CARPET CARE GUIDE

LOOKING AFTER YOUR CARPET

With regular cleaning and routine maintenance, your new carpet will look good for years. As with everything, the more care you take of your carpet, the longer it will keep its appearance and the longer it will last.

Routine maintenance aims to prevent the build-up of soil so cleaning is less frequent. Dirt and grit are a carpet’s worst enemies! An easy way to protect your new carpet is to place a doormat at entrances to a room or even a left over piece of carpet. Remember that these mats need to be cleaned regularly as well otherwise they will not prevent the transfer of dirt and grit to your carpet.

VACUUM CLEANING

Vacuum your carpet regularly, and certainly at least once a week. Heavy traffic areas should be vacuumed daily.

When a carpet is first laid, there may be some ‘fluffing’ or ‘shedding’ as loose fibres work their way to the surface. Don’t panic – this is perfectly normal!

Your vacuum cleaner must be well maintained in order to be effective. Belts and brushes or beater bars need to be in good condition and correctly adjusted for height, filters and dust bags need to be emptied regularly and filters washed or replaced depending upon the type of cleaner.

For cut pile carpets, an upright with a beater bar brush is recommended or cylinder vacuums with a turbo head attachment. For loop pile carpets, a suction only cleaner is preferred.

Vacuum cleaners are now available that incorporate high levels of exhaust air filtration, such as HEPA filters. We strongly recommend these if you have a respiratory condition.

GENERAL RULES FOR SPOT REMOVAL

Soak up liquids with kitchen roll, paper tissues, toilet roll, or absorbent cloth
Scoop up or scrape off solids
Try to identify unknown spots prior to treatment – if unsure, use solvent first
Always work from the edge of the spot inwards
BLOT, do NOT rub
Apply small quantities of cleaning agent at a time, applied to a cloth, NOT directly to the spot.
Take care with applying solvents to bitumen-backed carpet tiles
When using solvents always ensure there is plenty of fresh air ventilation
Always thoroughly rinse afterwards if spotters have been used
Dry the spot, if possible, with a hair dryer
The spot removal charts contain the methods for dealing with accidental spillages and the order in which the treatments should be tried
The EASY SPOTS chart contains those spots that come out relatively easily with the methods recommended or when the carpet is wet cleaned.
DIFFICULT SPOTS are more difficult to remove and may require repeated attempts with stronger spot removers. Some stains you may find impossible to remove completely in which case the assistance of a professional carpet cleaner may be required. For more information click here.