Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: vangaurd on June 15, 2006, 09:25:59 am
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hi guys thanks for the replys but with all carpets i just use a light spay of water on the edges surly that would avoid shrinkage or am i wrong many thanks
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Vanguard,
Use the search facility (at the top of page) to look at past posts on this subject. Very useful tool.
Regards, Andy
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In answer to your question, yes you are wrong.
It is not just the edges that will cause these carpets to shrink. You need to look at why the carpet is susceptible to shrinkage, this will give you an understanding as to why to clean it with a minimal amount of water. Polypropylene is a water proof fibre, it does not absorb moisture, so any water you add to the carpet will if there is enough of it, go straight down to the backing. The polyprop fibre is woven to a jute backing which is stitched together. The water makes the jute backing swell causing the stitches to contract, which in turn causes the carpet to shrink.
There have been cases of Belgian Wiltons shrinking just through the moisture in the atmosphere just after they have been laid, this gives you some idea how sensitive they can be.
To find out if it is polyprop, take a piece of fibre and put it in a glass of water. hold it underwater and roll any air out of it then let it go. If it floats it is polypropylene. You can also do a burn test.
To be honest this is all basic stuff, you may benefit from going on a carpet cleaning course to bring yourself up to date with all the fibres and cleaning techniques etc.
Hope this helps
Derek.
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this is why it is important to get the right training which is why adam jankowski will be giving a talk on the subject on august the 19th. i will try also to get enough carpet samples so the newbie can see what to look out for. if anyone can supply samples i woul; appreciate some being brought along or sent to me for the event
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samples sorted i am being sent a load from various companies labled and identified so any newbie can see what to look for i will see about displaying them on the day maybe a special prize for any newbie identifying 6 carpets out of 6
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hi there van guard
just a thought vanguard can you identifie a belgian wilton carpet ?
if you can thats half the battle over,
for b/w carpets i use texatherm and hwe method
this is how i hwe this type of carpet ( its basically the same as the rest of them)
1 inspect carpet is well down on grippers and round door area if not tell coustomer that it is not 100% fixed down right. Then proseed to use carpet tacks to tack down to gripper do not use long maserie nails you may hit a water pipe under the concrete
2 open up pile with a pile rake,
3 vacume vacume vacume
4 prespray with micrs splitters no 9, + prespot any problem stains & spots
5 agitate with brush our a rotary machine rotary machine is better,
6 exstract as pretty normal only with a bit less water and lots of dry strokes
if the thought of belguim wilton carpets is worrieing you a little. Learn proper
identifacation for these carpets and stay clear of them untill you are more confident in what you are doing.
(but then again the best way to learn is to do it )
( remenber if you have to tack down carpet do not use long maserie nails only tacks plus check grippers are properly fixed to the floor )
davy
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well laid b/wilton should have double grippers
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More importantly it should be cut off the roll several days prior to laying as they are wound tightly on the roll and contract after
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Only last month did we have to go and sort out a 'shrunk' belgian wilton fitted in a lounge that had been cleaned by a 'professional'. The carpet had literally shrunk about 1 - 2 inches on the length, had pulled up the grips and the screed with it. After letting it dry out we had to re-screed, double grip & use further adhesive and eventually we were able to fit it back. All in all, we charged the carpet cleaner £158.60 for the privilage of getting him off the hook.
Beware, over wetting these things could cost you money!
Regrads, Andy
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Many years ago I had a BW shrink 9" on 9ft, it came up all the way along a wall with a terrible noise and brought the gripper complete with chunks of concrete floor along with it. That was the result of a light prespray I had not even switched the machine on.
Trevor.
PS Never shrunk another one!!
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Kinver clean,
I'd bet it wasn't a BW but rather an acrylic. They were popular years ago.
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Kinver Clean
9" shrink - that must be a record. Bet the fitter couldn't do anything with that one :o