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The Care Of Different Types Of Carpet
Carpet is probably the least expensive of the widely used flooring types and is therefore a great option for the wallet-conscious. Its only drawback is that it can take a like more effort and equipment to clean. But even when you come down to it, you might still find it worth the cost savings. Let’s talk about what’s involved in maintaining different types of carpet.
Materials
We’re going to consider four common carpet materials here. There are others, but these encompass most of the carpets you’re likely to have to clean.
Nylon
Nylon is durable and therefore good for high traffic areas. Its pile is resilient and can spring back not only from regular usage but also from prolonged compression from furniture. Vacuuming every couple of days and being sure to clean up spills as soon as possible are all it takes for routine care, but you should also have it professionally cleaned about once every two years.
Polyester
This is nylon’s more affordable cousin. It’s less durable and mats more easily, but it’s also stain resistant. Since it shows wear faster, some people save money by putting it in low traffic areas and nylon in the more public areas where kids or guests will spend most of their time.
Wherever you have it, you want to move your furniture regularly, perhaps a couple of times a year, to keep it from digging permanent depressions in the pile. Vacuum once a week in areas with low traffic, and two to three times if you have it in high-traffic areas.
Olefin
Olefin is an especially durable, but not very luxury, carpet material commonly found in offices or commercial settings. In homes, it’s not used for the nice parts of the house, but some people might have it in their basement or the kids’ playroom. It’s solution-dyed, meaning the color is infused when the material is still a molten liquid and not yet spun into fiber. This makes the dye basically impossible to get out or dye over, and the material extremely stain resistant.
It can be vacuumed pretty easily, since the pile is so dense and not much dirt can get below the surface, and it should be cleaned every year or two with olefin-specific solutions. You’ll need to know as much as you can about your specific carpet material, and then check the labels of cleaners when buying.
Wool
Wool is a natural fiber so it’s environmentally friendly, and wool carpet insulates well, absorbs sound, and retains its pile well. As with most carpets, you’ll want to vacuum weekly and clean spills immediately. Deeper cleaning should employ a wet extraction machine and use cool or lukewarm water. Simply getting the wool wet will not shrink or damage it, but getting it too wet might lead to the fibers wicking back color from the backing underneath. As a rule of thumb, each spot of carpet should only be passed over once with the cleaner when it is spraying. If you’re worried about what a wet cleaning might do, you can also test it out first on a small patch of carpet.
Type of pile
What kind of pile you have will also make a difference in how you clean it. For any kind of low pile, use a vacuum with a rotating brush, but don’t use a beater bar on loop pile because it creates excess fuzz. For high pile have a vacuum with adjustable height, but extra shaggy pile usually requires a special vacuum with large wheels and variable bar/brush and suction power settings.
Whatever material and type of pile your carpet is, they all need regular vacuuming and prompt response to spills. But there are still some carpets that are a cut above the rest. Shaw makes a line of waterproof carpet with R2X stain resistant technology that protects against beverage spills, pet accidents, and all the other daily threats to your carpet. And if you’re looking seriously at carpet as a flooring choice, Unique Carpet & Floor in Manassas are the Northern Virginia flooring experts, with over 20 years of experience in all kinds of floors. Call us at (703) 369-1600 or contact us on our website.