Cleaning on site?
my thougths....
1.Shrinkage:
Woven area rugs may shrink or buckle after cleaning. This is usually due to different materials used in the rug’s construction which absorb water at different rates resulting in expansion of some fibers and not of others. Certain rugs are more prone to shrinkage and some rugs may shrink uniformly so you may never notice.
The risk of shrinkage may be lessened, but not completely eliminated, through the use of low moisture cleaning methods.
Shrinkage prone rugs should be professionally cleaned, “in-plant”, where properly trained technicians and specific equipment is used to mitigate shrinkage issues .
2. Edge curl or waves:
The edges of some woven rugs can curl or wave due to variations in the construction or weave pattern. Both typically observed after cleaning or when high humidity is present. Rugs that exhibit this tendency would be best cleaned “in-plant” where humidity and other potential issues can be controlled.
Typically, this will self-correct in a few days. If the curling does not relax completely, you can try one of these fixes:
Placing the rug face down, roll the rug up as tight as you can and secure it with rope or tape for a few days.
Use a clothes steamer (not an iron; they’re too hot and can quickly melt synthetic fibers) to relax the edges and place a large heavy object on the raised areas for 24 hours. Use a plastic garbage bag as a barrier between the weighted object and rug to limit damage to the rug by bleeding or rusting.
3. On-location Cleaning
The
IICRC S-100 Standard for the Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings recommends that area rugs be removed from a client’s home or business and cleaned under the controlled conditions of an ‘in-plant’ cleaning facility.
When this is not an option due to size, cost, logistics, or customer preference, the rug may be cleaned on-location. On-site rug cleaning should only be performed by a technician trained in the various methods which safely and effectively clean the rug.
Extra care should be taken not to damage the flooring under and around the rug being cleaned.
All concerns should be discussed and noted by your
IICRC Certified technician.
Care Tips:
-Rotate your rug once or twice a year to prevent uneven wear and fading.
-Flip your rug upside down and use a full size upright vacuum cleaner with a beater bar/brush roll which will cause the dry soil to fall out of the fibers. Spend a good amount of time going over the rug from many directions. Be prepared to sweep or vacuum up what could be a considerable amount of dust if you live in a dry area or have pets.
4.Fringes
The ends of most oriental style rugs are finished with cotton, synthetic, or silk fringe. This is part of the foundation of a hand-knotted rug and can be machine woven or sewn onto other rugs. Fringe is vulnerable to traffic wear, pet damage, and aggressive vacuuming, and bleach treatments to the fibers during the manufacturing process, or by improper cleaning. Gently tug on a fringe to see if it comes off easily. If so, the fringe may be damaged further by any type of cleaning.
Soiled fringes should be cleaned at a rug washing plant where the potential many issues can be dealt with in a controlled setting
It may be possible to touch up the fringe by hand when cleaning the rug in the home. Consult with your
IICRC certified cleaning technician about your options.
5. Tufted Rug Off Gassing:
Hand-tufted rugs are held together using a latex adhesive. Impurities in the latex cause many brand new rugs to have an off gas odor similar to burnt rubber. Unfortunately this issue is a manufacturing/construction flaw and can’t be corrected by cleaning.
If the rug is new, the consumer should contact the retailer and ask to return it.
Care Tips:
Tufted rugs usually have a five to ten year lifespan before the latex glue starts to dry out, break down and the rug construction starts to fail.
When buying rugs, inspect the back and look for a visible reverse pattern of the front. This Indicates no glue is being used to hold the rug together, thus ensuring a long-lasting rug.This is true for both natural and synthetic fibers.
Tufted
Woven
6. Browning:
Cellulosic browning may occur when plant-based fibers (cotton, jute, etc) dry too slowly. Sugar or lignan in the cells rise to the surface and leave a yellow or brownish discoloration on the yarns or fringes. This is sometimes confused with soil wicking (which is when impurities in the base of the carpet or rug wick to the top of the fiber during the drying process). Cellulosic browning is usually easy to correct.
Rugs that are prone to browning are best cleaned in the controlled environment of an in-plant rug washing facility.
Please consult your
IICRC certified Rug Cleaning Technician for more information.
Care Tips:
-Dry vacuum area rugs frequently to prevent embedded soil build up
-Flip your rug upside down and use a full size upright vacuum cleaner with a beater bar/brush roll which will cause the dry soil to fall out of the fibers. Spend a good amount of time going over the rug from many directions. Be prepared to sweep or vacuum up what could be a considerable amount of dust if you live in a dry area or have pets.
-Have a fabric protection product applied when new and reapplied after a professional cleaning.
7. Color Bleeding:
Rug dyes may migrate (bleed) during the cleaning process due to a wide variety of factors including long-term exposure to excess moisture, urine contamination, or too-high pH or pH buffered cleaning products.
Some rugs are ‘over-dyed’ (typically this occurs in red or blue dyes) to provide a stronger, deeper color, or the dye may have been incorrectly set during the manufacturing process. In these cases, the initial cleaning of a textile, or a liquid spill is very likely to cause a bleeding issue.
Evidence of previous dye-bleed can often be detected by inspecting the reverse side of the rug.
Pre-testing of suspicious colors and rapid drying before cleaning can help avoid potential rug damage.
Low-moisture cleaning methods may reduce the chance of color bleeding.
Consult your
IICRC certified Rug Cleaning Technician for more information.
8. Fabric Protector not Beading:
When an aftermarket fabric protection product is applied to a carpet or other fabric, there may be an expectation that liquids will bead up and sit on the surface of the fibers. While this may occur immediately and shortly after application, it will not likely continue. As the furniture is used or the carpet is trafficked, the surface layer will break down, however the individual fibers will still be coated and protected.
REMEMBER-this is not plastic sheeting!
Fabric protectants do 3 basic things:
-Protectors make general vacuuming more effective because fewer soil particles cling to the carpet or fabric fiber strands, so you get more soil up when you vacuum.
-Provide additional time to blot up spills before they start to absorb into the fibers.
-They will clean better next time because soil and stains will not penetrate into the fiber as easily
Protectors DO NOT negate the laws of chemistry or physics, meaning it does not plug holes or gaps in the rug’s pile nor does it keep soil from getting on the carpet or fabric.
