Home Your carpet cleaning service
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.
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. I have been around a long time and never found any product to really
work. Putting any kind of soap product on it just will make matters worse unless you can get all that soap back
out. A simple lemon juice and water helps but nothing really works unless you know about it before you put
the carpets in. 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. That is the
one thing I have not tested to find out if that is true, so, its just a theory.
Under doors you will find that black line and notice that its the door always 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.
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 it 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 Duponts 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.
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.
