Carpet maintenance tips

Carpet has countless advantages: It makes a statement in any space, it is great for acoustics and it improves foot comfort. The fact remains that this type of floor covering requires slightly more maintenance than a traditional wood or PVC floor. In this blog, we provide a number of recommendations and tips for good carpet maintenance.

As the saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. Always choose a carpet based on how much foot traffic the space will get. In rooms with a lot of foot traffic, it is best to choose a darker colour and/or irregular pattern that will not show dirt as easily.

Did you know that shoes are responsible for 85% of the dirt that is tracked inside? Create a clean-off zone. This is a zone of a few metres where you install a different type of carpeting, namely heavy-duty carpet with a coarse texture to trap as much dirt as possible. At Tapibel, we have carpeting that is excellent at trapping dirt in the passageway between the factory and offices. Gamma, Gamma Plus, Superrib  and Triline  S are carpet collections that are developed for these types of zones.

Vacuuming is key to keeping your carpet looking great and clean for as long as possible. A brush vacuum cleaner can remove up to 80% of dirt from carpet. Additional advantage: A brush vacuum cleaner helps to maintain the rug’s appearance. Recommended models: SEBO AUTOMATIC XP or DART 2.

How often you should vacuum depends on the foot traffic in the room. Is the carpet used intensively or subject to heavy foot traffic? Daily vacuuming is recommended. Is there a reasonable amount of foot traffic? Twice a week is sufficient. Is the foot traffic on a more normal level? Weekly vacuuming is advisable.

No matter how careful you are, carpet will get dirty. Our tip? Remove stains immediately from the carpet. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove. Test your cleaning product in an inconspicuous spot beforehand to check the colour fastness of your carpet. These tips may also be helpful:

• Remove solid residue (such as dirt) using a spoon or spatula.
• Remove liquids with a clean, moist cloth.
• Work from the edges of the stain towards the middle, and always in the direction of the pile.
• Dabon’t rub!
• Always use pH-neutral products.

Removing water-based stains
Sprinkle the cleaning solution directly on the stain first. Afterwards, use the chemical cleaning product on the stain. Step-by-step instructions:

Step 1. Dab the stain
Have you removed a hardened or semi-hardened stain? Dab the stain with a clean, moist cloth. Afterwards, remove any remaining debris with a cleaning solution.

Step 2. Brush cleaning solution into the carpet
Sprinkle the cleaning solution on the stain and brush it completely into the carpet with a hand brush.

Step 3. Dry and brush
Allow the stain area to dry for 15 to 30 minutes. Afterwards, brush the cleaning solution into it again. Is the cleaning solution sticking to the carpet? Brush it again and then vacuum the area.

Removing oil-based stains
Removing oil-based stains such as paint, grease, tar, or asphalt requires a carpet stain remover. Sprinkle the remover on a clean, white cloth and press it into the carpet. Afterwards, use the chemical cleaning product on the stain. Step-by-step instructions:

Step 1. Brush the cleaning solution into the carpet
Brush from the centre to the edge of the stain. Repeat until the stain is gone. Dab the stain with a moist cloth to remove all cleaning product.

Step 2. Protect the area
Protect the cleaned area until the carpet is completely dry.

Step 3. Use a chemical cleaning solution
Treat the stain using a chemical cleaning product as described for ‘water-based stains’.

Removing dried and stubborn stains
Some stains are very stubborn and difficult to remove, such as rust, varnish, coffee, chewing gum, and soft drinks. These types of stains require special treatment.

Are you unable to remove the stain yourself? Always contact a specialist. He or she will have the right product that will clean the carpet without damaging it.

The goal of specialised cleaning? To deep clean the carpet and maintain its appearance. Our advice? Have specialist maintenance performed two or three times a year, depending on the level of foot traffic and how dirty the carpet is. We describe two types of specialist maintenance here:

Encapsulation method
With this method, dirt particles are encapsulated by crystals, which can then be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner. How it works: Polymer crystals are sprayed on the carpet. A special machine then brushes the carpet to encapsulate the dirt and dust. All you need to do afterwards is sweep up the crystals.

Extraction method with hot water
This method is an alternative to a deep clean. It removes dirt that has accumulated deep in the pile. How it works: Spray a mixture of hot water and the appropriate (crystal-based) cleaning solution on the carpet. Rinse thoroughly with heated water under pressure.