How to look after your carpet

Slowly vacuum clean regularly to remove airborne soiling, dust, crumbs, grit etc. Allow the suction of the vacuum cleaner to do the work

and avoid using vigorous downward pressure as this will cause undue destructive friction to the pile and won't improve suction. In areas

subject to the introduction of traffic borne grit, mud etc. for example the entrance to the property, concentrate the vacuuming to ensure

removal of harmful grit. Any spots should be removed immediately by dabbing with a damp cloth impregnated with a suitable spotter.

Warning Never over wet the carpet as colour running or stain setting can occur. Don't rub or scrub as the destruction of the pile will

result and the mark you are trying to remove may be ground in permanently. Don't delay cleaning, as prompt action will save the day.

Don't trust the care of your carpet to just any so-called cleaner. It is a fact that many carpet cleaners are inexperienced and ill equipped

and it is very easy to ruin an expensive carpet. Only allow a recognised carpet cleaning professional to treat one of your most costly

furniture items. Odours are most commonly caused by spills or the odour develops from bacteria, which is producing gas from the

spillage.

If the spilled material has not penetrated deeply into the fibre then a thorough washing will usually remove the spill. The deeper the

material penetrates into the fibre and the longer it remains, the more difficult it will be to remove completely. It is difficult to remove odour

producing stains from the “backing” of wall-to wall carpeting and some upholstered furniture. Odours produced from materials such as

animal waste are virtually impossible to eliminate completely at the first attempt.

Often the most practical solution is to replace the affected part of the carpet and under pad or cushion with a new piece. Some odours,

such as those produced by mildew, although removed, may recur with new mildew growth. Natural fibres, dyes, finishing agents, foam

or latex-backing compounds may also have odours. A good airing should dispel it but it may take up to a few weeks for the new odour to

disappear. A satisfactory solution is to replace the disagreeable odour with a more pleasant one. Professional cleaners and restorers

use highly effective deodorizers and equipment to reduce or to eliminate unpleasant odours from spillage, animal pet stains, mould,

mildew, or musty conditions.

Animals may be our best friends, but not necessarily the best friend for our carpet, draperies, and upholstery. Aged animal and urine

stains have been a problem ever since people and animals bonded together in companionship.

Urine Issues

There are two types of reactions that can take place between the chemicals in an animal's urine and those in the dye and fabrics of

textile furnishings. The first type of reaction is immediate - as some dyes can change colour as soon as urine comes in contact with

them. Often the original colour can be restored by immediate application of an ammoniated solution. The second type of reaction

develops slowly over several days into months - and can result in permanent changes to the carpet dyes and fibre. Not only can the dyes

change, but some fibres may become weakened or destroyed.

The decomposing urine can also produce an objectionable odour given off by gases from bacteria. After cleaning, these areas are more

obvious because the soils that hid the changed colour and damaged fibres have been removed. There are three procedures to help

combat these stains:

1. Absorb the damaged area with towelling, then treat with household detergent and absorb into white tissues or towelling, then blot the

area with ammonia solution. (Call for formula).

2. Again, absorb the liquids into towelling, then blot the area with the standard vinegar solution.

3. Again, absorb the area with towelling until it is as dry as possible. We suggest that you use quite a few dry white terry cloths over the

area and weigh down. Allow a minimum of six hours to dry.

Pet manure for a better word will be easier to deal with than urine. The solid deposits can be removed with a plastic bag. The surface

should then be cleaned with a spotter and blotted dry. Rinse the area with water and blot again, then apply a disinfectant such as Dettol

or Solyptol or a white wine vinegar solution.

Loose faeces require the same clean-up procedure as described above for fresh urine removal. It may be prudent to apply a spray of

water, absorb it followed with an application of disinfectant. If your pets 'food contains red dye to make it look meatier this could leave a

red discolouration at the site of the accident. Most professional carpet cleaners will have the experience to remove this. A word of

warning; some disinfectants on the market can cause discoloration of textile furnishings.

If immediate action is taken to remove the animal stains, little or no change in colour should occur and the 'accident’ will not become

apparent after your carpet or textile has been professionally cleaned. If the pet 'accident' is forgotten it will return to haunt you, as dried

urine will smell like strong ammonia when humidity is high or when the spot is re wetted.

Faeces and urine can contain harmful bacteria. A spotted stain that looks small on the surface of the carpet is often many times larger

on the underside. The urine can damage both dyes and textile fibres as described above. You may not notice the result until the textile

furnishing is cleaned and dried. The damage caused by aged urine requires professional restoration, possibly colour tinting, and

sometimes removal of the offending carpet and cushion. A professional cleaner has methods available to minimise the discolouration,

disinfect the area and reduce the smell. There are times it is impossible, however, to completely restore and recover the original

appearance of a textile furnishing that has been damaged with an aged pet urine.

Test these solutions first by applying as small amount in an inconspicuous area to determine its effect on the fibre and dye. Wait thirty

minutes to an hour to see if any colour changes or other problem may arise. Standard white wine vinegar solution: One part white

vinegar to two parts water. Standard ammonia solution: One tablespoon cloudy household ammonia in a cup of water.

Standard detergent solution: One teaspoon neutral white or colourless detergent, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in a cup of lukewarm

water. Make sure the detergent is bleach free.

Have you recently had your carpets cleaned, only to find a mysterious stain appear where it may not have been noticeable before! Or

was it that carpet cleaner was successful in removing certain stains when the carpet was just cleaned and still damp, only to have some

stains reappear after the carpet had thoroughly dried! This common situation is called ‘reappearing or wicking stains’ and is caused by

staining from a prior spillage having dried down at the base of the carpet pile. Although the surface staining may have been partially or

fully removed from the top of the carpet, some of the discoloured stained matter still remained - hidden deep down in the pile.

During a thorough wet cleaning, the hidden stain is wetted & becomes mobile and wicks up to the top surface of the pile as the carpet

dries. Since wall-to-wall carpet dries from the bottom up, this leaves the top part of the pile as the last to dry completely. This is how the

mysterious staining wicks or finds its way up to the carpet surface. You can usually remove most or all of this reappearing stain by

moistening it and then blotting with absorbent white towelling.

Mist very lightly the stained area with water and blot with towels. Cover the stained area with towelling, add a layer of aluminium foil or

wax paper on top and then weight it down. Wait 30 minutes or so and then remove the weight and repeat as needed until the stain is

removed. A second approach is to use a multipurpose carpet spotter or dry cleaning fluid type spot remover. Follow the manufacturer’s

directions exactly and pre-test the product for safety before using. Use the product sparingly and rinse frequently - blotting with absorbent

towels as the last step.

Another alternative would be to apply one of the dry extraction carpet cleaning compounds (a "powder" type carpet cleaning product).

Massage very gently or brush the cleaning compound into the stain. Leave it to work for about 30-60 minutes to absorb the stain material

and then thoroughly vacuum. Dry compounds often leave “ring” marks. Consumers who try to remove stains using the wrong cleaning

products, compounds or methods may only make the stained areas more noticeable. If in doubt about any, of these procedures or their

safety, contact your professional carpet cleaner.

It is known that stains which have been hidden by soil are revealed after cleaning. These stains, which did not immediately cause

discoloration, are often from spilled liquid containing colourless sugar that remained on the fibres. After long exposure to air, they change

to insoluble brown stains. The stains may look like a brownish discolorations but often remain unnoticed because of the accumulate soil

covering them. Some food and drinks stains may inevitably turn even darker from the necessary drying action after a thorough cleaning.

Other kinds of stains can be caused by water soaking through and dissolving materials that caused browning, or dissolving fugitive dyes

from the back of carpet, rug, or upholstery.

The carpet fibres act as a wick, moisture will rise to the surface to evaporate, and discolouration will be left. Untrained operatives who

attempt to remove stains by using the wrong cleaning compounds and procedures may only make the stained areas more noticeable.

Professional cleaners use specialty cleaning and stain removal treatments to improve the appearance of forgotten drinks spills - cola,

coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, soda and others. Even with the best treatments, some coloured residue or caramelised sugar stain

resulting from the prior spillage may remain.

To avoid the possibility of any stain damage, immediate action should be taken; thoroughly absorb all moisture and, when possible, put a

half-inch thickness of clean, white, absorbent material, such as terry towelling, over the area and weight it down. Repeat this with fresh

absorbent material as needed. If in doubt we are on hand to provide you with free advice.

As you can gather we don’t just like carpet cleaning warrington, we LOVE it.

As you can imagine the most therapeutic and rewarding part of our service to our customers is that when we do steam clean their

carpets, the happy face they show in admiration for what we have delivered to them.

Our service covers all areas of Warrington, Lymm, and Newton le Willows

All quotations are free and valid for 30 days.

We cover all area’s of warrington

Tips on how to care for your carpet