnover | Between every tenancy |
Why waiting costs more than cleaning
Carpet fails from abrasion, not from being dirty. Grit trapped at the base of the pile acts like sandpaper every time someone walks across it, cutting fibres permanently. Once the fibre is cut, no cleaning brings the texture back — the traffic lanes stay flattened and grey. Cleaning on a schedule removes that grit before it does the cutting, which is why an interval costs less than a replacement.
What the manufacturer warranty usually requires
Most residential carpet warranties specify professional hot-water extraction at a set interval — commonly every 18 to 24 months — and ask you to keep the receipts. Homeowners are often surprised that a stain-resistance claim can be denied for lack of documented cleaning. If your carpet is still in warranty, keep the invoices.
Signs you're already overdue
Traffic lanes that stay visibly darker after vacuuming, a faint musty note when the room has been closed up, carpet that feels stiff or crunchy underfoot, or allergies that get worse indoors rather than better. Any one of those means the soil load is past what vacuuming can reach.
Vacuuming between visits still matters
Professional cleaning is not a substitute for vacuuming — it's the reset. Vacuum high-traffic areas twice a week and the rest weekly, slowly enough for the machine to actually pull dry soil out. Most people move the vacuum far too fast.