Hi

I've knocked up a draft Carpet Cleaning FAQ but I don't know what to do with
it!

Could someone post it somewhere for me so that someone could edit it & ask
about anything that may not be clear?

Dave

david lang wrote:
Hi

I've knocked up a draft Carpet Cleaning FAQ but I don't know what to do with
it!

Could someone post it somewhere for me so that someone could edit it & ask
about anything that may not be clear?

Dave

Ooh. Post it here.

NT

On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:00:09 GMT, "david lang"
wrote:

Hi

I've knocked up a draft Carpet Cleaning FAQ but I don't know what to do with
it!

Could someone post it somewhere for me so that someone could edit it & ask
about anything that may not be clear?

Post it on www.cleanitup.co.uk as the forum is full of professional
carpet cleaners. A friendly bunch who will tell you if anything is
amiss..

sponix

On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:00:09 GMT, "david lang"
wrote:

Hi

I've knocked up a draft Carpet Cleaning FAQ but I don't know what to do with
it!

Could someone post it somewhere for me so that someone could edit it & ask
about anything that may not be clear?

Dave


Go to

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/

which is the official uk.d-i-y faq site.

Scroll to the bottom and contact Phil Addison, who I am sure will be
delighted to help you.


--

..andy

Andy Hall wrote:

Scroll to the bottom and contact Phil Addison, who I am sure will be
delighted to help you.

Thanks Andy.

Dave

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 10:52:13 GMT, in uk.d-i-y "david lang"
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:

Scroll to the bottom and contact Phil Addison, who I am sure will be
delighted to help you.

Thanks Andy.

Dave

Dave Lang has sent me his draft FAQ and asked me to post it for him for
comments, so here it is...


Carpet Cleaning FAQ (Draft 1 for comment on uk.d-i-y)

1 Carpet Manufacture.

Knowing a little about carpet construction helps an awful lot when it
comes to understanding how to clean them.

Carpets broadly comprise two parts, the pile yarn (the top bit that you
can see) and the backing yarn (the underneath bit that you don't see).

The backing yarn holds everything together and forms the matrix that
holds the pile yarn.

There are three ways in which carpets are made:

1.1 Woven.

Account for about 20% of the market. Expensive but long lasting and high
quality. Commonly known as Axminster or Wilton. Note that Axminster and
Wilton are 'manufacturing methods' that originated in those places, not
brand names. Perfectly genuine Axminster carpets may be made in Belgium.

With both methods the pile and backing yarns are woven together at the
same time. It's a slow process, which accounts for their high cost.

Woven carpets usually have very dense pile.

How can you tell? Look at the backing - you will see the coloured pile
yarn woven through the backing.

1.2 Tufted.

The vast majority of carpet is tufted, around 75% of the UK market.

Tufted carpet is made by using a pre-woven backing cloth, into which the
pile fabric is tufted or punched. The carpet is usually 'secondary
backed' with a rubber, polyurethane or foam backing.

This is done on huge tufting machines at very high speed, giving a very
economic manufacturing cost.

Tufted carpet is also called twist pile, cut pile, loop pile, cut and
loop pile, Saxony or sculptured pile. The manufacturing method is
broadly the same.

The quality depends on many factors, but an important one is the pile
density - measured in threads per square inch. The denser the pile the
better. Look at a cheap tufted carpet and you can see the backing
through the pile.

1.3 Bonded.

Several methods are used to bond either individual yarns or a web of
fibres onto a pre-woven backing. Best-known trade name is Flotex. Found
in domestic kitchens and commercial premises.

Flotex is completely waterproof, highly stain-resistant, incredibly
durable and easy to clean. Carpet tiles are made by a similar process
and for our purposes can be treated in the same way.

An excellent guide can be found at http://www.ukcarpetsdirect.com/

2 Pile and Backing Materials

Pile and backing yarns fall into two categories; natural or synthetic.

Natural yarns are hessian or jute for backing yarn, and wool for the
pile yarn (or more often wool/nylon).

Synthetic yarns include nylon, polypropylene, and polyester for the pile
yarn. Backing is almost always a cheaper synthetic.

So four possible combinations are possible:

Pile Backing
1 Natural Natural
2 Natural Synthetic
3 Synthetic Natural
4 Synthetic Synthetic

How can you tell which is which? Simple, you need a small pair of
scissors, some tweezers and a lighter. Snip off a sample piece of yarn
from either the pile or backing - use a spare piece of carpet or find a
little used corner.

Hold the sample in the tweezers and move the flame towards it slowly.

Wool or 80/20 wool/nylon will glow and eventually ignite with a smell
like burning hair. All synthetics will tend to shrink away from the
flame, 'bead' over and smell like burning plastic - an acrid chemical
smell.

In practice the choice of fibre depends on the application, the site,
the traffic, and the cosmetic appeal. However, it's useful to know that
natural fibres (wool) don't attract soiling (dirt) whereas synthetics
do. On the other hand wool can be stained badly, but most synthetics
can't.

Now you know the basics, we can address the most common concerns about
DIY carpet cleaning.

3 Carpet Cleaning Concerns.

Two common concerns are 'will the carpet shrink' and 'will the colours
run'. There are only three causes of these two problems. And the
likelihood of them happening depends on the construction of the carpet.

Let's examine the problems:

3.1 Will the carpet shrink?

It's a common fallacy that wool carpets are prone to shrinking. Rare in
practice - have you ever seen a sheep shrink in the rain?

Only shrinkage of the backing of a carpet can cause a problem. If the
pile were to shrink, you would never know.

If the carpet has a synthetic backing, it can't shrink because it is
impervious to water. A natural fibre backing can, and will, shrink if
water gets to it.

If the carpet is of woven wool or wool/nylon construction, the pile is
so dense and so absorbent (wool can absorb 40% of its own weight in
water) that it's almost impossible to get water to reach the backing
when cleaning. Only a flood is likely to cause shrinkage.

With a cheap synthetic pile natural backed carpet, the risk of shrinkage
is high. The water will run off the synthetic pile straight onto the
natural backing. Nylon, for example, can only absorb about 1% of its
weight in water.

If a carpet does shrink, a competent carpet fitter can usually stretch
it back to its former state.

3.2 Will the colours run?

This irreversible problem can only happen to natural pile carpets. Wool
starts life as off white and is piece dyed to make various colours.

Modern dyes are so good, however, that correct cleaning is unlikely to
affect them.

Synthetic pile yarns are manufactured to be the colour they are. If it's
blue, it was made blue, not dyed blue. It would be difficult to remove
the colour if you wanted to. Only bleach would affect the colour.

One odd problem is that called 'browning'. When a carpet dries out brown
patches appear on the surface. This is caused by water reaching the
backing of the carpet. If the backing is a natural fibre, the vegetable
dye used to colour it can be affected. This will then 'wick' up the pile
and appear on the surface of the carpet.

Browning looks terrible but is actually easy to fix. The carpet is
simply sprayed with a specialist chemical and the browning usually
disappears.

4 Problems and their Causes

4.1 Over-wetting.

Excessive water use can cause two problems when cleaning carpets.

If you excessively wet a carpet when cleaning it and the water reaches
the backing material, it could cause or exacerbate shrinkage.

This will only happen if the backing is a natural fibre. Synthetic
backings can't shrink.

Excessive water can also cause dye bleed, or colour run, although this
is rare with modern dyes. Excessive water can also cause the 'browning'
phenomenon.

4.2 Excess heat.

The use of very hot water can cause or exacerbate shrinkage and dye
bleed. As a rule of thumb, if you can't put your hand in the water it's
too hot for cleaning your carpet.

4.3 Incorrect chemical use.

Carpet cleaning chemicals are highly specialised. Use only those
specially made for carpet cleaning. Do not ever be tempted to use
household washing powder/liquid or any other chemicals for cleaning
carpets. It will result in a sticky mess that will attract soiling.

Make sure you follow the dilution rates quoted on the container. More is
not better. Use a measuring jug and get it exactly right. "About two
glugs" isn't acceptable!

5 Carpet cleaning methods.

The most common carpet cleaning methods available to the DIY cleaner
a

5.1 Spray Extraction Cleaning.

Sometimes called hot water extraction or steam cleaning, this is
probably the most popular method of carpet cleaning. It offers the
deepest cleaning and flushes out more dirt than other methods.

In addition, spray extraction machines are able to clean stairs and
upholstery.

A carpet spray extraction machine will have two tanks. One is filled
with a water and detergent solution, which is sprayed into the carpet
pile under pressure, shifting the dirt.

The liquid and dirt is then removed by a vacuum and returned to the
other, the recovery tank.

5.1.1 Spray Extraction Machines.

Extraction cleaners can be purchased or hired. Affordable machines for
purchase include the Numatic 'George' http://www.numatic.co.uk/ or the
Vax 6155 http://www.vax.co.uk/

Hire can often be a better choice. Machines like the Rug Doctor
http://www.rugdoctor.com/ are similar to those used by professional
cleaners. The Rug Doctor, amongst others, has a brush, so the process is
'spray/scrub/vacuum' which gives faster cleaning and better results.

Several factors are crucial for good results:

Solution pump pressure makes a big difference. A machine giving 1 bar
pressure won't clean as well as one giving 3 bar. Some domestic machines
don't actually have a pump at all! - They are a waste of time in my
experience.

The vacuum doesn't just remove surplus water; it is a vital component of
the cleaning process. The more vacuum power the better. The purpose of
the vacuum is to pull the water through the carpet pile, which of course
removes the dirt.

Spray Extraction is an integral process. If you were to spray first then
vacuum afterwards the results would be very poor.

A more powerful vacuum, whilst it will give better cleaning results,
won't necessarily remove more water from a carpet or leave it any dryer.
Drying times depend on the carpet fibre.

Wool or wool mix carpet pile absorbs water and the vacuum cannot remove
that. Synthetic fibres hold very little water, so recovery is higher.

You can tell what the carpet pile is made from the result of spray
extraction cleaning. Solution and recovery tanks are usually of similar
size. On a synthetic pile carpet you will recover up to 90% of the
water, but with wool it's only about 50%.

Many domestic machines have very small tank capacities, some as low as 5
litres. They still work, but you have to frequently stop to empty and
refill the tanks.

5.1.2 Spray Extraction Technique.

Clear the room of smaller items - large items like the sofa can simply
be moved around the room. Vacuum the carpet thoroughly.

For very dirty carpets a pre-spray, usually called Traffic Lane Cleaner
can be applied. Set up the machines as instructed.

Start in one corner and make a pass with the wand up to and parallel
with the skirting board. Don't over reach - two or three foot at a time
is fine.

The second pass should overlap the first by 50%. The third pass should
overlap the second again by 50% and so on. This way you will get even
cleaning and maximum soil removal.

Work your way across the room, and then start a new series of passes.

If the carpet is extremely dirty, make a series of passes at right
angles to the first, but don't overlap them.

In the unlikely event that this doesn't remove the dirt - STOP. Wait for
the carpet to dry completely before trying again.

Once you have covered the entire area, return to your starting point and
go over the carpet again with only the vacuum switched on (in other
words, don't spray). This will remove surplus moisture that has 'wicked'
up the pile.

Ventilation is the key to drying carpets - open the windows and get a
through draft.

Stay off the carpet until dry - if you have to walk on it, wear clean
house slippers or go barefoot. Take care - wet carpets are slippery.

5.2 Dry Foam Cleaning.

Whilst various machines and techniques are used for dry foam cleaning,
they all rely on the use of a special shampoo.

The principle is that water and detergent are applied as foam, so less
moisture is present. The shampoo crystallises as it dries, trapping the
dirt, which is vacuumed away when the carpet is dry.

Advantages are fast drying times and no risk of over wetting.
Disadvantage is that, in my opinion, it is only a surface clean.

5.3 Dry Powder Cleaning.

With this system, absorbent granules (impregnated with detergent) are
brushed into the carpet pile, left for a short time, the vacuumed away.

Advantages are that no water is used and the room isn't out of use for
much time.

Again, in my opinion only a surface clean.

5.4 Carbonated Water Cleaning.

Operated mainly as a franchise, the cleaning method is apparently to
inject fizzy water into the carpet and agitate with an absorbent cotton
pad, fitted to a floor-scrubbing machine. With 30 years in the trade, I
just can't see how this is supposed to work.

6 Spot and Stain Treatment.

The pile fibre of a carpet has a big influence on how easily stains can
be removed. Synthetic fibres don't really stain much, whereas wool can
stain badly due to absorption.

The most important thing is to correctly identify the stain. If you were
present when the stain occurred it's easy, but if not, a little
detective work is called for.

Stains near occasional tables are often beverages; stains near a
dressing table are usually make-up. I'm sure you get the idea. Smell can
also give you some clues!

The second most important thing is to react quickly! The longer a stain
is allowed to remain, the harder it will be to remove it.

6.1 Spot and Stain Technique

Step 1. Remove any solids with a spoon, working from the outside of the
stain in.

Step 2. Blot the stain with an absorbent material. I find paper kitchen
roll to be best. It's very important to blot the stain, not rub it. You
want to absorb as much as possible.

Step 3. Treat with a stain remover.

6.2 Stain Remover Products

If you don't have a specialised carpet stain remover, you can often use
household chemicals. An excellent resource is on the Fabric Link site
http://www.fabriclink.com/carpet/carpetstain.html

I'd recommend three companies for carpet stain removal products, Stain
Devils - available in many supermarkets or within 24 hours by post, Rug
Doctor, mainly found in DIY sheds and Prochem, mainly trade and
available at most janitorial suppliers (see your local Yellow Pages).

http://www.staindevils.co.uk/specifics.htm
http://www.rugdoctor.co.uk/stainchart.htm
http://www.prochem.co.uk/

These websites all have excellent advice on stain removal.

To give an idea of the products available, Stain Devils offerings
include:

SD No. 1 removes stains such as ballpoint pen, beer/larger,
crayon, ink roller ball, ink stamp pad, liqueurs, pencil, spirits and
typewriter ribbon.

SD No. 2 removes stains such as blood, cream, cream cheese, egg,
egg white, ice cream, milk, sperm, starch and yoghurt.

SD No. 3 removes stains such as adhesives, chewing gum,
correction fluid, glue, nail varnish, and rubber cement.

SD No. 4 removes stains such as caramel, cocoa, coffee, cola,
deodorant, ink fountain pen, iodine, nicotine, tea, tobacco, urine and
yellowing.

SD No. 5 removes stains such as body lotion, butter, carbon,
clay, cod liver oil, cooking oils, curry, dirt, earth, engine oil, eye
shadow, fat, food colouring, foundation cream, grass, grease, hand
cream, lipstick, make-up, margarine, mayonnaise, motor oil, mud, pollen,
poster paint, rouge, salad dressing, salad oil, sauces, shoe polish,
suntan cream, vegetable oil and watercolour paints.

SD No. 6 removes stains such as baby food, beetroot, bird
droppings, fizzy drinks, fruit, fruit juice, jam, jellies, marmalade,
mildew, mould, perfume, red wine, sorbets, soy sauce, vegetable stains.

SD No. 7 removes such stains as ironmould and rust from fabrics,
baths and tiles.

SD No. 8 removes stains such as candle-wax, paint, resin, tar and
wax polish.

SD No. 9 removes stains such as felt tip pen and highlighter pen.

SD No. 10 removes stains such as BBQ sauce, chocolate, gravy,
ketchup, mustard and spices.

(C) David Lang 2005.


Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
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5.2 Dry Foam Cleaning.

Whilst various machines and techniques are used for dry foam cleaning,
they all rely on the use of a special shampoo.

The principle is that water and detergent are applied as foam, so less
moisture is present. The shampoo crystallises as it dries, trapping the
dirt, which is vacuumed away when the carpet is dry.

Advantages are fast drying times and no risk of over wetting.
Disadvantage is that, in my opinion, it is only a surface clean.


Very good reading! - Any recommendations on brands for the above?