This page examines 2 connected misconceptions that can
negatively impact on long-term value, and inhibit a suitably
high level of on-going carpet appearance:
The issue
of timely cleaning and fiber care as ways to extended carpet life is usually
more a concern for the home owner... But our clients who lease condos or townhouses, and those
who truly care about the appearance
of their apartments - their homes - depend on
us to keep them looking consistently good. We
help them by 'balancing cleaning needs & budget'.
With all that in mind... Let's take a look at the following
notions:
MISCONCEPTION #1:
You should wait as long as possible before
cleaning.
The
filaments that make up most carpeting fibers are like shiney strands of fishing line. Soil is an abrasive,
like sandpaper. When carpeting is soiled, every time the carpet is stepped on... dirt is ground against the fibers...
scratching them. This causes at least three things to happen:
1) Your carpeting loses some of its abiliity to reflect light (like
scratched paint).
This is noticed as a loss
of color and brillance (vibrancy).
2) Sticky & oily elements in the soil (usually tiny amounts of asphalt
and vehicle
exhaust oils) tend to hold
fibers in distorted shapes in walk-ways.
3) Your carpet will loose resiliency (that 'plush' feeling) and will
age faster.
A continually soiled carpet
will not last as long as one cleaned regularly.
Regular vacuuming certainly helps... But by itself, it's not enough. As carpeting gets more soiled, vacuuming becomes noticeably less effective in restoring yarns to their natural
shape and 'plushiness'. This is a good way to tell when it's time to clean...
When your vacuum doesn't lift the fibers -- It's time
to clean.
Many people know these things (and they know it can be cost-effective
in the long-term). But even so...One reason that they still don't clean is
covered below in:
MISCONCEPTION #2:
Cleaning carpeting causes it to resoil
faster.
This is a pretty widely-held notion. We've
even heard clients say they've been told this by the dealer that sold them their carpeting ! To be fair, the fact is... There can be
some
truth to this. We can think of 2 reasons why this could
be true... But we know of
No reasons why it should be !
Reason #1: The
chemical used contained a material residue that
dries sticky, gummy, or oily. Unfortunately, some shampoos,
detergents, 'dry' powder pre-sprays, or extraction chemicals in use
by professional cleaners fall into this category (and usually those sold
for 'home machines').
Reason #2: The
carpeting was left too wet...And overwet carpet takes
a long time to dry. Even when it might feel dry on top, the bottom
can
take as much as 2 days (!) to dry. During this period, any soil
brought
in by foot-traffic will stick to the wet carpet immediately --
and look a lot darker than it does on dry carpeting.
The only other reason we've noticed is that, when carpeting is dirty, new soiling
is generally not noticed (except for spills and pet stains)... But when carpet is
newly cleaned, every spill and footprint stands out like a flashing light.
