Carpet Cleaning Advice for Your Wool Carpets

A wool carpet should last longer and retain its beauty and resiliency for many years with proper care and maintenance. Since wool is a natural fiber, it repels soiling by keeping dirt and dust close to the pile surface where it can be swept up by frequent vacuuming. Wool stains easily and permanently if the stains are not removed quickly, thoroughly and with proper cleaning products.

Extend your carpet's life by having a professional clean it every 1-2 years instead of waiting until it is over-soiled. High temperatures and excess water will shrink a wool carpet and a cleaning agent with an alkaline Ph level can permanently brown it. A professional will eliminate the possibility of permanent damage from improper cleaning.

An oriental rug, especially one hundreds of years old, requires special handling because its natural dyes are prone to bleeding. A good maintenance schedule for your wool carpet should include:

1. Regular Vacuuming.
2. Preventive maintenance by use of mats in heavily trafficked areas.
3. Removing spills quickly.
4. Professional periodic cleaning.

Vacuuming

· Vacuum often and thoroughly, especially in heavily trafficked areas, to remove dirt and dust at the surface of the pile before it has a chance to become embedded.

· Vacuuming tips include...
- Vacuum slowly to allow the vacuum cleaner to remove as much soil as possible.
- Empty the vacuum bag often, preferably when it is about half full.
- Use a vacuum with a rotating beater bar/brush for cut pile. Be sure the brushes barely touch the carpet and do not slow the motor. Replace worn belts when you notice rotation gradually slowing over time. If you see fuzzing, you probably need to replace your brush with something more flexible.
- Replace worn belts when you notice rotation slowing.
- Vacuum in both directions of the traffic pattern.

Protect Heavily Trafficked Areas

Protect your investment by taking special care to place mats in areas where dirt, street grime and mud will be tracked in. Regularly clean these mats so that they don't become an additional source of grime.

Spot Removal

· Take care to act quickly when an accident occurs since staining can be permanent.
· Spot clean with wool safe products. Never use bleach (causes wool to dissolve) or products with a high PH. Over wetting and using high PH products, usually found in over the counter products, can also cause yellowing and browning. A PH between 4.5 and 7 is safest.
· Different types of spills require different cleaning agents but an all-purpose combination recommended by a few manufacturers consists of a teaspoon of Woolite combined with a teaspoon of white vinegar and a quart of warm water. Another safe alternative is to use a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.

When a spill occurs...

1. Blot with white paper towels.
2. Apply SMALL quantities of the cleaning agent to the towel or cloth (not the carpet) and BLOT, don't rub, working your way from the edge of the spot inward. Hopefully you have pre-tested the agent on a fairly unobtrusive area of your rug long before the accident has occurred.
3. Rinse with lukewarm water and don't over-wet. Use a clean cloth and work from the spill edge to the center.
4. Remove excess moisture by applying pressure with paper towels or absorbent cloth or use a fan.
5. After the area has dried, restore the pile texture by brushing lightly with your hand.

Professional Care

Even with regular vacuuming, particles of soil, dust and grime will accumulate causing dulling and intermittent cleaning (every 2 years) by a professional. It is worth time and money to fully investigate references to ensure your cleaner is experienced with wool carpets. It is important that they know that substances suitable for other fabrics will not work with wool and could damage your carpet.

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Home Improvement" article category.

People interested in the above article "Carpet Cleaning Advice for Your Wool Carpets" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 

Tankless Water Heaters - Color Yours Green!

Going green is getting to be quite a popular thing to do these days. Many people are purchasing tankless water heaters with the idea that they are purchasing a "green plumbing product". But just how green are they? Well, are they greener than a standard tank type water heater? They are not more efficient at heating water than electric storage water heaters or gas water heaters. However, they do not have a storage tank and therefore do not suffer the standby losses that a tank type heater has.

The Great Fireplace Grate

Fireplace grates provide many benefits and a hot burning fire is one. When the logs are elevated off the firebox floor, air is pulled from under the burning logs creating a draw. This causes a cycle. The draw of air burns the logs hotter and the hotter the logs burn the more it draws.

Installing Drywall the Easy Way…

Are you tired of waiting for a drywall installer to do the job for you for top dollars? Gypsum board, wallboard, plasterboard, sheetrock they all mean the same at end of the day - Drywall. Through out North America this product is very widely used in residential homes and it's gaining more popularity throughout Europe as well. Read this guide and you will be on your way in minutes.

Kitchen Lighting - Designing for the Heart of the Home

Whether you're preparing a meal, sitting down to dinner or gathering with friends, everyone will like your kitchen best when you create the perfect ambience for any occasion with a well-designed kitchen lighting scheme. When laying out your clients kitchen lighting, create an attractive and flexible design by incorporating multiple light levels for the room. Start with ambient lighting for general lighting for the whole room, add in specific lighting for tasks, and then use decorative lighting accents for the final touch.

Points To Consider When Selecting Curtains

It is very rare that you will walk into a house today and find that it does not have curtains. A room without curtains looks a bit incomplete in my opinion. Sure they now have self tinting windows but I would much rather the old fashioned curtain method. It keeps the home looking like a home and not an office.

The Metlund D'mand S-02T Hot Water Pump vs. the Chilipepper CP6000 Pump

Article compares two water conservation products, the Metlund pump and the Chilipepper pump. These systems are designed to provide faster hot water at the fixtures without running water down the drain while you wait for the hot water to reach you

Paving Materials

There are a variety of paving materials used today that give the consumer different options for different paving jobs. From the standard paving materials used on roads, highways, and parking lots such as concrete and asphalt for commercial projects to pavers, stone, rock, and gravel used in residential projects.