Helpful Carpet and Rug Cleaning Tips

Your Carpeting, Rugs and Flooring experts

Even in ordinary use, carpets and rugs receive a lot of abuse: pounding feet, dirt, grit, dust, oily cooking vapors and spills of all descriptions. By frequently vacuuming with a good machine, you can remove and prevent dry soils from building up to an unsightly level.

Cut pile carpets. We strongly recommend a vacuum with a rotating beater bar to agitate the carpet pile and loosen soil for removal. While those without this feature remove surface dirt well, they often leave imbedded soil that damages the carpet fiber by abrasion. Matting and packing may also occur in high traffic areas if the carpet pile isn't sufficiently agitated or lifted.

Carpets with looped textures. Vacuum with suction only to avoid damaging the loops. For rooms with light traffic, vacuum the traffic lanes twice weekly and the entire area once a week. Areas of heavier traffic require that traffic lanes be vacuumed daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine works well for light soiling, while five to seven are necessary for heavily soiled areas.

Vacuuming Do's and Dont's

To help optimize the aesthetic and performance value of your carpet, remember these vacuuming tips:

• Make sure your vacuum's belt is in good condition, and that the beater actually rotates when in contact with the carpet.
• Height adjustment is correct when the beater contacts the pile enough to lightly vibrate the carpet several inches away from the machine, but not enough to cause a significant slowing of the motor.
• Never allow the soil bag to become over half full or efficiency will suffer.
• Vacuum across the traffic pattern occasionally, rather than in the traffic direction, to prevent matting.
• Practice extreme care in vacuuming your area rugs - particularly the fringe. It's best not to use a vacuum cleaner with a beater bar in this area to avoid the possibility of snagging the fringe. This can cause separation of the weaving behind the fringe, or even damage the rug.

Cleaning your carpet

While vacuuming removes most dry soil, the oily soil of cooking vapors, air pollution and grime tracked in from the street present a decidedly different type of problem. These particles of oily soil deposited on carpet fibers can cause gradual, but significant, dulling of colors. The color isn't actually lost; it's hidden under a dirty film.

If this type of soil is allowed to accumulate, it literally glues the pile fibers together, resulting in matting, packing or ridging. Equally worrisome, it begins to attract and hold dry soil. That's why cleaning is so important when dulling of the fiber first becomes noticeable. If allowed to remain too long, it becomes gummy and difficult to remove.

Cleaning Methods

There are several different approaches to cleaning, but one universal recommendation: clean your carpet or rug before it becomes too dirty. The chore will be easier and more successful if you do. Here are some methods to consider: each has limitations, so take them into account before you begin.

Dry powder

Absorbent particles are worked into the pile with a machine and removed by vacuum. This method uses no water; little skill is required; and the carpet is ready for use immediately. You may have difficulty removing all cleaning residue from deep pile. It's also not that effective for heavily soiled or matted areas. Talk with us before attempting this technique.

Dry foam and absorbent pad

Fluffy detergent foam is worked into pile by a variety of machines. Once dry, the residue is vacuumed out. This method uses little water, dries fast and cleans the surface well; however, overbrushing can damage some carpets.

Steam cleaning (hot water extraction)

Extraction of the cleaning solution and soil leaves little residue and no pile damage, although caution is necessary to prevent over-wetting. Avoid using too much detergent. Follow up with plain water; the rinsing step is very important. Recommended for all carpet types, this method is most effective when performed by a professional using an external hot water extraction unit. Talk with us about a recommendation.

Carpet pilating or grooming should be incorporated with all professional cleanings. A professional pile lifter vacuum may be effective in restoring matted or ridged carpeting.

Cautions:

• Do-it-yourself aerosol products may result in rapid resoiling due to excessive residues. Test on a scrap first. If the dried product feels sticky, don't use it.
• Avoid all products containing optical brighteners (fluorescence) such as those found in laundry detergents and some carpet cleaning systems. In all cases, test an out-of-the-way area first, and use nothing containing bleach.

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