Carpet Care and Maintenance Guide

Q. How often should I have my carpet professionally cleaned?

This guideline provides cleaning frequencies

Q. How often should I vacuum?

A. Your vacuum cleaner is probably your best weapon in keeping your carpet dirt free. Vacuum regularly to keep soil from becoming embedded in the carpet's pile where it is more difficult to remove and can even cause fiber damage. You see, if you allow soil particles to remain on your carpet's surface, they can pit and scratch the fiber and create a dull, faded appearance. Our studies have shown that the use of a grooming rake or "pilator" on cut pile carpet prior to vacuuming will greatly enhance its appearance. The pilator helps to loosen stubborn soil and keep the yarns lofted.

Q. How do I know how much to vacuum different areas of my home?

A. Let's take the Light Traffic Areas first. You should vacuum non-traffic areas at least weekly. Areas subject to light traffic should be vacuumed twice weekly, with up to three passes of the vacuum being sufficient. Moderate To Heavy Traffic Areas will require more of your attention and more thorough cleaning or vacuuming. By "thorough", we mean at least five passes over these areas with your vacuum from two to five times per week. Remember too, to do heavy vacuuming more slowly to allow the beating or suction action of your cleaner to thoroughly remove embedded particles. Developing frequent and thorough vacuuming habits will help you maintain the beautiful appearance of your carpet, and postpone the need for professional cleaning to restore the color and texture of your carpet.

Q. How do I deal with spills, spots and stains?

A. This is the one that sends us all in a panic. No matter how careful we are, stains and spills do occur. Don't despair. Your carpet was designed to recover from most of these accidents, and allows you more time to discover and remove spots. However, we still encourage you to attend to spots promptly. If you have a Wet/Dry vacuum cleaner, this can greatly facilitate spot removal. Put on the attachment which gives the greatest suction and vacuum up as much as possible. Add water to the spot as you continue to vacuum. If detergent is required, use it sparingly. After removing the stain rinse by slowly pouring water into the pile as you work the vacuum wand back and forth to remove all detergent. Or follow the suggested steps:

1. Remove solid materials with a tablespoon, spatula or dull knife edge.
2. Blot spills with clean, white absorbent materials - such as towels, napkins, or tissues. Press down hard to remove as much liquid as possible - even stand on the absorbent material putting all of your weight directly over the stain. You won't hurt the carpet, as long as you don't vigorously rub the surface.
3. If a spot removal solvent is necessary, apply several drops to an inconspicuous area of the carpet and blot with a clean white cloth. If color transfers to the cloth, or a color change occurs, consult a professional carpet cleaner.
4. Use cleaning solutions sparingly, and always blot.
5. If one spot removal solution fails to work, try another until the stain is removed.
6. Finally, always gently rinse the area with water to remove as much detergent as possible. Absorb all remaining moisture. Incomplete removal will cause area to soil rapidly. Place towels or tissue over wet area with weight - such as a brick - to absorb moisture. Leave overnight. Next morning the area should be dry; the spot gone. Gently brush up the carpet pile.
   * For more detailed information on removing spots, please consult our Spot Cleaning Guide.
   

Q. That all sounds fine, but what should I do if the spot returns?

A. Good question, because this can happen. If it does, it's usually because of a couple of reasons:

1.) Incomplete Removal of Foreign Material.
You removed the material causing the spot by dissolving it with cleaning solution. But, because of gravity, it sinks deeper into your carpet. Blotting with absorbent towels removes most of it, but as it dries, the remainder of the foreign materials can migrate to the top of your carpet pile and it's left there as the last of the moisture evaporates into the air. This is called "wick-up". Just repeat the spot cleaning process with special emphasis on the blotting step.

2.) Residual Detergent Left In The Carpet.
Always gently rinse the area with water to remove as much detergent as possible. Incomplete removal will cause area to soil rapidly. Absorb all remaining moisture. Place towels or tissues over wet area with weight - such as a brick - to absorb moisture. Leave overnight. Next morning the area should be dry; the spot gone. Brush up the carpet pile.

Q. O.K., my carpet needs a complete cleaning. What do I do now?

A. Let's face it. Good vacuuming habits and do-it-yourself cleaning methods are very effective for most dry soil and dirt. Oily soil from cooking vapors, air pollution and grease tracked in from outside present different problems, and can cause fiber damage and significant dulling of colors. It's not that your color is lost - it's just under this dirty film buildup, and the pile has matted together. Overall cleaning of the carpet should be considered every 12 to 18 months, depending on
     1.) the lifestyle in the household,
     2.) frequency of vacuuming, and
     3.) whether the carpet is a light or dark color.
Overall cleaning should be often enough that the carpet is not allowed to become excessively soiled. Professional carpet cleaners cannot only keep your carpet fresher, brighter, and newer looking longer, they can replace missing tufts, repair cigarette burns - even take up, rotate and re-install your carpet

. 
Deep Cleaning

1.) Hot water (also known as steam) extraction method.

a.) Techniques
   - Detergent solution is sprayed on the carpet followed by a clear water rinse
   - Detergent solution is sprayed on the carpet followed by a thorough extraction with
     a rinse surfactant.
   - Detergent applied initially through the dispensing tank. This type method must be
     followed by a clear-water extraction rinse to ensure that all of the residual
    detergent is rinsed from the carpet to prevent a rapid resoiling situation.

b.) The alkalinity (pH) of the detergent solution should be 9.0 to 10.0. The pH should
      never be any higher than 10.0; it may be lower than 9.0, but cleaning will usually
      be less effective.

c.) You may wish to express your concerns to the cleaning company you are
     considering using, about over wetting your carpet. A situation of this nature can
     be avoided with equipment in good working order with a strong vacuum system.
     Plan to stay off the carpet for 8 to 12 hours after the cleaning to allow the carpet to
    dry free of foot traffic. 

 Light Surface Cleaning

1.) Dry compound cleaning utilizing semi-moist powders, that are worked into the carpet and extracted with a strong vacuum system. Examples of these compounds are: Capture¨ and Host¨.

2.) Bonnet cleaning which utilizes a carbonated solution. An example of this type of cleaning is the ChemDry¨ System.

3.) Foam cleaning. The detergent is turned into a foam, brushed into the carpet and then extracted with a strong vacuum system. An example of this system is the Von Schradar cleaning method. (Avoid aerosol foam carpet cleaners such as those available in grocery stores.)

The three methods reflected above are adequate for light surface soil, however, once the carpet has become appreciably soiled and has been in use for an extended period of time, a deep cleaning should be utilized. It should be understood that with the dry compound, bonnet, and foam methods, traces of the cleaning remain in the carpet. It should also be understood that after employing these methods a few times, a switch should be made to the hot water or steam extraction method. This is not to say that the hot water or steam extraction method cannot be used initially.

General Information
Any cleaning system is only as good as the person operating the equipment. After discussing the type of cleaning you have chosen for your carpet with the cleaning company, you may wish to ask for name, phone number and date of his/her last three cleaning jobs for references concerning quality of work performed. The Better Business Bureau is another source for references. Please be aware that the cheapest cleaners may not necessarily be offering the best service.

Q. On the occasions when I clean my carpet, what topical treatments do you suggest I use?

A. Fluorocarbon Aftertreatment For Soil Protection (does not involve StainBlocker¨)
Consumers with carpet may wish to aftertreat with a soil protectant after an overall cleaning. Normally, this is not necessary until the carpet has been steam cleaned at least three times. Approved soil aftertreatment products in the anionic fluorocarbon family (for example, 3M Scotchgard, Carpet Protection¨ and Teflon MF¨). Your cleaner can assist you in selecting an after treatment.

Q. What about some of the other things that can happen to carpet? You know, snags and sprouts - how do I handle these?

A. Well, there are some additional tips we can give you about these things.

First of all if your carpet shows Sprouts, it isn't growing. What happens is, with cut pile carpet, small tufts or sprouts can stick up above the surface. Don't pull them. Just clip them off with scissors.

Dents. Can be removed by stroking the dent with the edge of a coin. You can also use a hot hair dryer or steam iron very lightly to raise the dented area while you tug upward on the tufts. BUT DON'T LET THE IRON TOUCH THE CARPET.

Crushed Pile. Vacuum regularly with a "beater-bar" type vacuum, or use a plastic or wooden carpet rake to restore the matted down pile.

Burns. Should your carpet suffer one, remove the tops of the darkened, burned fibers with curved fingernail scissors. If the burn is extensive, your carpet may require patching or replacement.

Shedding. Some shedding is common in new carpet with cut pile. The loose fibers are easily removed through regular vacuuming, and in no way affect carpet quality. This condition will diminish after a few weeks or months depending on vacuuming frequency.

Snags. Pulling or snagging can occur when a sharp object like a loose shoe nail, or a child's toy hooks on the fibers. Don't pull the snag. Clip it off with scissors.

Pilling. Sometimes certain types of carpet, or heavy traffic can create little balls of tangled fibers and lint. Just pull them off by hand or clip them with scissors.

Footprints. All cut pile carpets show footprints. This is not a defect, but is built into the carpet. This is much more prevalent on deep pile carpet made from bright fiber. To minimize footprints, you may wish to choose a very dense low cut pile carpet made from Monsanto's mid luster nylon.

Q. What if my carpet gets flooded?

A. When carpet must be restored as a result of rising waters, a backed-up sewer line or some other disaster where, for hygienic reasons, it is necessary to apply a biocide, bactericide, fungicide or some other material to prevent growth of microorganisms: THE STAIN WARRANTY IS VOIDED.
Where a pipe has burst, washing machine overflow or flooding from some other clean water source, it is necessary only to dry the carpet BOTH FRONT AND BACK by a professional cleaner with proper equipment.

Cleaning the carpet after it has dried may be advisable if detergent was involved but this procedure WILL NOT void the stain warranty, provided it is attended to immediately. It may, however, void the wear warranty if delamination results.

L-Trevino Carpet & Tile Co.
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