Carpet Facts

Maintenance

Certain maintenance procedures are recommended for enhancing the beauty of your carpet so that it provides years of service. Proper care of your carpet can substantially increase its lifetime. The following care recommendations should be initiated.

Preventative maintenance includes anything attempted to reduce the amount of soil brought into a home. Eighty percent of the soil brought into a home is tracked in on the soles of the shoes. Walk-off mats are one example of a preventative measure.

Daily maintenance includes spot removal and vacuum cleaning. Select an efficient vacuum cleaner that removes soil and offers a high efficiency filtration system. Less efficient vacuums allow soil to pass through the vacuum bag and become airborne. These airborne soils then settle on other surfaces. Carpet should be vacuumed a minimum of twice weekly. Traffic lanes and areas near exterior doors should be vacuumed daily. These areas are where the bulk of household soil is trapped. Failure to vacuum these areas regularly may lead to permanent carpet damage.

All carpet should be professionally cleaned a minimum of every twelve to eighteen months. Consult the booklet provided by your carpet manufacturer to determine the recommended method of cleaning. You will find that most, if not all, will recommend van mounted, hot water extraction cleaning.

Fibers

Approximately 97 percent of all carpet is produced using synthetic fibers. Today’s modern carpet fibers are engineered to withstand stains, wear, and soiling. With proper maintenance, today’s fibers have the ability to look new longer than ever before. The use of various fiber types enables carpet manufacturers to tailor carpet to an individual consumer’s needs and tastes. There are five basic types of fibers in use today.

Nylon is used in the manufacture of more carpet than any other yarn system. It is extremely strong and abrasion resistant. New soil and stain resistant technology has enabled carpet manufactures to expand color choices to include lighter, more vivid color tones. Nylon is among the most resilient of all synthetic fibers.

Polypropylene (olefin) is a very strong and abrasion resistant fiber. It is considered one of the most stain resistant fibers due to the dye method used (solution dyeing). Solution dyed fibers utilize a process in which the color is melted into the yarn. Bleaching agents, extreme sunlight, and most household stains have little or no effect on polypropylene fibers.

Polyester is noted for its soft, full-bodied feel and vibrant color choice. Polyester fibers offer some of the most beautiful coloration available.

Acrylic offers the look and feel of wool in a synthetic yarn system. Acrylic offers a low static level and is moisture and mildew resistant. Acrylic is used most often in bath and scatter rugs because it is resistant to moisture.

Wool has been used in the manufacture of carpet for many years due to wool’s excellent resilience, ease in dyeing, and stain removal characteristics. Wool is used less frequently today due to wool’s high cost when compared to synthetic fibers. Even though wool is used less often in the manufacture of carpet today, wool remains a premium yarn system.

In House Water Emergencies

Broken pipe…too much rain…high tide? Water where it is not supposed to be can do real damage and, if mildew starts, can be a real health risk too!

Here’s what to do:

  • Determine the source of the water and stop it. Deflooding cannot start until the flooding has stopped.
  • Call us. We are certified Emergency Water Damage Technicians and on call 24 hours a day. We will advise you what steps you should take immediately to minimize damage. If you request it, we will come to the site.
  • Call your insurance company. Most emergency floods are covered by your homeowners or renter’s insurance …but some are not. Let him know that you are in the hands of a certified Water Damage Technician and usually we can take over from there.

Here’s what not to do:

  • Touch any electric switch or outlet in the flooded area.
  • Turn up the heat. There are two reasons why not. First, if it was in the flooded area, an electrician should check it out. And secondly, a warm and wet environment is the perfect breeding ground for mildew. Heat should not be turned up until excess moisture is removed.
  • Turn on a fan. Again, until the excess moisture has been removed you are just spreading it around your home when you use a fan. Wait until we have removed the excess moisture before turning on fans. They will not help drying, and could spread damage throughout your home.

Here’s what we will do:

  • When we arrive, we will review with you all the damaged areas.
  • Discuss our observations with your insurance company and review a plan of action.
  • Move any personal possessions you have not removed from the flooded area.
  • Deflood the area using a weighted drag wand and the van mounted extraction.
  • Lift the carpet and inspect the carpet backing and pad.
  • Remove and discard damaged pad.
  • If the carpet has not been damaged, we will begin drying with drying fans.
  • If the carpet has been damaged, we will notify your insurance and await removal instructions.
  • We will set dehumidification equipment to remove moisture from air, walls, etc.
  • In more serious cases, we may take other measures to insure drying of inner walls etc.
  • Once the area is dry, we will arrange for replacement carpet or reinstallation of dry carpet, cleaning of carpet, repair of any walls and replacement of furniture.

© 2007 A Clean Carpet Company, Inc. All rights reserved.