How much soil can a wool rug hold?

Here is a video showing that a square foot of carpet or wool rug can hold one pound of dirt. In our rug cleaning plant we routinely run into rugs that have pounds and pounds of dry soil in them that needs to be removed before cleaning can occur. Even though this video is done with nylon carpet a wool rug will hold just as much dry soil and still look clean. If you would like to know more about our oriental rug cleaning plant in Houston, Texas visit our website at http://www.pearsoncarpetcare.com/

One Insurance Company Wanting me to Charge Them More

This article really has nothing to do with rug cleaning at all, but since our company does a lot of water damage I thought somebody might find it interesting.

http://ezinearticles.com/?One-Particular-Insurance-Company-Wants-Me-to-Charge-Them-More-and-They-Dont-Realize-It&id=2618381

For more information about Pearson Carpet Care go to http://www.pearsoncarpetcare.com or our drying equipment sales company at http://www.prodrying.com

Snag in a Berber? What do I do?

If you get a run in your berber carpet, don’t just trim it. You will leave a very noticeable line where you can see the backing of your carpet. Instead try this simple solution.

Take a hot glue gun with clear glue and add a small drop of glue on the backing of the carpet where the loop of the berber was originally attached.  You should still be able to see some of the glue from the manufacturer on the spot where you will need to add the hot glue.  Then take a paperclip so not to get hot glue on your finger and press the carpet yarn into the backing of the carpet.  Repeat this process all the way down the run until it is all re-attached. Use the adjacent carpet yarn still attached from the factory as a guide for spacing and height.

If you are nervous about doing this then practice several times without using the glue, until you feel comfortable doing it.  Also, remember that a small amount of glue is all that is required and make sure not to get it on any surrounding fibers.   If you don't have a hot glue gun you can also use Elmer's Gorilla Glue.  I have used both in the past and either works well. If you do it right, it should be very hard to tell you repaired it unless you know where it is.

Rug Cleaning Done Right

Have you ever had a carpet cleaner that wanted to clean a rug in your home or office at the same time they were cleaning your carpet?  Seems like a good idea, initially.  However, there are some real good reasons why you should never have a carpet cleaner, clean a rug in your home or office.

While your favorite carpet cleaner might do a wonderful job cleaning your carpet, they simply can not clean a rug properly with the same chemicals and equipment used to clean your carpet. Chemicals made for cleaning synthetic wall-to-wall carpeting could damage a natural fiber rug. A professional rug cleaner will use chemicals that are safe for wool or other natural fibers. It would be impractical to bring the rug dusting and washing equipment that is necessary to properly clean a rug into a home environment. Also, many times it is necessary to test the colors in a rug for 24 hours to make sure they are stable. When cleaning a rug it is nearly impossible to remove pet odors from any rug without a full immersion cleaning. This can only be done in a rug cleaning plant. A wet wool rug could then take up to 24 hours to dry in a controlled environment. After the rug is cleaned and dried then the fringe will need to be cleaned and a final grooming done on the rug before it can go back to the customer.

If a rug is going to be stored for any length of time, it should be cleaned first. Never roll up and store a dirty rug. Rugs should be stored in a climate controlled environment and be wrapped in plain brown paper or in Tyvek. Never wrap a rug in plastic. Since wool can hold 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry to the touch, wrapping a rug in plastic would not allow the rug to breath. So condensation could form in the plastic and cause the rug to mold or dry rot.

It is also not a good idea to ever set a potted plant on top of a wool rug. This can cause permanent damage to a rug by over watering the plant or just by the humidity that is absorbed into the rug from the potted plant. This can result in color loss, mold, or dry rot.

About Kevin: Kevin Pearson is a Master Cleaning Technician with The Clean Trust and has been in the cleaning and restoration industry since 1992. Kevin was elected to the Board of Directors of The Clean Trust in 2011 and presently working on a committee to rewrite the carpet inspector standards in our industry and has previously served on the carpet cleaning standards revision committee. He also serves on two other committees at The Clean Trust and is on the Board of Directors of the Professional Cleaning and Restoration Alliance. He has also been featured on Fox News in Houston. For more information Call Pearson Carpet Care at 281-548-7200 or visit our website http://www.pearsoncarpetcare.com

Clean it and Go! by: Kevin Pearson - Clean it and Go!

Looking for spot cleaning tips on carpet and rugs. This book has great tips for consumers on how to take care of their carpet and rugs. It is only 12.95 with free shipping.

Clean it and Go! by: Kevin Pearson - Clean it and Go!


http://www.pearsoncarpetcare.com
http://www.prodrying.com

Pearson Carpet Care Newsletter - November 2011

Here's where you can find the November Newsletter for Pearson Carpet Care

http://campaigns.ratepoint.com/campaigns/a16b20b1b414f6bdf37b1c5830b333c0

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Another funny rug video

This is the follow-up to Roscoe's Rug Emporium which can be found in the October 2011 section of the blog.

Carpet Freshening Powders

Having your carpet professionally cleaned can save you money versus trying to do it yourself. Think of it like this, by the time you rent a carpet extractor and factor in a dollar amount for your time and the fact that you may not know the chemistry involved in removing certain spots and stains, it could be a lot cheaper to let a professional clean your carpet properly rather than risk setting a stain or damaging the carpet. There is also a big difference in equipment from a small electric do-it-yourself machine to a van-powered carpet cleaning machine with a trained technician running it.


Professional cleaners use similar methods to home cleaning, but they should have the knowledge, equipment, training, and experience necessary to do a more thorough job of removing embedded soil. When selecting a cleaning service, look for an IICRC certified firm and an IICRC certified technician. Ask reputable carpet retailers in your area who they recommend. Friends and family that have used a particular cleaning service before may also be able to give you a good referral. Stay clear of cleaners offering ridiculously low advertised rates. Many times you will never get the low price or you will get a cleaner that will leave your carpet wet for days and might make it worse than it was before they arrived.

When the cleaner arrives at your home for the cleaning, it is a good idea to point out any spots and stains or areas that you would like to receive extra attention. Professional cleaners will have many different spot removers on their truck and should be able to remove lots of different types of spots. They should give you a firm price before they begin the work and you should not pay until you are satisfied with the job. Some cleaners might even give you a demonstration in the worst area before they begin with no further obligation. If you have never used the company before this would help ease your mind as to the quality of work they were going to do.

Regular and thorough vacuuming can remove over 70% of all dry soil that is in the carpet fibers, thus keeping their appearance good and extending their life. For the most soil removal use an upright vacuum cleaner with a beater bar. Most carpeted areas in a home need to be vacuumed once a week, maybe more. Vacuum using several slow strokes over the same area then go over the same area from different angles. When carpet is not vacuumed regularly, the dry soil from shoes, crumbs, etc. may stay on the surface of the carpet for a short time before working their way down into the carpet where it can scratch and abrade the carpet fibers.

Room size rugs should always be sent to a specialty rug cleaning plant. An area or oriental rug should not be cleaned in your home. Rugs can be expensive and sometimes delicate, so it's important to have them maintained properly to protect your investment. To clean a rug properly involves many steps and specialized equipment that can not be transported to your home. A professional rug cleaner will check for dye stability of the colors in the rug and advise you as to any issues they foresee before cleaning the rug. They might also offer a discount if you bring your rug to them for cleaning rather than them picking the rug up.

Did you know that a rug can hold nearly a pound of dry dirt per square foot and still look clean. An 8x10 rug could hold nearly 80 pounds of dry dirt. So, to check and see whether or not your rug is dirty, pick up a corner of the rug and while holding it with one hand, hit the back of the rug sharply with the other hand. If a cloud of dirt flies out of the pile, the rug is dirty and needs to be cleaned. You could also take a vacuum cleaner with a beater bar and with the rug face down on a hard surface turn on the vacuum and leave it in one spot for 8-10 seconds. Then flip back the rug and if there is some dirt on the floor beneath it then it is time to clean the rug.

A professional rug cleaner can also dry a rug thoroughly after cleaning. A wool rug can hold 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry to the touch so it is important to make sure the rug is dry before putting it back down on a wood floor.

So think twice before deciding to clean your carpet or rugs yourself. There are many tools and tricks professional cleaners know that will result in your carpet or rugs being cleaner and lasting longer than if you did the cleaning yourself.