These simple carpet tips will provide you with the ability to proactively maintain the life and appearance of your carpet, rug and upholstery fibers and prolong the life of your vacuum cleaner as well.
Carpet Tips about Common Carpet Problems You should Know About
Backing Separation Carpet Tips
If the underside of your carpet has begun to separate from the top, you are experiencing "backing separation." This is a common occurrence with fairly new as well as older carpets and especially those exposed to heavy wear or chemical action.
Your carpet is actually like a triple-decker sandwich. The topmost layer is the face yarn which is held firmly in place because it is tufted or sewn into the middle layer or "primary" backing. The third layer of fabric which rests against the floor is called the "secondary" backing. The two backings are "glued" together by a thin layer of latex, a type of rubber cement.
Like most other rubber articles, latex will deteriorate with age. It becomes brittle and crumbly and loses the ability to hold the two backing layers firmly together. Heavy traffic, heat, as well as spills of various sorts, can also cause the latex to become brittle and eventually will weaken it.
There are really no carpet tips to help with this problem. Should this be the case with your carpet, we would recommend replacing the carpet as the most cost-effective method.
This condition can occur with area rugs also, especially tufted ones. Please click here for more information.
Corn Rowing Carpet Tips
Corn rowing is a one of the common carpet problems that may appear on carpets before or after cleaning. It looks like distinct rows of tufts have fallen over and the tips have become embedded in the carpet pile. It usually forms in a regular pattern, with every fourth or fifth row bending over, as might happen in a row of corn. The condition may develop in traffic lanes and under doors that scrape the carpet as they are opened and closed. It generally occurs perpendicular to the traffic direction.
Corn rowing appears most commonly on carpets made from fine, soft yarns, with a fairly high, cut pile. In most cases, the overall density is not adequate enough to support the yarns and keep them upright. If there is too much space between the row, the tufts may be bent over when they are walked on. Soft, fine yarns do not spring back as readily as other carpet yarns made from heavier and denser fibers.
Although cleaning the carpet may bring the problem to light, it is not the cause of the distorted pile surface. Corn rowing is simply an inherent characteristic of certain carpet constructions. Vacuuming and raking the carpet perpendicular to the traffic patterns may help in some cases. In extreme situations, we suggest you contact the manufacturer. Ripples & Buckling Carpet Tips
Carpeting, like most other textiles, is made under tension. Tension is necessary so the loom will function properly, producing a carpet uniform from one portion to the next.
Yet carpeting differs from most textiles in that the backing may be composed of several layers, which are not generally preshrunk. When backing yarns absorb moisture, the fibers swell, resulting in the relaxation of the yarns previously held under tension. Moisture, which produces swelling, may result from humidity, spills or cleaning.
If two adjacent areas of a carpet or rug are not manufactured under the same amount of tension, unevenness or rippling can develop. This will also occur if the tension of the second carpet backing is not uniform with the primary backing.
Each case of rippling is different. The ripples may extend across the entire width of the carpet, from the edge to the middle, in the middle only, along the edges, or in one small section.
Ripples can also be caused by dragging heavy furniture across the carpet or by the sliding and pulling of carpet in traffic areas caused by walking.
Improper carpet installation may also cause ripples. If installation over padding is not done by power stretching, the carpet will still have some capacity to stretch. It will likely stretch in heavy traffic areas, and this may result in buckling, which is a form of rippling. In this case, the carpet must be re-stretched and reinstalled.
When rippling or buckling occurs on wall-to-wall carpet, contact the carpet retailer or installer immediately. Some installers warranty their work against stretching or buckling for a specified period of time following installation and can re-stretch the carpet to fit properly.
Shading (Pile Reversal) Carpet TipsA carpet may seem to change color in certain areas. When you look at the carpet from one angle, these areas will appear to be lighter than the rest of the carpet. Viewed from the other side, these areas appear darker. This condition is called shading and is also known as pile reversal.
Carpet pile has a natural slope in one direction. As long as the tufts slant in the same direction, the carpet has uniform color throughout. However, some of the tufts may slant against this normal pile lay, causing a variation in the way light is reflected from the napped surface.
Changes in the lay of pile usually develop gradually in traffic areas or in front of frequently used articles of furniture. However, shading may also occur in areas of less traffic, such as under furniture. It can even be present in brand new carpet.
Shading occurs most frequently on dense, deep, velvety cut-pile carpets. Many Chinese and dense-pile Indian rugs will show some shading or pile distortion after use or the first cleaning. Although it can affect multicolored or printed-design carpet, the problem is most obvious on solid colored carpets.
In some cases, shading becomes more apparent after the carpet is cleaned, which may lead you to believe the shaded appearance developed during the cleaning process. But this phenomenon CANNOT OCCUR overnight, it must develop gradually over time. The shading was probably not visible before cleaning because of lighting, the placement of furniture or uniform soiling over the entire surface.
Little can be done to prevent or correct shading. It is an inherent characteristic of certain types of carpet. It can be slowed by vacuuming or brushing the pile in one direction during daily or weekly maintenance, for ex, with a Perky Groom, a handy tools available for sale in our plant.
Shedding Carpet Tips
Shedding is the fluffing or fuzzing of short, loose fibers which remain in a new carpet after manufacture. Shedding is a normal process which does not damage the carpet, nor does it indicate any defective condition.
New carpet and rugs tend to shed loose fibers for several months. If during this time the carpet is not vacuumed thoroughly and regularly, the fluffing may continue for as long as a year, sometimes longer.
The fibers coming out are those which are not anchored into the back of the carpet. They are short fibers which are not tightly held in the tufts or fibers. These short fibers have fallen into the pile during the shearing operation. Even though the volume of fiber lost may appear to be great, the actual amount is small when the total amount of fiber is considered. This loss will not appreciably change the wear life.
Pilling Carpet Tips
Sometimes the fiber in a carpet is tightly twisted or entangled in the tuft. In some cases only one end of the fiber is worked out. When this situation occurs the fibers entangle and form a fuzzy ball, referred to as a "pill".
Pilling is not a problem if the pills break off or are pulled out by the vacuum as they form. A strong fiber such as nylon will resist this breaking. This results in small spider-like pills over the entire surface of the carpet, perhaps more concentrated in the areas of greatest traffic.
These pills can generally be removed by lifting the main ball portion with the thumb and forefinger and, with scissors, cutting the fiber which holds the "ball" onto the carpet . Take care not to pull any excess fiber from the carpet or damage the pile when cutting.
Static Carpet Tips
Do you "snap, crackle and pop" when you walk across your carpet? Do you feel a slight shock when you touch a metal object like a door knob? This is static, generated by the friction from your shoe soles against the fibers in the carpet. In the spring or summer months, there is usually enough humidity or moisture in the air to carry off the static charge as it forms. When the weather turns dry and the humidity is low, static electrification due to walking across carpet is much more likely to occur and to cause an annoying or unpleasant shock.
The tendency to generate an unpleasant static charge at lower humidity varies from fiber to fiber and carpet to carpet. It's possible to build up on your body surface an electrostatic potential of 2,000 to 5,000 or even 10,0000 volts or more. By touching a metal object and conductor such as a door knob, the static charge is transferred from you to it in the form of a noticeable or unpleasant shock (although at extremely low current so no danger exists.)
Untreated nylon and wool carpets are more prone to noticeable static problems, but polyester and olefin carpeting may also be affected. This is especially true in the drier winter months with their low humidity.
To avoid this static problem, some carpets have conductive filaments or antistatic agents built into the carpet pile fibers. Other specialty carpets add anti-static backing fabrics and/or conductive latex adhesive to the carpet to further reduce or eliminate static buildup. But certain carpeting may not have these features and is thus prone to static buildup.
If your carpet "bites back" in dry weather, it may still be possible to obtain some relief by increasing the humidity in the affected area. Adding a room humidifier or a central heating humidification system can accomplish the goal of raising the humidity to 30, 35 or even 40%. As the humidity goes up, both the static charge and resultant shocks are lessened.
The use by the consumer of an over-the-counter anti-static spray treatment on the carpet fibers may slightly increase soiling. Never over-use or over-apply the product. These topical anti-static spray treatments are not permanent and will become less effective after a period of time.
Let us know you have a static electricity problem when you call for an appointment for carpet cleaning. We can apply an anti-static treatment. Although this treatment is not guaranteed to be permanent, it is usually more effective and lasts longer than over-the-counter anti-static sprays because it is applied with professional skill and special equipment and techniques.
Sun Fading Carpet Tips
Almost every interior textile (carpet, rugs, upholstery, draperies and wall coverings) will lighten in color or fade over a period of time. The extent of damage depends on the item's location, exposure to light and elements, color intensity and type of dyes, as well as the dyeing method used.
An interior textile that has been solution-dyed (or producer-colored) is least susceptible to sunlight fading. The pigments are added to the polymer before the fibers are formed, sealing in the color. Most olefins (polypropylene and polyethylene), many acrylics and some polyester and nylon fibers used in carpets are dyed with this method.
Lighter shades will usually fade more quickly than darker shades because they contain less dye. Most dyes are composed of two or more color components. If one color is affected more than the other, the fading may appear as a color change rather than a lightening of the color. For example, many greenish hues are made from yellow and blue dyes. If the yellow dye is affected and the blue is not, the green textile may seem to be turning blue. To confirm this process for yourself, next time you visit a museum, examine antique tapestries with trees and grass. These green colors now appear very blue because the yellow dye has faded.
In other instances, colors may fade uniformly, appearing as a lighter shade of the original color. In severe cases, the color may be completely removed, appearing to be "bleached" white. The fiber itself may also deteriorate. This is especially problematic with silk textiles.
You may be able to prevent interior textiles from fading in sunny locations by keeping the windows covered with draperies (which may fade, too) or by treating the windows with a protective coating that filters out the ultra-violet (UV) rays of sunlight. If you live in an area where sunlight fading is a problem, shop carefully for all interior textiles.
Textile Insects Carpet Tips
It is important to remember that insect pests such as carpet beetles and clothes moths can digest protein fibers such as wool, silk and specialty hair fibers, but they will also attack synthetic fibers if they contain protein substances. This means carpets, rugs, draperies and upholstery made from nylon, acrylic, polyester, acetate and other synthetics can be damaged if they contain food or beverage stains, blood, urine, perspiration or other sources of nutritional protein.
Firebrats and silverfish are also textile pests that attack carbohydrates. They eat the paste on wallpaper and book bindings as well as starched clothing.
Termites digest cellulosic materials including wood and carpet backings in addition to yarns made of jute and cotton.
Fleas can lay their eggs in the carpet pile and backing. A thorough, professional carpet cleaning will kill all the adults but cannot kill all the eggs. For this reason, whenever there is a flea infestation in the home or business environment, we recommend calling a professional pest remover before getting your carpets cleaned. The first visit will remove the adults and a residual treatment will kill the fleas hatching from the eggs. This usually requires at least a 2 week waiting period.
For information on removal of dust mite infestations and pet allergens, please see Anti-Allergen Green Cleaning for Dust Mite Allergies and Anti-Allergen Green Cleaning for Pet Allergies on this website.
The most effective way to prevent an infestation and inhibit growth is to keep textile furnishings clean.
- Spills should be removed immediately.
- Carpet, rugs, draperies, upholstery, etc., should be brushed or vacuumed regularly as insects do not generally attack clean materials.
- Regular dry cleaning of drapery and clothing will also decrease the chances of infestation because dry cleaning solvent is toxic to most textile pests.
- Regular carpet cleaning will remove the nutritional contaminants that can attract and support insects.
- If an infestation has occurred, you should consult our office or a licensed pest control operator who is experienced in treating textile products for insect control.
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