Once, I had read somewhere (an issue of Consumer Reports???) that 96% of carpet cleaning services cause more damage to carpeting than if it were not cleaned at all. This means that only 4% or 4 out of 100 carpet cleaners actually improved the carpet’s health and appearance and quality levels. Improving the appearance is very easy for a short time. You could simply scrub the carpeting with a small shampoo machine and some dish wash soap and water. Scrub, scrub, scrub, and viola (wala), your carpet “appears” cleaner. Most carpet cleaners use this philosophy, since the most important criterion which the home owner can utilize in determining whether the carpeting has been cleaned properly is by its final appearance. There are other factors and methods to check whether your carpeting has been cleaned properly, which I’ll explain later on, but it always comes down to your definition of clean. As most of you already know, clean to me means to sanitize and improve the health of your environment. A quality appearance is the result of sanitizing the surface being cleaned. Today, however, we will be discussing the main reasons why carpeting “uglies out”.
The main reason why carpeting “uglies” out too quickly is the result of not vacuuming frequently or thoroughly. The majority of carpet maintenance is in the vacuuming process; nearly 80% of all fine particulate matter within the carpeting can be removed by thorough vacuuming. The fine particles of dirt, sand, and dust are abrasives, which if not removed act as sandpaper would to any surface. As you walk upon the carpeting, your feet (shoes compound this problem dramatically) grind the abrasives across the carpet’s face fibers causing scratches to those fibers. The result is scratched fibers which appear dull because they no longer reflect light; instead, they diffuse the light. To us, this appears as dullness, because the un-damaged carpeted surface adjacent to the scratched carpeting reflects light better and is therefore brighter and shinier. Once the carpeting has these scratches and abrasions, it is permanent. Carpet cleaners cannot remove scratches from the carpeting. During the cleaning process, the fibers are coated with water which covers the scratches temporarily while it is damp. Once the water has dried, the scratches are exposed once again and diffused light causes the dull appearance. Often times, you will notice that your carpeting looks better right after it has been cleaned, but the next day it then looks dull. The diffused light from the scratches also scatters the light at all different angles like having many small prisms (you remember triangles of glass in school, and watching how the light is broken down into different colored wave lengths like a rainbow), it is all these light refractions, which causes a collage of colors. This collage of colors appears “brown” in colour to our optical reception. The traffic lanes now appear brownish to our eyes. You can test this by turning the lights down in the room, as there is less light to refract, there is less discoloration. It is only when there is enough light which is diffused that the brownish color appears. Olefin carpeting has the brownish appearance because it has absorbed oil as well. Eventually as more and more fibers are scratched, the areas looks duller and duller, and then the scratches themselves can now easily accept color changes. Additionally, as the fibers become more and more scratched, they now begin to lose their twist, which in turn causes the matted appearance. The twist refers to how the fibers are twisted to form little “springs”, it is those springs which give the carpeting the ability to “bounce back” from usage. High quality thick padding absorbs the pounding to the carpeting so that it lasts longer. Hint: don’t buy cheap padding to save money. The better the padding, the longer the carpeting will last.
Other causes of ugly out include: spots and stains. Quick action is the most important tool in fighting the permanency of detracting spots and stains. Sometimes carpeting can be ruined in our eyes just because of all the ugly spots and stains, and the carpeting may have very little wear. Most spots and stains can be removed nearly completely.
And now you know the rest of the story, “why carpeting uglies out.”
What can you do to improve the carpet’s appearance for a longer period? First, vacuum frequently and thoroughly. Second, have the carpeting cleaned thoroughly on a regularly scheduled basis. Third, require the application of Scotchgard Protector TM. Teflon protection such as Scotchgard ™ will coat the fibers with a thin coating which can help to fill in the scratches and give the carpeting a little better ability to reflect light, and help to make it appear a little brighter because the scratches do not diffuse the light as easily.