Buying and maintaining new SOFT Carpet

Soft is the latest and greatest thing in carpeting these days.  In fact some of the latest introductions in our industry feel as soft to the touch as silk!  But we have to keep in mind that carpet is a fabric and just like your finest clothes your carpet requires proper and frequent care to look its best.

While these new styles of carpet look and feel fabulous to the touch or to your bare feet there are some things you need to be aware of.  The old, time tested, rules still apply.  The shorter the pile height, the denser the carpet and tighter the twist of each yarn tuft all equal a stronger fiber that will look better for a longer period of time in your home.

Today’s fashion in carpeting tends toward a taller pile height and “looser” construction commonly called a frieze.  While I’ve always called this a “carpet man’s”, (or to be politically correct a carpet person’s),  carpet today’s  longer pile takes some extra care and attention to provide satisfactory service.  Your vacuum cleaner is your number one line of defense in caring for your carpet no matter what color, style or construction you chose for your home.  That said the correct vacuum and your frequent and correct use of your vacuum is critical. Lately we have had some consumer complaints mainly about two issues with the new soft frieze carpet styles.  I’ll address each of these concerns together as they are absolutely related in my opinion and hopefully give you some advice on how to keep your carpet looking newer longer!

 

Everyone wants carpet that doesn’t show footprints or vacuum cleaner marks.  In my 42 years in the flooring industry I’ll tell you I’ve probably seen 5 styles that do not show footprints and vacuum marks and they are all heavy commercial products that you’d never have installed in your home.  So back to reality. 

 

Let’s visit about your vacuum.  It should have good suction and unless you have a very tall pile height the cleaner should have an adjustable height beater bar.  The critical word there is adjustable! The purpose of the beater bar is to vibrate the carpet pile so dirt particles can more easily be “sucked” up by the vacuum.  My general rule is to set the beater bar as high as possible and then lower it until it just touches the surface of the carpet pile. When the beater bar is set too low it will leave varying depth of “tracks” in the carpet pile.  These can range from very slight to those that actually damage the carpet by distorting and entangling the yarn tufts and leaving very unsightly heavy tracks in the carpet.  So truly lowering the beater bar too much causes far more harm than good. 

First, continued use of the beater bar placed improperly will cause damage to the individual tufts of yarn causing the tips to untwist and become increasingly fuzzy which caused excessive wear and rapidly reduced the beauty of the carpet.  Secondly, too low a beater bar can cause the yarn tufts to become entangled making it virtually impossible for the vacuum to get the dirt and grit out of the carpet.  This effect is also commonly known as “corn rowing” in which the carpet appears to have “rows” in the pile.  These “rows” appear across the path of your vacuum and are most often found in areas that can’t be vacuumed in multiple directions such as hallways and the space between your bed and dresser.  You can minimize this effect by keeping the carpet as clean as possible and properly setting the height of the beater bar on the vacuum and vacuuming in multiple directions if at all possible. 

Next don’t forget to check the vacuum bag!  A clean and empty bag will allow your cleaner to perform at its best!  Clean to me means “steam” cleaning at least annually in these concentrated traffic areas and using a product like our Resista Dry Carpet Cleaner about once a month in between professional cleanings.  Professional “steam cleaning” is critical as the ‘steam” will reset the twist in the carpet fibers and provide a far more attractive appearance.

When carpet is soiled the fibers tend to stick together which aggravates the issues caused by an improperly set beater bar so your vacuuming may simply worsen the appearance of the carpet in these areas.  Our Resista Dry Cleaner is a snap to use and does a great job while not impacting the manufacturer’s warranty on your carpeting as many of the store bought products do.   

Another quick way to maintain the surface appearance in these areas is to use a carpet rake to rake the pile in the opposite direction of the vacuum.  Remember the carpet industry recommends vacuuming daily in heavy or concentrated traffic areas.  While that is impractical for most families the bottom line is the more often you properly vacuum and clean your carpeting the longer it will look great!

You can find great information on how to care for your carpet from the Carpet and Run Institute at www.carpet-rug.org.  Just click on residential customers then cleaning and maintenance then basic cleaning.  You’ll find everything from how to properly vacuum, spot and spill removal, to approved vacuum cleaners on this site.  You can also go to the major carpet manufacturer’s web sites for additional information. For example you might try www.shawfloors.com or www.karastan.com and select carpet then carpet care. Or better yet just call your Flooring America store.  There are about 600 Flooring America stores in the U.S.