General Care
A regular maintenance programme is recommended to achieve three
key things:-
- Remove soil and dirt from the surface of the carpet
- Preserve the original texture of the carpet
- Increase the lifespan of the carpet
Soiling
More often than not, soiling occurs as the result of particles
of dirt being walked into the carpet from some external
source. Prevention is always better than cure, and we
recommend door mats at all entranceways to create a barrier to
soiling.
Staining
Staining occurs from the chemical bonding of a pigment with the
wool fibre. Once this bonding has taken place, removal can be
extremely difficult without causing some damage to the carpet
pile. This is why promptly attending to spills and stains is so critical.
The cleaning programme needs to be proportional to the carpet's
exposure to soiling. Frequent and moderate cleaning is preferable
to harsh treatment likely to be required if cleaning is done
infrequently.
Recommended programme:
1. Dry vacuum regularly - at least once a week and more often in
heavy traffic areas. This will remove free soil
particles and surface litter, and prevents soil becoming embedded
in the pile, causing accelerated wear by grinding at the base of
the tufts.
For loop pile and shagpile
carpets:
We recommend the use of a plain
suction-type vacuum cleaner. Turbo or revolving brush head
attachments may reduce surface hairiness or frizzing - however
over-use can lead to frizzing especially on loop pile berber
carpets. Beater bar and adjustable revolving brushes
should only be used on the lightest settings.
For cut pile carpets (other than shagpile) and combination
cut and loop:
All three types of cleaner heads can
be used but over-use with a revolving brush-style vacuum cleaner
head may affect the tailored appearance of your cut pile. We
recommend using a plain suction head (avoiding unnecessary pressure
which will flatten the carpet), and occasional grooming with your
turbo or revolving brush head.
2. Promptly attend to spills and stains (see our stain cleaning guide)
3. When necessary, a professional steam clean by a reputable
company can remove entrapped soil particles on an annual basis and
revive the appearance of your carpet. Do not be concerned
about the wet cleaning process removing natural oil from your wool
carpet - most of this was removed during manufacture as an oily
carpet attracts dirt far more quickly.