Carpet Problems and Solutions by Chase and Sunny KhemKleen
Area Rugs
| There are all kinds of area rugs from all over the world. We are just going to talk about cleaning and care of these rugs. There is a term used in cleaning call "color fast" that means the colors in the rug will not "run" or "bleed" or another way to say the colors will not move into the other colors. Bleeding is when colors will move to the other colors and cause a blur effect and ruin the carpet. This is rare on newer area rugs but be careful because the area rugs last a very long time and one may have a "bleeder". This means that water or water based solutions can not be applied to the area rug. How to check for this. Make to simple solution like warm water with a drop of dish liquid soap. Flip the corner of the carpet so that you see the back of the carpet. Next look for a dark color like red, or blue and apply a dime size spot of the solution. With a white towel press the wet spot and hold it for a minute. Look at the towel and see if the color got on the towel. If so, that area rug is NOT color fast. Don't clean it, take it to a professional rug cleaner, because that one needs to be dry cleaned. Urine can cause an area rug to bleed also, even if the area rug is not considered a bleeder. Another way to look at the area rug and see that it has run, or bled is to see an area that looks blurry. The colors have run together or the darker color has moved into the other color giving that blurry look. Cleaning can be done on non-bleeding area rugs with a water based solution. One way to clean is to clean just like the rest of the carpets. The right way to clean is to clean both sides and the fringes. Sometimes the fringes will need to be cleaned and bleached to get it that white. To do it that way the average price is about $1.95 per sqft (square foot). Most area rugs are made of wool, and how you can tell is when the carpet gets wet it will smell like a wet sheep or dog or something of that nature. For spot cleaning Mylk works perfect as long as the rug is not a bleeder. |
That Black on the Edge of the Carpets
| Here is trouble right here. Why is it there? Well, you can think of the carpet as acting like a filter. Air is moving back and forth over the top of the carpet or through the carpet, depending on where it is. Along the edge of stairs, walls, and under doors. . Putting any kind of soap product on it just will make matters worse unless you can get all that soap back out. Along the wall you can see that black along some edges. Right there is air moving through that area. Sometimes you may even see a little round dark spot next to the wall, that is where a nail is, or something that has punch a hole through the floor. Sealing those areas should stop that black from forming. Also cleaning your duct work will help the forming of that black. Under doors you will find that black line and notice that its the door is mosly closed. Air is moving under the door through the surface of the carpet. The air has carbon and the carbon bonds to the fabric, similar to oil bonding to polyester fabric. Ever notice the curtains that are close to the carpet and see that wave mark? That is close to the same thing , but static electricity is involved with that. A professional carpet cleaner can remove much of it, but notice he will need to spend a bit of time do get some kind of result, and hopefully that cleaner was good enough not to leave any soapy residue behind. Remember not to expect a total fix on this one every time. There are products out there that work well in getting the filtration soil out. SFR filtration soil remover. |
Gray, Unclean Looking Traffic Areas of the carpets
| Carpets get old and will get to that point where the traffic areas just will not look clean after that professional cleaning. Wear may be the problem. The professional cleaner used his normal cleaning solution, brownout, spotters, non-sudsy ammonia (another Ph mover opposite of brownout), and went over it until it just did not change. That carpet is worn out. Most carpets can last from 5 years to 10 years + depending on the type of carpet and the proper care. You professional cleaners remember that low pile, sculptured, avocado, yellow or even orange carpet? Way back in the seventies? Seems that carpet just wont die. It always looks good after cleaning even today 2004. And no, one can't buy it new anymore. Vacuuming is the most important part of carpet care.. The average cleaning is done once a year. I notice now manufactures and other cleaning company say two times a year. Really that depends on many things and a good way to check is to go to a Dupont web site on their carpets with the blockers built in. Safe is two times a year, or just ask me, seeing your habits will tell me what will work best for you. |
Shading of the carpets
| A change in the appearance of the carpet due to distortions in the orientation of the fibers, ruffs or loops that make up the carpet pile. This is not an actual change in the color of the carpet, but a difference in light refection. Take your hand and brush it in one direction, one way the carpet may look lighter and other direction the carpet will look darker. Refer to water marking and pooling, that talks about the same thing only having that annoying change in the of your traffic areas. Lots of times I will talk about the carpet "standing up" and "laying down". Standing up will mean darker looking and laying down will be lighter looking. Spot cleaning of the carpet can make a difference in which direction you agitate the spot with the cleaning solution. Getting the carpet to stand up in agitating will help get that spot out. |
Whats to know about area rugs? What is that black
on the edge of the stairs and around the rooms?
on the edge of the stairs and around the rooms?
Black Edges on the carpets next to the walls