In this interview, Aggie Mackenzie reveals shocking new research from Rug Doctor which highlights the importance of deep cleaning your carpets. The results show that carpets across the country contain dirt and bacteria that could be putting us at risk. Visit the website for more information: http://www.rugdoctor.co.uk/news/rug-doctor-aggie-mackenzie-highlight-the-importance-of-deep-cleaning-your-carpets.
So Aggie, tell us a little bit about the campaign
I’m working with Rug Doctor to build awareness amongst the general population about all the nasties lurking in our carpets. It’s one thing, all the dust, the hair, the pollen, the skin cells; it’s another thing, all the harmful bacteria that’s there: salmonella, e-coli, listeria, campylobacter. It’s potentially very harmful bacteria that could cause disease.
Why are you supporting this campaign?
I’m supporting Rug Doctor’s campaign – http://www.rugdoctor.co.uk/news/what-lies-beneath-the-dirty-truth-about-our-carpets – because I think it’s really important to get your carpets deep cleaned, and it’s one thing making sure that all the hard surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom are clean — that’s really, really important, but what people can tend to forget about a lot of the time is what’s lurking deep in that carpet.
How passionate are you about cleanliness in carpets?
I think carpets have got to be kept clean. You know, they might look quite clean, but actually there is often a dullness about a carpet. It’s not until you actually go in there and deep clean it with a Rug Doctor, and you look at the colour of the water afterwards, you smell it, you feel it — the texture, it’s so thick — it’s absolutely disgusting, so you can see with your own eyes, and your own nose, how awful the state of the carpet is. It’s not until you actually do that you realise how filthy it is. And then afterwards you can see the colour of the carpet is so different — it just becomes really vibrant and it’s softer and it smells so nice. It’s just amazing, the difference it makes.
How shocked were you by the findings?
Well, it’s really interesting because although around the country around on average about 75 to 80% of people think they think they keep their homes clean. And visually, they will look fairly clean. The fact is that around, on average 40-45% of people have never deep cleaned their carpets. And people kind of forget that this is where everything’s landing. And so, not only are the carpets full of in-grained dirt, there’s also loads of really problematic bacteria in there – things like salmonella, e-coli, listeria, campylobacter – that can cause serious illnesses. And we’re talking about anything from food poisoning to stomach ulcers.
We also looked at the dirtiest areas in the country — Cardiff, excuse me! It’s funny actually, because on ‘How Clean is Your House’ I remember the dirtiest people in the country were Welsh. Sorry, but they were. And it’s a worry. It’s really interesting to have done that survey and looked at the stats afterwards.
How important is it that homeowners deep clean their carpets?
Nowadays people do a lot of skim cleaning. There’s no such thing anymore as spring cleaning; people talk about it, but who actually does it? So there’s a lot of doing bits and pieces here and there. And what gets forgotten about is all the grot going into the carpet. So it’s really important — twice a year, ideally — to deep clean those carpets. And let me tell you, when you witness the colour of the water coming out of the carpet, you will need no further convincing.
What are the potential hazards of not doing so?
Potentially you could become very ill from not cleaning your carpet, particularly if you have asthmatic problems, small children, pets — you know, if you’ve got pets they’re shedding everything into the carpet. Generally, members of the family are shedding [skin] into the carpet. Shoes coming in from the outside [trample] faecal matter into the carpet. All that dirt will be harbouring lots of harmful bacteria, so anybody lying on the carpet in front of the TV, or small children kind of rolling around, they can potentially pick up some of that bacteria into their system, and it can lead to — the least of it is food poisoning, possibly as bad as stomach ulcers.
For peace of mind knowing that your carpet is clean and safe, deep clean your carpet with Rug Doctor. Their machines are available to rent or buy across the UK. http://www.rugdoctor.co.uk/
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