Dear Friends,
Did you know that your carpet is typically the largest investment you will make inside your home? It stands to reason then that finding out how to take care of this investment would be very beneficial. That is why we have created this Carpet Care Guide. To see that your carpet serves you well for many years to come!
We have gathered this information and recommenda-tions from years of experience in the carpet care industry and from Shaw Industries—the largest manufacturer of carpet and flooring in the world.
We truly hope you find this information helpful and use it to extend the life of your carpet.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding spills or stains you may encounter. We will also be happy to answer any general questions you may have about your carpet. Just give us a call!
Sincerely,
Danny & Alena Morris
Prestige Carpet & Floor Care
Carpet Care & Maintenance
Protect your carpet ‘Step by Step’
With the exceptional quality of New carpets today, your carpet could “ugly” out long before it “wears” out. Make sure it doesn’t with a comprehensive care program made up of four parts:
* Preventative Maintenance — protect your investment before problems occur.
* Vacuuming — the most important step in caring for your carpet.
* Spot & Spill Removal — because, let’s face it, they just can’t always be avoided.
* Overall Cleaning — because vacuuming doesn’t get everything.
No carpet is absolutely stain proof
Some carpets have stain resistant treatments that improve your ability to clean stains, but not prevent stains. Similarly, carpets with soil resistant treatments reduce the rate of soiling, but all carpets require regular care and maintenance.
Staining versus soiling
There is often confusion about the difference between soiling and staining carpet. The majority of stain complaints are actually soil related. For example, many sugar-based spills, such as soft drinks and coffee, leave a sugar residue after removal. This sticky residue readily attracts soil from ordinary shoe traffic and the resulting discolored area appears to be a stain.
The same thing happens when spills are cleaned with a detergent solution and the area is not sufficiently rinsed with plain water, leaving a sticky detergent residue. It is important to rinse thoroughly with water and blot dry after removing any spill.
Preventative Maintenance
New flooring represents a substantial investment. The proper steps will make sure it stays attractive for years to come.
Place walk-off mats at all entrances
Walk-off mats should be used at the exterior of all entrances to absorb the soil and moisture. They can help trap the excessive dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that would otherwise be tracked into your home. Mats should also be cleaned on a regular basis so they don’t become sources of soil themselves.
Use a quality pad
You should always use a quality pad under your carpet, particularly on stairs. A good carpet pad not only gives better resilience and comfort underfoot, it can extend the life of your carpet. Because some carpets carry warranties with specific density and thickness requirements, be sure and review your warranty before purchasing your pad.
Occasionally move heavy furniture
Move heavy furniture occasionally to avoid excessive pile crushing. Also, use floor protectors designed for carpet under the legs of tables, chairs, and other furni-ture to help distribute the weight. Do not use chairs or appliances with rollers or cast-ers without a chair pad designed specifically for carpet or damage can occur.
Protect carpet when moving furniture
When moving heavy wheeled furniture (pianos, buffets, etc.), prevent damage by using furniture movers, placing a protective barrier of heavy cardboard or putting plywood between the wheels and the carpet.
Clean your area rugs
If you use area rugs on your carpet, be sure to clean them regularly. Clean and restore the pile of the carpet underneath as well. Also, be sure to check area rugs for colorfastness before placing them on carpet because the color in some rugs may bleed through. After cleaning your carpet, allow it to dry completely before replacing rugs.
Reduce periods of direct sunlight
Protect your carpet from prolonged periods of direct sunlight with blinds, shades or awnings.
Carpet Care : Vacuming
The most important step in caring for your carpet is vacuuming
Vacuum carpet thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high-traffic areas. Realize that walking on soiled carpet allows the soil particles to work their way below the surface of the pile where they are far more difficult to remove and can damage the carpet fibers. Frequent vacuuming removes these particles from the surface before problems occur.
For rooms with light traffic, vacuum the carpet traffic lanes twice weekly and the entire area once weekly. In areas with heavy traffic, vacuum the carpet traffic lanes daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine will suffice for light soiling, but five to seven passes are necessary for heavily soiled areas. Change the vacuuming direction occasionally to help stand the pile upright and reduce matting.
Check the quality of your vacuum
A good vacuum cleaner is vital to prolonging the beauty and life of your carpet. An inexpensive machine can remove surface dirt but will not effectively remove the hidden dirt and particles embedded in the pile.
To ensure that your vacuum will conform to the highest industry standards, make sure that your vacuum cleaner is certified through the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Vacuum Cleaner Indoor Air Quality Program. Visit www.carpet-rug.com for details and listings.
Select the best vacuum for your type of carpet
We recommend using vacuums with a rotating brush or combination beater/brush bar that agitates the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for removal. Carpet with thick loop pile construction, particularly wool and wool-blend styles, may be sensitive to brushing or rubbing of the pile surface and may become fuzzy. For these products, we recommends a suction-only vacuum or a vacuum with an adjust-able brush lifted away from the carpet so it does not agitate the pile. A vacuum with a beater/brush bar can be tested for excessive fuzzing in an inconspicuous location before regular use.
Pay attention to vacuum bags
Replaceable paper vacuum bags do a better job of trapping small particles than cloth bags. With cloth bags, the particles pass back into the room. High efficiency vacuum bags, also called micro filtration bags, trap even smaller microscopic parti-cles such as mold and mildew spores and dust mite byproducts, which are often found to be a source of allergies. All vacuum bags should be checked often and replaced when half full.
Check the belt and the setting
Make sure the belt is in good condition and that the brush or beater bar rotates when in contact with the carpet. To adjust the vacuum to the correct height setting for the carpet, raise the beater/brush bar to the highest setting and then lower it until it contacts the pile enough to slightly vibrate the carpet several inches away from the machine, but not low enough to cause significant slowing of the motor.
Change vacuuming directions
Change the vacuuming direction occasionally to help stand the pile upright and help reduce matting.
Rug Care
Maintaining and Cleaning your Rugs requires just a few simple steps
Regular vacuuming will help rugs retain their beauty and will extend the life of the rug.
You should clean spills immediately with the following method: blot with a clean cloth, spot clean with a solution of clear dish washing detergent (non-bleach) and water, rinse with water and blot dry.
Professional carpet cleaning is recommended using the hot water extraction method. You should not dry clean your Rugs and you should never use bleach.
Overall Cleaning
Vacuuming alone won’t protect your carpet
Even though vacuuming can remove most soil, it is also necessary to clean your carpet on a regular basis to remove the oily, sticky soil that vacuums don’t remove. These soils result from cooking vapors, air pollution, and tracked-in dirt from outside. The particles of oily soil deposited on carpet fibers can cause gradual but significant dulling of colors. The color isn’t lost, but is hidden under the film. If this type of soil is allowed to accumulate, it begins to attract and hold the dry soil.
If carpet is cleaned before it becomes too unsightly, the cleaning chore will be easier and more successful. Carpet in a typical household should be cleaned every 12 to 18 months, depending on the number of residents and amount of activity.
Choosing the proper cleaning system is important. Some systems may leave residues which accelerates re-soiling and defeats the whole purpose of cleaning. The recommendations below represent the best current knowledge and should help pro-long the time between cleanings.
What cleaning system should you use? Shaw recommends the hot water extraction system.
Research indicates that the hot water extraction system provides the best capa-bility for cleaning. This system is commonly referred to as “steam cleaning,” although no steam is actually generated.
The process consists of spraying a solution of water and detergent into the car-pet pile and recovering the water and soil with a powerful vacuum into a holding tank. This can be done from a truck-mounted unit outside the home with only the hose and wand brought inside or by a portable system brought into the home.
Shaw Industries does not recommend Bonnet cleaning systems.
These systems employ a rotating bonnet of terry cloth or other absorbent mate-rial to agitate the carpet pile and absorb soil. A detergent solution is sprayed onto the pile and then worked with the bonnet attached to a rotary floor polisher. The Bonnet system has very limited capability for soil removal and leaves much of the detergent in the pile since it employs no real extraction. As a result, rapid re-soiling often occurs. Another disadvantage is that the spinning bonnet may distort the fibers of cut pile carpet, fuzz the pile, and leave distinct swirl marks.
Do It Yourself??
Professional or do-it-yourself?
It is to your advantage to use professional carpet cleaners because their experi-ence enables them to do a better job than you can do yourself. Their equipment has more extraction power than the rental units available to individuals, and the carpet should dry more quickly. True professionals also understand the equipment, know the proper cleaning agents for the situation at hand, and recognize the differences in fibers and carpet construction. If you prefer tackling the job yourself, check these do-it-yourself guidelines before you begin.
If you decide to rent a steam cleaning machine and clean your carpet yourself, you’ll need to choose your equipment carefully. Most rental units available do not adequately clean and may actually damage the carpet. Check several cleaning systems before making a selection and consider the following:
Do It Yourself Guidelines
Make sure the carpet will dry quickly
The cleaning equipment you select should have enough vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry within 6 to 12 hours after cleaning. Units that do not have the power to extract the cleaning solution from the carpet adequately may actually damage the carpet due to over wetting.
Do not over wet the carpet
Most problems in do-it-yourself cleaning are due to one of two problems, and this in one of them. Prolonged dampness may promote growth of mildew and bacte-ria in the carpet or cause separation of the backing. A carpet that is wet for more than 24 hours could experience these problems.
Do not use excessive detergent
This is the other problem most commonly experienced by do-it-yourselfers. You should use a cleaning solution with a pH less than 10, preferably near 9, and with a minimum of non sticky residue. The attraction between the detergent and the soil and oil particles is critical during the cleaning process. However, if it isn’t rinsed com-pletely, the detergent residue continues to attract the particles after cleaning. Increas-ing the amount of cleaning solution beyond the recommended level does not in-crease cleaning performance, but makes the removal of detergent more difficult. Because buildup of detergent residue is the most common cause of accelerated re-soiling complaints, Shaw also recommends a clear water rinse after cleaning.
Know your warranty guidelines
Carpet with stain resistant treatments must be cleaned with products formu-lated for this purpose, or the stain resistance will be impaired and the warranty voided. Do not use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches or optical brighteners because they can discolor the carpet. (ie: OxiClean and other cleaners available at Walmart, HEB etc.)
Do not use silicone-based anti-soil treatments
The only anti-soil products approved for use on Shaw carpets after the cleaning process are either DuPont Teflon® or 3M Scotchgard™.
Use fans to speed drying time
Reduce drying time by using several fans to move air across the carpet in com-bination with a dehumidifier or air conditioner to pull moisture out of the air. Carpet should be dry within 12 hours; even fewer hours is better.