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Carpet First Aid Blog
August 15, 2006
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.”
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.”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 particles 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.”
Overall Cleaning
Vacuuming alone will not 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 prolong 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 capability 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 carpet 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.”“Tipical treatments (including many fungicides, bactericides, biocides, antistatics and stain resists, etc.) May adversely affect the soil resistance; stain resistance and/or other benefits of your carpet. These warranties exclude any claim or liability for defects and damages to your carpet caused by such topical treatments. However, topical soil-resistant fluorochemical treatments, which do not adversely affect the carpet, are acceptable.”
Professional or Do-It-Yourself
“It is to your advantage to use professional carpet cleaners because their experience 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.”
Q. Why is professional cleaning important?
A. When vacuuming no longer removes all of the soil, or you have not been able to remove stains following the recommended carpet care and cleaning procedures found on pages 18–21 of this booklet, it’s time to have your carpet cleaned by a trained and qualified professional cleaner. A reputable professional cleaner knows the latest information on carpet construction, carpet care products, and safe, effective cleaning methods to help maintain carpet beauty. For this reason, we recommend, and our warranties (except for the Lifetime Anti-Static Limited Warranty) require, professional cleaning every 24 months. See the STAINMASTER® carpet warranties on pages 8–12 for these specific professional cleaning requirements.
Q. How often should my carpet be cleaned?
A. We recommend professional cleaning at least every 12 months. We require professional cleaning every 24 months to be eligible for coverage under many of the limited warranties set forth in this booklet.
Q. Is more frequent cleaning recommended with lighter carpet colors?
A. Lighter carpet shades, combined with the degree of soil build-up and the amount of traffic in the home, may require a more frequent cleaning schedule than just one professional cleaning every 12 months.
Q. Which cleaning method is recommended?
A. Steam or hot water extraction is the recommended method for deep cleaning most carpets. Hot water extraction uses a machine to apply water and a cleaning solution (if necessary) into the carpet pile to attack the soil and greasy build-up on the carpet fibers. A powerful vacuum then extracts the solution almost immediately. Properly performed, hot water extraction will effectively remove accumulated soil from the carpet and refresh the texture of your carpet.
Q. Is do-it-yourself carpet cleaning okay?
A. Professional cleaning is recommended for any carpet and is required every 24 months to maintain coverage under many of these limited warranties. (See limited warranty terms to determine which limited warranties require this periodic cleaning.) It is also required when submitting a claim for stains and soil you cannot remove using recommended cleaning procedures. If you decide to do it yourself during an interim cleaning time period, carefully follow these guidelines:
– Use only cleaning solutions that are acceptable for use on stain and soil resistant carpet. Before using any cleaning solutions, pre-test for colorfastness on a small, inconspicuous area of the carpet. Cationic or chemicals with a pH greater than 10 should be avoided as they may void your STAINMASTER® carpet limited warranties.
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$5, $10, and $15. Hey they all do the same thing right? After all it is just carpet cleaning, how hard is it? What’s to know, you spray the cleaner and go across it? Lets look at the $10 cleaning. You only need two rooms cleaned; $20 right? The next house needs 4 rooms cleaned, $40 for that house. And the next house the big one for the day is 6 rooms cleaned, this house is $60. This day this cleaner has a total for the day of $120. Even with gas at $1.75 a gallon the 20 gallons of gas used that day is $35. Now throw in the cleaners he has used, the cost of the equipment, the maintenance, insurance, taxes and then the technician needs to be paid too. So the $10 per room yes is cheap because the guy doing it would only be making $10 bucks for the day. And I am sure the getting $10 for the whole day I am going to do an outstanding job, and put in the time and effort it takes to really deep clean those carpets.
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Solvents
“A solvent is a chemical capable of dissolving another substance. There are many solvents available on the market but only a few are really compatible with cleaning solutions.”
Polarity
“The importance of having a good working knowledge of the polarity of detergents is important. The surfactants used in the manufacturing of synthetic detergents possess and ionic or electrical charge. Cationic detergents carry a positive charge. Anionic detergents carry a negative charge. Nonionic carries no charge. Cleaners be very careful no to mix cationic and anionic detergents. Doing so will destroy both and an insoluble residue will be produced.”
With those two statements, tell me with certainty you know the cleaners you would use to clean your carpet fibers. The labels on the cleaners you buy at the store say nothing about this and I would guess the customer service person would not know either. It just amazes me that people will try to clean with out knowing some very basic rules of cleaning.
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“To qualify for coverage under this limited warranty, you must have had hot water extraction, performed by a trained, qualified carpet care professional, at least every 24 months since the date of purchase of your carpet. (You must provide your receipts for proof of service.†) In addition, you must have tried cleaning the affected area of your carpet by using the cleaning procedures found on pages 18–21 of this booklet. If the noticeable color change remains after you have tried these cleaning procedures, then you must have the affected area of your carpet professionally cleaned at your expense. If the noticeable color change still remains after the professional cleaning, you must contact STAINMASTER® carpet Consumer Care and provide proof of the carpet professional cleaning within 30 days of the professional carpet cleaning.”
“No carpet is fully stainproof. Therefore, INVISTA expressly excludes and does not extend warranty coverage to any of the substances or causes of damage identified below (“non-covered stains”). In addition, a more detailed list of non-covered stains, including typical non-food and non-beverage stains can be found on page 19 of this Booklet. The following non-covered stains are excluded from this limited warranty:
1 – Non-food and non-beverage substances, including, for example, but not limited to, cosmetics, bleaches, inks, etc.
2 – Foods and beverages that contain strongly colored natural substantive dyes as found in, for example, but not limited to, mustard, curry powder, turmeric, and herbal tea.
3 – Substances, which destroy or change the color of carpets, including, for example, but not limited to, stains caused by dyes (such as clothing or food coloring), bleaches, acne medications, drain cleaners, and plant food.
4 – Pet or human stains (such as vomit, blood, urine, feces).
Please note, however, that the STAINMASTER ULTRA LIFE®
Carpet limited warranty does cover certain non-covered stains.”
Abrasive Wear Limited Warranty
See chart on pages 2–3 for the Warranty Period applicable to your carpet.
• During the applicable Warranty Period, your carpet (excluding stairs) will not incur Fiber Loss from Abrasive Wear (as hereinafter defined) by more than 10% in any area. “Fiber Loss from Abrasive Wear” is defined as actual loss of fiber, due to abrasion, from the surface pile of the carpet and does not include damages caused by or resulting in tears, pulls, cuts, pilling, shedding, burns, pets, fuzzing, matting, crushing, shading or pile reversal, fading, improper cleaning, improper installation, or defective construction. Damages caused by improper cleaning methods and materials are also excluded.
• To qualify for coverage under this limited warranty, you must have had hot water extraction, performed by a trained, qualified carpet care professional, at least every 24 months since the date of purchase of your carpet. (You must provide your receipts for proof of service.†)
• If INVISTA determines that your carpet has incurred Fiber Loss from Abrasive Wear, INVISTA will, at its option, repair or replace the affected areas of your carpet.
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Many people do not think of this, but I am only a phone call away. Most spots will keep for a few hours if not days. It is very important to get to it quickly, but it is much more important not to use the wrong spot remover or cleaner. Time after time people set an otherwise easily removed spot and turn it into a very permanent stain. And many times if they would have called me, I would be able to correctly guide through removing or reducing the spot. So Remember I am only a phone call Away!
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June 1, 2006
I walk into many homes and have this same conversation. I hear “the last cleaner told me Dry Cleaning was the way to go” or “you should never steam clean carpet it will shrink”. How about “Carbonation is what is going to remove your dirt” and, one of my favorites, “steam cleaning leaves a chemical residue”. People seem to get their cleaning information from Aunt Sally’s cousin Bob. If you are reading, this you may be looking for information on cleaning, and that’s great. Google “Shaw Carpet”, “Stain Master” “Mohawk Carpet” and see what they have to say in there cleaning section. You will find that it is the same thing I have said for years. “Wet Cleaning is Best.”
First, let’s look at Dry Cleaning. In cleaning of clothes, dry cleaning means you are using a solvent to clean and there is no water used. Yes the solvent is a liquid but it is not water. In cleaning of carpet, dry cleaning means low moister.
Now lets look at what low moister means in cleaning clothes, better yet your favorite knit sweeter. Why, because it is most likely nylon yarn like the yarn in the carpet you are trying to clean. In “Dry Cleaning” or what Chem-Dry’s claim to fame is “we use carbonation to clean because it is safer”. The cleaning solution is applied to the carpet and “dirt is wiped away forever”. This last quote, if true, you would never need to clean the carpet again. Wouldn’t that be nice? Back to the sweater; you get a spot on it and use your favorite spot cleaner for clothing. Apply the cleaner then blot, use some water to rinse and blot again. Gets the spot out right? If that works so well, why do you put that sweater in the clothes washer and wash in on the gentle cycle and block to dry vs. spot and blot the whole thing? Take grass stains on the knees of you child’s jeans; you spot and blot those but you also wash them, rinse them, and extract the water (the spin cycle). LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN, You wash, then rinse, then extract. These three steps is how your clean fiber. It does not matter if the fiber is silk, wool, nylon, polypropylene, cotton, or rayon. To clean, you suspend the soil, rinse the soil, and extract the soil. And correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that you hire a carpet cleaner to remove the soil from the carpet/ fiber of your furnishings.
Bob, Aunt Sally and most carpet retailers have no idea how to correctly clean, spot clean or what/ why a vacuum is good, better or indifferent. Compare what I am saying to the manufactures are saying.
Now look at “Steam Cleaning”. Again this is not the best name for this. The better and correct name is “hot water extraction”. And it is just what it says. This method uses hot water with soap for carpet to suspend the soil, rinse the soil with hot water and then extract the soil with a strong vacuum. Same as how your clothes washer does. Fills up with water and soap for clothes, agitates, then that water is replaced with clean water to rinse the soap out, then that water is drained off and the spin cycle kicks in and extracts as much water as possible. Same three steps in carpet cleaning with hot water extraction.
There is also hot foam, dry compound and shampoo that are approved cleaning methods for carpet cleaning. They all have good point and bad points. This is the biggest point. If the person cleaning does not understand what they are doing with the method they are using to clean you will never get a fiber/ carpet clean.
So yes “Dry Cleaning” dries faster than “wet/ steam cleaning” I too can use my truck mounted, hot water extraction equipment to get fast dry times, by using less cleaner and water but again I am under the impression that I was hired to remove as much soil as possible to extend the life of one of the most expensive items to replace in your home.
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