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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.

About the Author

Jim Thornton has been cleaning carpets for many years. In that time many methods of carpet cleaning have been used but the best carpet cleaning results have been achieved using dry foam extraction. For more information go to www.bubblesandsuds.ca

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