Care & Maintenance
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Carpet Care & Maintenance

The very first step in carpet care is to indentify the type of carpet that you want to clean and maintain. Once this is established proper cleaning practices can be correctly applied.
 

REGULAR VACUUMING Vacuum lightly and frequently once your new carpet is laid for the first couple of weeks to remove any lint, stray fibres and factory dust. Continue to vacuum once a week to remove any dust and particle build up. Timely removal of any dust and grit will prevent some abbraisive damage to the carpet.

SPOT CLEANING Act quickly to avoid any spillage seaping into the carpet fibles. Dab the affected area with a damp cloth to soak up any liquids.
 

POWDER CLEANING Generally the power is applied to the carpet after vacuuming. The powder is massaged into the pile and the carpet is vacuumed again. It is not necessary to remove all the powder as it can help to reduce further soiling.

AEROSOL FOAM SHAMPOO Aerosol foam shampoo may be used for cleaning small areas. The foam is sprayed lightly on the carpet and worked in with a damp cloth, sponge or brush. The carpet is vacuumed once the area is dry.

SHAMPOO CLEANING Shampoo machines are available for hire at many department and hardware stores, although we believe it's advisable to employ the services of a professional cleaner. With this method of cleaning, shampoo or detergent is released from a tank on the machine into a brush. With the action of the brush, the liquid is worked into the carpet pile. The residues can then be extracted. Shampoo cleaning refreshes and deodorizes the carpet and it also lifts the pile.

STEAM CLEANING Hot water extraction cleaning is generally recognised as the best way to re-vitalize and deep clean your carpet. As a general guideline, steam cleaning should be carried out at 18 month intervals, depending on the wear and use environment. Injection cleaning and extraction machines should only be used by a skilled professional. If not performed properly, a carpet can be over-wetted which can permanently distort the carpet pile and backing materials.

VACUUM CLEANERS AND CARPET There are two major types of vacuum cleaners: barrel cleaners and upright cleaners. Upright cleaners are particularly good as they usually incorporate a pile agitator such as a beater bar or revolving bristle strip that lifts the pile and facilitates the removal of dirt and grit. However, be careful with the agitator as over-use can damage the pile surface.

Barrel cleaners rely on suction removal only and most perform the task quite well. Some barrel cleaners now have power head attachments to agitate the pile in the same manner as upright cleaners.

Ensure the vacuum cleaner is kept in a sound mechanical condition and brushes are cleaned and replaced when worn out. Empty the dust collection bag frequently as the suction efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is reduced considerably even when the bag is half full.

Most cleaners now come with micro filter systems to ensure the fine particles (such as allergens) are removed and stay in the collection bag. If you are dust sensitive, make sure your cleaner has a multi filter and micro filter system. Ask your retailer what type of vacuum is best suited to your new carpet.

Information from Carpet Institute of Australia 
 
 

Olefin Carpet Maintenance
You've chosen our carpet constructed of Olefin Fibre because it's long on wear and excellent value for money-and because it's remarkably resistant to
staining and soiling. However as hard wearing as nylon is, it won't withstand willful damage and unfair wear and tear.
Correct and regular maintenance will increase the life span of this carpet and also help maintain its good appearance. Cleaning should be proportional to the
amount of soiling to which the carpet is subjected: The more dirt deposited on the carpet, the more intense the maintenance program required.  
The type of carpet, the size of the installation, type of furnishings, accessibility and degree of soiling, will decide the choice of equipment that is most
suitable for speed and efficiency. It is therefore impossible to recommend a cleaning schedule that will deal effectively with all locations.
Carpet cleaning is often a compromise in that the most effective technique must be chosen that causes the least damage to the carpet. Techniques which
are beneficial to the carpet may not adequately clean it. So, at least in principle, more frequent and less severe cleaning is advisable. However, in practice
carpets are all too often neglected for too long and harsher methods to deal with the heavy soiling are then required.
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM:
The following are the five basic steps of an adequate maintenance program:
(1) Regular Vacuuming (2) Pile Lifting (3) Spot (4) Surface Cleaning and area touch-up and (5) Periodic or corrective cleaning.
1) Regular Vacuuming:
Daily maintenance of a carpet consists of the removal of surface debris and dry particulate soil from the depth of the pile by means of a carpet sweeper or
various types of vacuum cleaners. Take care if your vacuum cleaner is fitted with a beater bar or bristle strip as damage can occur to the pile of loop pile
carpets.
2) Pile Lifting:
As the name implies the carpet pile is lifted by a vacuum cleaner style of machine, which uses a densely tufted cylindrical brush in conjunction with a suction
action to brush and condition the carpet pile. The action also removes soil that is deeply embedded at the base of the pile.
3) Spot Cleaning:
The following procedure should be used in spot and stain removal for all stains except those caused by hazardous chemicals.
(1) In the case of all spills remove the excess spillage immediately by scraping or blotting with an absorbent material such as clean toweling, absorbent
cloth or paper tissues.
(2) Use a spoon or a dull knife to remove the bulk of semi-solids or greasy substances and follow by blotting with an absorbent material such as white
paper toweling or tissues.
(3) Remove large quantities of liquid spillage with a sponge, towel or a wet vacuum cleaner. Begin at the outer edge and work towards the centre of the
stained area. For manual removal do not brush or rub the spot. Use a blotting or dabbing motion. After most of the spill has been absorbed, place a
fresh pile of paper towels over the spill area and leave these towels in contact with surface with a flat weight on them.    
Quick action may remove the substance before it penetrates into the carpet pile-the longer the spill remains on the carpet, the more difficult it will be to
remove.
4) Surface Cleaning and Area Touch-up:
This “freshens up” a carpet, and is an intermediate step between daily vacuum cleaning and periodic shampoo or water injection and extraction cleaning.
Methods of surface cleaning can be:
a) POWDER CLEANING
Powder cleaners may include odor and pest control agents. It is essential to observe the instructions given for their use. After vacuuming, powder is applied
onto the carpet, brushed or massaged into the pile and then the carpet is vacuumed again. It is not necessary to remove all the powder as it can help to
reduce further soiling. The procedure can either be manual or mechanical depending on the size of the carpeted area to be cleaned.
b) BONNET CLEANING
The Bonnet Cleaning Machine utilizes a fibre bonnet, containing the cleaning chemical, which massages the pile. Alternatively, chemical may be applied to
the carpet and massaged into the pile via the bonnet.
c) FOAM AEROSOL SPRAY SYSTEM
The foam is sprayed over the carpet surface, this is then worked into the surface using a soft brush. After drying, the carpet is then vacuumed clean.
5) Periodic or Corrective Cleaning:
This is required to remove soiling which is not removed by daily maintenance (Greasy, oily and other sticky substances, accumulated dirt which discolours
and otherwise affects carpet pile). The methods commonly used are: (a) Shampoo Cleaning (b) Hot Water Injection and Extraction or Steam Cleaning and
(c) Powder System.
a) SHAMPOO CLEANING
With this method of cleaning, the shampoo or detergent is released from a tank on the machine into a brush. With the action of the brush, the liquid is
worked into the carpet pile. The residues can then be extracted in a similar manner to that of the water injection and extraction method. i.e.: Via a vacuum
device, or vacuum cleaned from the pile if foam cleaning has been utilized. When the shampoo and water injection methods are used one after the other,
very dry, flattened carpets can be restored.