Carpet Care

Carpet Maintenance Guidelines

Vacuuming | Cleaning Carpets | Cleaning Methods | Stain Removal

---

Your new carpet or rug represents a substantial investment and, like all furnishings, requires proper care to maintain its beauty. That's why we recommend that you follow this maintenance guide to protect your investment. Regular cleaning, with the right equipment, will prolong the life of your carpet and assure many, many years of enjoyment.

---

1. Vacuuming
Carpets receive a terrific beating in ordinary use - pounding traffic, dirt, grit, dust, oily cooking vapors and spills of all descriptions. The dry soils can be removed and prevented from building up to an unsightly level by frequent vacuuming with a good machine.

For cut pile carpet, we strongly recommend a vacuum cleaner with a rotating beater bar which agitates the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for the vacuum to remove. Those without this feature remove surface dirt but often leave imbedded soil, which damages the carpet fiber by abrasion. Additionally, matting or packing will occur in high traffic areas if the carpet pile is not sufficiently agitated or lifted. For sisal and berber textures, we recommend a vacuum with suction only to avoid damaging the loops.

For rooms with light traffic, vacuum the traffic lanes twice a week and the entire area once weekly. Those areas with heavier traffic require that traffic lanes be vacuumed 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 traffic areas.

Some tips for more effective vacuuming:

• Make sure the 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 to vibrate the carpet lightly 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.
• Vacuuming across the traffic pattern occasionally, rather than in the traffic direction, will help prevent matting.

^ back to top

---

2. Cleaning Carpets
While vacuuming is sufficient to remove most dry soil, the oily soil coming from cooking vapors, air pollution, and elements tracked from the street, presents a different type of problem. These particles of oily soil deposited on carpet fibers can cause gradual but significant dulling of delicate pastel colors; the color isn't lost but hidden under the film. If this type soil is allowed to accumulate, it literally glues the pile fiber together resulting in matting, packing or ridges and begins to attract and also hold the dry soil. This is the reason cleaning is so important when dulling of the color is first noticed. If allowed to remain too long, it becomes gummy and difficult to remove. Practice extreme care in vacuuming your area rugs ... particularly at the fringe. It is best to avoid us of a vacuum cleaner with a beater bar in this area of the rug because the possibility of catching the fringe in the cleaner. This can cause separation of the weaving behind the fringe and can damage the rug. (This occurrence is not considered a manufacturing defect.)

^ back to top

---

3. Cleaning Methods
Several methods of cleaning produce satisfactory results, but one point is universal - clean the carpet or rug before it becomes too unsightly; the cleaning chore will be easier and more successful. Some of the methods found acceptable are detailed here. However, each has limitations which should be considered. Contact your dealer or the appropriate fiber producer for additional information.

METHOD	CHARECTERISTICS
Dry Powder Uses absorbent particles worked into the pile with machine and removed by vacuum. Professional or do-it-yourself.	Uses no water, little skill required. Carpet ready for use immediately. Sometimes hard to remove all cleaning residues from deep pile. Not always effective for areas which may be heavily soiled or matted.
Dry Foam and Absorbent Pad Fluffy detergent foam worked into pile by variety of machines, dried residue vacuumed out. Professional use only.	Little water, dries fast. Cleans surface well Over brushing can damage some carpets.
Steam Cleaning (Hot Water Extraction) Professional or do-it-yourself.	Extraction of cleaning solution and soil leaves little residue, no pile damage. Caution needed to prevent over wetting Avoid use of too much detergent; follow up with plain water. Recommended for all carpet types. Most effective when performed by a professional using an external "hot water" extraction unit.

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

CAUTION: The Rotary Brush Wet Shampoo method is not recommended for residential carpet, as damage can result. Also, some do-it-yourself products in aerosol cans can cause rapid resoiling due to excessive residues. Test on a scrap first; if the dried product feels sticky don't use it. Avoid all cleaning agents containing optical brighteners (fluorescence) such as those found in many detergents and some carpet systems.

^ back to top

---

4. Stain Removal
No carpet is stain proof, although many are treated to be stain resistant, giving you time to act. Immediately after a stain or spill occurs, absorb as much liquid as possible with paper towels, etc., replacing as they become saturated. Use a blotting action, never a scrubbing motion, to prevent fuzzing the carpet surface.

1. Try to categorize the spot; then treat according to the following spot removal guide.
2. Scrape up all solids using a spoon or dull spatula.
3. Blot up excess liquids using an absorbent white cloth or paper towel. DO NOT RUB.
4. Test for color fastness on an inconspicuous part of the carpet before applying carpet shampoo or chemicals.
5. Do not apply liquid directly onto the carpet but instead pour the cleaning chemical onto the cloth and blot.
6. Repeat the blotting action until no more of the spot is deposited onto the cloth before going to the next step.
7. Work for the edge of the spot inward to prevent spreading of the spot.
8. Rinse the treated area with clean water afterwards, and place weighted paper towels until dry.
9. Avoid walking on the area until completely dry.

Type of treatment:
You will need the following items for spot cleaning. The numbers are keyed to the stain an all should be used in the recommended sequence. Some stains may require professional cleaning based on the age of the stain.

STAIN	TREATMENT
	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3
Alcoholic Beverages	1	2	-
Bleach	1	3	-
Blood	1	2	-
Butter	4	2	-
Candle Wax	5	4	-
Chewing Gum	5	4	-
Chocolate	2	3	6
Coffee	1	2	4
Colas and Soft Drinks	7	2	-
Cooking Oils	4	2	-
Cream	2	4	-
Egg	2	-	-
Felt Tip Pen	7	2	8
Floor Wax	4	-	-
Fruit Juice	1	2	-
Furniture Polish	4	2	3
Gravy and Sauces	7	2	-
Ink (fountain pen)	1	2	-
Ink (ball point pen)	4	9	2
Ketchup	7	2	-
Lipstick	4	2	-
Mercurochrome	2	3	6
Milk	7	4	2
Mustard	2	-	-
Nail Polish	8	4	-
Oil and Grease	4	2	-
Paint (latex)	2	3	4
Paint (oil)	9	4	2
Rust	4	2	10
Salad Dressing	2	4	-
Shoe Polish	4	2	-
Soot	4	2	3
Tar	4	-	-
Tea	1	2	4
Urine (fresh)	1	2	-
Urine (old)	2	3	6
Vomit	2	-	-
Wine	11	1	2
Unknown Material	4	12	2

1. Cold Water
2. Detergent Solution - Mix one teaspoon of clear dishwashing liquid with a cup of warm (not hot)water.
3. Ammonia Solution - Mix one tablespoon of clear household ammonia (3% solution) with 1/2 cup of water.
4. Solvent - A dry cleaning solvent (available at grocery, drug and hardware stores) such as Carbona or Energine.
5. Ice - Chill with ice cubes in a plastic bag. Shatter residue, pick or scrape off and vacuum.
6. Vinegar Solution - Mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of water. ]
7. Warm Water - Not Hot.
8. Clear Nail Polish Remover (preferably acetone)
9. Alcohol or methylated spirits mineral turpentine.
10. Rust Remover
11. Absorbent Powder (e.g., salt, talc or proprietary absorbent powders).
12. Absorbent Cleaner (e.g. Host® )

^ back to top