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Carpet is a soft material, and it will show indentations that hard-surfaced flooring will not. How well a carpet resists these blemishes is determined partly by its density and partly by the method used to make it. Denser carpets usually bounce back more quickly. Here's an overview of some of the more common carpet problems and what (if anything) you can do about them.
CORNROWING is a condition you'll recognize if some of the rows of your carpet begin to stand out and others don't. High density carpet is less prone to cornrowing because fiber tufts that are packed together tightly tend to support each other, even when stretched apart during installation. Vacuuming generally won't help. Special carpet rakes might help, but not permanently. CRUSHING is the loss of pile thickness due to normal traffic. Vacuuming will lift the pile, but it can't replace worn fiber.
FADING can be caused by furnace fumes and sunlight. Have your furnace serviced regularly and close the drapes when the room is not in use to minimize fading.
SHEDDING is natural, caused by loose fibers left over from the manufacturing process rising to the surface. It will disappear within a year if you vacuum regularly.
RIPPLES are usually caused by improper stretching or a failed cushion. They can also appear where humidity is high. Have a professional installer remove them by re-stretching the carpet.
SPROUTING is the sudden appearance of one or two yarns for no apparent reason. Don't pull out carpet sprouts; snip them off at the level of the rest of the tufts.
DENTS caused by furniture can be minimized with wide furniture glides. You can sometimes work them out with your fingers. If that doesn't work, moisten the area, warm it slightly with a hair dryer, and ease the fibers into position with the back of a spoon. Hard floor care Equipment
- Scrubbers:
The invention of the electric floor scrubber probably began what has become known as modern floor care. The scrubber, or buffer, has become the mainstay of every cleaning operation of the larger areas in the public buildings. It will strip floors, shampoo carpets, spray buff and dry buff, sand floors, grind concrete, and polish marble. After a dust mop and wet mop, scrubbing machine is still the most essential piece of equipment for today’s floor care.
It is available in both electric floor scrubber and automatic scrubber. Battery-powered versions, this machine applies solution, scrubs, or strips using the solution and then vacuums up the dirty solution, leaving an almost dry floor behind.
- High-Speed Buffers:
The real improvement in hard floor care came with the development of the high-speed buffer. Harder finishes were developed, and they, in turn, required a more aggressive buffer.
These high-speed buffers created a higher shine than was possible with conventional buffers. The machines got faster, and newer finishes had to be developed to withstand the heat and pressure; these finishes, in turn, prompted the development of even higher- speed machines.
Storage and Handling
Carpet must be stored and handled with care to prevent damage and to facilitate the proper installation of the product.
Storage - Carpet and related materials must be stored in a climate controlled, dry space. Carpet must be adequately protected from dirt, dust, moisture, and other contaminants and stored on a flat surface. Stacking heavy objects on top of carpet rolls should be avoided.
Handling - Carpet shall be transported in a manner that prevents damage and distortion. Bending or folding of individual carpet rolls is not recommended. When bending or folding is unavoidable for delivery purposes, the carpet should be unrolled and allowed to lie flat immediately upon arrival at the installation area.
Condition carpet - Carpet should be unrolled and allowed to relax prior to the commencement of installation. To facilitate relaxation, pre-cutting of carpet is recommended.
- When you bring a carpet home store it on clean surface in a dry area.
- It is better to roll carpet with a plastic sheet underneath while storing.
- Roll and unroll carpet in the direction of the pile.
- Roll the carpet loosely.
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