[Jim_77]

http://www.carpetinspector.com/WoolSafeStudy.pdf

Discuss

[Simon Gerrard]

We all know that we should use as low Ph products as possible, especially on wool. This is normally achieved by the use of acid rinse.
The problem with these laboratory research papers is that the tests are done on clean carpet, the problem we have is that we have to deal with the carpet when it is dirty, sometimes very dirty indeed and that leaves us with little choice than to go up the Ph scale to use a product that will loosen the engrained soil. High, or higher Ph may cause some ill effects but what has to be considered is the damage done to the carpet by all that dirt and debris that builds up over a period of time.
If we don't use a higher Ph product on dirty carpet then we have to use a lower Ph but that often means adding mechanical action to the equation which other surveys frown upon too. Likewise the use of high solution temperatures.
In an ideal world, in ideal conditions where a carpet is maintained on a daily basis and the levels of dirt and debris aren't allowed to build up to the point where the carpet is visibly dirty, then surveys like this would have some validity. The problem is we have to deal with carpets that aren't in pristine condition and require sometimes less than ideal measures to restore it to its former glory.

Wouldn't it be better if they did a survey on filthy carpet and measure not only the effect of Ph but the damaging effect of all that debris which does far more harm to the carpet than the measures required to restore it to its former glory.

Simon

[Nigel_W]

Jim

I am a bit lost as to what the point of the article is? It is common knowledge that Woolsafe have approved cleaning solutions with a range of PH values. I assume there is more to the testing process than looking at PH and buffering. What about residue?

Nigel

[Neil Williams]

I'm with Simon on his observations.
It's all very well that you shouldn't use this and shouldn't use that on a wool carpet, and on a well maintained carpet would be best practice. The arguement falls apart when we are called in to attempt a clean on a 6 year old carpet which has cola, alcohol, vomit, urine, sudacream and axle oil all over it, and let's face it the vast majority of carpets we deal with have long gone past just a regular maintenance clean.
if a customer has allowed their wool carpet to get into this condition then the least they should be aware of is that our processes might well get rid of their negligence, but there could be issues that are not in best interest of their carpet.

[richie]

In my eyes Woolsafe is just another money making programme.  As already stated once the carpets have got to a certan point with more often than not have little choice but to up the Ph when cleaning.  I have cleaned wool and wool rich carpets in some homes 2 or 3 times a year using high Ph chemicals and have never seen any evidence of this causing a problem with the fibres and everytime the customers say how the carpets look almost new again.  Lets now talk about residue,  there are some CCs and some suppliers that will say that detergent based chemicals will leave a residue in the carpet that will cause resoiling and other damage.  Yes this may be true if you are the type of cleaner that has no pride in your work but most of us on here do a proper job an ensure that the pre-spray is removed from the carpet.

Richie.

[Simon Gerrard]

Wouldn't it be so much better if these people would stop researching things that happen in a perfect world and concentrate their efforts on what happens in an imperfect world, the world we operate in, with carpets that are choked to death with all manner of destructive soils and tell us how best and with what to clean them as safely as possible, given the circumstances. That kind of realistic research would not only be useful but would also gain the scientific community some respect in carpet cleaning circles.

Simon

[robert meldrum]

Woolsafe is a BUSINESS and quite a smart one...........not unlike the set up with furniture retailers enjoyed for many years by Chemdry and Servicemaster who had their " warning " signs attached to all the upholstery being sold in this country claiming " dry clean only " and for cleaning " contact C/D or S/M.