Rugs and Carpets – Material Matter!
Usually, a carpet is chosen by its looks and not by what it is made of. However, when it comes to cleaning this is one of the things that matters the most. The variety of fibres and carpet types is huge – from the common and well-known wool, nylon and polyester to different combinations or expensive and delicate materials like linen. The cleaning methods, on the other hand, can be narrowed down to two main types – HWE (hot water extraction) and Dry cleaning. The high temperature and the use of water in HWE make it very effective but these are also the things that can damage or completely ruin a carpeting piece. Below you can find the advice of our cleaning experts on proper cleaning method for every carpet or rug depending on the material, plus a little bit of additional information:
- Wool – HWE – it is highly absorbent and shrinks or could be damaged if hot water is used. Less water, warm water – the best formula for wool rugs or wall-to-wall carpets. Unfortunately, wool could be easily damaged and stains are hard to remove.
- Cotton – DRY – Dry cleaning is the better option here because rugs and carpets made of cotton (or a combination of cotton and other materials) are very absorbent and prone to shrinkage and mould.
- Nylon – HWE – maybe the most popular fibre for carpets. Choosing nylon carpet you get stain and traffic resistance, good look, low price and long life (colours will not fade quickly because of cleaning or sunlight).
- Polyester – HWE – another one of the favourite choices of fibre for rugs, runners and especially carpets. Not as shiny as nylon but it gets high grades for its durability and stain resistance.
- Polypropylene – HWE – the many pros of polypropylene carpets make them very popular – they don’t shrink and at the same time are stain and traffic resistant. As a bonus, cleaning such a carpet is easy as a piece of cake.
- Acrylic – HWE – also known as “art wool”, not as durable as nylon or polyester but stain-resistant and easier to clean than wool
- Silk – DRY – used mainly in rugs and runners, silk is very absorbent and easily damaged.
- Viscose – DRY – also called artificial silk and with a reason – it is also highly absorbent and in addition flammable and very sensitive to heat.
- Linen – DRY – very expensive but easy to clean (dry cleaning only)
- Other natural fibres: Jute, Coir, Hessian, Sisal, Seagrass – DRY
For the best results, before deep cleaning rugs and carpets, vacuum thoroughly all areas that are going to be cleaned and pre-treat stains or high-traffic areas with the proper cleaning products.
Spots, Stains, Odor
When dealing with spills, spots, and stains the cleaning professionals share a simple recipe, which gives the best chance for success …
” Be quick and DO NOT SCRUB “
Emergency help:
This works without fail for spills – wine, other alcohol, coffee, tea, fruit juice and more. If you are quick enough and treat the spill while it is still wet it is possible to remove all traces of the liquid by only using a towel, cloth or paper and blotting. If you manage to soak up most of the liquid from the carpet before it penetrates the pile you’ll surely avoid permanent staining.
Too late for this? – Still … DO NOT RUB OR SCRUB. The only thing you’ll achieve is spread the stain to a bigger area.
Cleaning and cleaning products:
In the cases when the stain is old, not liquid or of unknown origin, the best thing to do is to determine what exactly made it, find a proper cleaning product for that specific stain and treat it following strictly the instructions on the product label.
Some cleaning agents could cause damage or discoloration but that can be easily avoided with a simple test in an inconspicuous area. Keep in mind that if inappropriate or low-quality products are used they may cook the stain in the carpet making it hard or even impossible to clean.
Tricks:
For candle wax, chocolate, crayons, lipstick, mud or any other solid, oil and fat stains first scrape off as much as possible with a blunt blade before applying the cleaning agent. This will make the treatment way more effective.
For persistent staining, you can try heat transfer – iron set on high heat over a clean towel placed on top of the stain (*Keep in mind that some fibres are very sensitive to heat and if that’s the case you’ll just make things worse).
About those smells …
Do not worry about the “wet dog” smell during the cleaning process when cleaning wool. All organic fibres tend to exude that specific smell but the odour disappears completely once the carpet is dry.
Bad smells are usually caused by bacteria so if you deep-cleaning your rug and carpet pieces by yourself make sure the cleaning agent will eliminate the cause, making the nice smell after the cleaning stay for long.
