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Appearance Retention
Carpet in
heavily traveled areas receives the most wear. For
better appearance and longer carpet life, try to reduce the
amount of traffic on these areas by using small rugs in front
of chairs or furniture, which is used most often. Remove and clean these while vacuuming the primary carpet or rug.
Occasional moving of furniture and reversing of area
rugs also is recommended. Although
some change will eventually occur in the texture of your
carpet, reducing the wear in paths and in front of furniture
will diminish this change.
Depressions
The weight of
heavy pieces of furniture can put indentations in carpet.
Some depression may be permanent.
Use furniture glides or cups under the legs of heavy
pieces, or move your furniture a few inches backward or
sideways so that the weight is not concentrated in one place.
If depressions do occur, work the carpet pile back into
place with the edge of a coin and then, apply steam with a
steam iron held a minimum of four inches above the carpet. DO
NOT TOUCH THE CARPET WITH THE HOT IRON.
Crushing
Crushing is
the restorable or non-restorable loss of pile thickness due to
foot traffic. Crushing
is not considered a manufacturing defect unless specifically
cited in the manufacturer’s warranty.
Regular vacuuming may help reduce crushing due to
traffic. Manufacturer’s definition of crushing may vary.
Fading
or Color Loss
Give your
carpet the normal protection from direct sunlight that you
give any colored fabric. Fading
also may be caused by emissions from heating fuels or
chemicals, such as pesticides, household cleaning agents, and
other household items.
Filtration
Soiling
Filtration
soiling may appear as dark or grayish lines on carpet along
walls, stairways, and under doors. It is caused by airflow over and through carpet, trapping fine
airborne soils on the carpet surface.
It can often be attributed to an improperly balanced
ventilation system. In
most instances, the volume of air entering a room exceeds the
HVAC systems capacity to remove air from the structure.
Excess air volume will seek exit sources in gaps along
walls and stairways. These types of soils require aggressive chemical solutions for
removal. Contact
a carpet cleaning professional for assistance.
Fluffing
and Shedding
The balls of
fluff found on carpet or in the vacuum cleaner bag are merely
loose bits of fiber left in the carpet from the manufacturing
process. Removing these
loose fibers does not affect the carpet life or quality.
Because of the large micron size, these fibers are too
large to become airborne or respirable.
With proper vacuuming, using a quality vacuum cleaner,
most shedding gradually disappears within the first year after
installation.
Matting
Matting is
usually the result of the untwisting of the yarn and
intermingling of the yarn tips and is a result of foot
traffic. Matting may be
caused by various factors, including improperly specified
cushion, cushion failure, or improper maintenance.
Matting is not considered a manufacturing defect unless
specifically cited in the manufacturer’s warranty.
Manufacturer’s definitions of matting may vary.
Moth
and Beetle Control
Most wool and
wool-blend carpet made in the United States is permanently
moth-resist treated. Carpet
and rugs made of man-made fibers are natural resistant to
insects. Synthetic
carpet fiber also is resistant to beetles, commonly called
carpet beetles, because it is not a food source. However, beetles already in the home may lay eggs in
the carpet pile and hatch in 8 to 15 days. For assistance in removing beetles, contact a professional
exterminator.
Odor
During and
immediately following the installation of your new carpet
there may be a slight odor. The
odor may result from the removal of your old carpet and
cushion or form the new carpet, cushion, adhesives, or seaming
tape. Ventilation with
fresh air is recommended.
Ideally, windows and doors should be opened, and the
HVAC system should be operated at a maximum speed for 48 to 72
hours.
Ripples
and Buckling
Excessive
humidity or damp weather may cause a temporary rippling in
your carpet. Ripples
probably will disappear in a drier atmosphere.
If ripples should become a problem, consult your carpet
retailer. A carpet
installer usually can solve the problem by restretching the
carpet with a power stretcher.
Inadequate cushion or improper installation procedures
also may be a contributing factor to rippling and buckling.
Seams
Carpet
usually comes in 12-foot widths, making seams necessary in
most rooms. Visible
seams are not a defect unless they have been improperly made
or unless the material has a defect, making the seam appear
more pronounced than normal. The
more dense and uniform the carpet texture, the more visible
the seams will be. Carpet
styles with low, tight naps result in the most visible seams.
Seams are never more visible that when the carpet is
first installed. Usually
with time, use, and vacuuming the seams become less visible.
Shading
Shading is
not a change in color but a change in pile direction that
sometimes appears randomly in a carpet or rug.
If you look at the shaded area in one direction, it
will appear darker, but from another direction, it will appear
lighter in color. Solid
color cut-pile carpet may show shading more than patterned
styles and textured surfaces. Shading
is characteristic of certain styles of carpet and rugs and is
not considered an manufacturing defect.
Pile reversal can also be classified as shading and is
sometimes called watermarking or pooling.
This condition is usually permanent and has no known
cause.
Soiling
The secret to
maintaining the beauty of your carpet is to clean it regularly
before it becomes excessively soiled.
New soil – and stain-resist technology makes
today’s lighter colored carpet easy to clean, allowing more
decorating options. While
lighter colored carpet is now easier to clean; it still may
become soiled more easily than darker tones and may require
more frequent cleaning. Medium
and darker colors, tweeds and textures help disguise common
soil in your home’s high traffic areas.
Greasy,
sooty, airborne particles may be deposited on carpet, causing
dulling. For example, a
delicate rose color may gradually become a neutral taupe
because of soil, and light blue may take on a dull, gray-green
hue. Red clay soil also
can cause a pronounced change in some colors. In spite of such phenomena, the original color of a
carpet is not lost – it is still present under the soil
film. Oily soil may be
very difficult to remove after it has been on the carpet for a
long time, and may be absorbed into the fiber, causing it to
have a yellow cast. Entry
(walk-off) mats that trap soil at exterior entrances, combined
with routine cleaning, provide extra protection for all floor
coverings.
Sprouting
Occasionally,
a yarn tuft will rise above the pile surface of a carpet.
Just snip off these tufts to the level of the other
tufts. DO NOT PULL THEM
OUT.
Stain-Resist
Carpet
Fiber
producers and carpet manufacturers work continuously to
provide consumers with better products.
Due to innovations in the industry, almost all of the
carpet manufactured today is available with finishes that make
it more stain and soil resistant.
Although stain-resist carpet, introduced in 1986, is
easier to maintain, it still requires care.
Attempt to remove spots as soon as something is spilled
or tracked on the carpet.
If spills or soil buildups are allowed to remain, they
may become permanent.
Topical
Treatments
The use of
after market, topical treatments without the expressed
approval of the carpet manufacturer prior to application may
void applicable warranties. Topical
treatments include soil retardants, stain repellents,
anti-static treatments, antimicrobials, deodorizers and
defoamers.
Wear
Most carpet
manufacturers offer a five-year or a ten-year “wear”
warranty. According to
these warranties, “wear” is defined as the loss of pile
weight or pile fiber (usually ten percent) due to abrasive
wear only. What appears
to be wearing may be a change in the carpet that is related to
matting, crushing, or permanent fiber damage caused by
soiling, rather than loss of fiber. (See also Matting,
Crushing)
Yellowing
Some
discolorations, such as yellowing have become more obvious
with the introduction of the lighter carpet coloration.
Yellowing can be caused by a variety of outside
influences, such as pollutants from heating fuels, changes in
alkalinity, cleaning solutions, and atmospheric or
environmental contaminants. Not
all carpet yellowing can be removed:
however, the use of acetic acid (white vinegar), citrus
acid, or tartaric acid is often successful in eradicating many
cases of yellowing. In
some cases, the use of an alkaline detergent solution prior to
the use of the acid rinses may cause permanent yellowing. A solution of one part white vinegar mixed with one part water is
recommended for consumer use. If
yellowing persists or is widespread, contact a carpet cleaning
professional.
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