Care & maintenance

Like any other flooring type, carpet needs cleaning from time to time. Cleaning a carpet is easier than you may think.

Common sense and preventative cleaning

Common sense will take you a long way when it comes to keeping your carpet gorgeous and clean. Follow these simple tips:

• Vacuum regularly
  Remove dust and dirt with a powerful vacuum cleaner. This is a good habit that improves the air quality in your home and ensures the durability of your carpet.
  Note that heavy traffic areas may need more regular vacuuming than other areas.
• Use doormats at entrances
  A simple walk-off mat or entrance mat prevents dirt from getting transferred all over the house and into the fibre of your tufted carpet.
  Make sure to clean these mats often, so that they do not become a source of dust and dirt themselves.
• Take off your shoes
  This is just a suggestion, not a must. However, taking off your shoes in the house can reduce the wear and tear of your tufted carpet.
• Take care of spills as they happen
  It’s best to take care of spills as quickly as possible. Don’t let liquids or dirt dry up and set in.
  The quicker you act, the easier the stain can be removed. Follow the stain and spill removal guidelines below.

Stain removal

Spills and stains don’t have to be a drama. Always act quickly and follow these guidelines for an effective and correct stain removal:

Grease stains

Use a product specifically designed to treat grease stains. Warm water alone won’t remove the grease.
Never apply these types of products directly to the carpet fibre or yarn.
It could be a good idea to test the product on a small area of the tufted carpet first, to see if the product causes any decolourisation.

1. Use a piece of cotton wool and apply to the edges of the stain, working inwards.
2. Blot with absorbent tissue or paper towel. The carpet may darken during this process, but this should disappear afterwards.
3. Dampen the area with a light soap solution (add half a teaspoon of professional carpet shampoo to 2 liters of lukewarm water) to remove any cleaning product residue. 
4. Blot with tissue or paper towel.
5. Dry the area with a hair-dryer, moving continuously over the stain, to avoid watermarking.
6. Repeat this process if the stain is not entirely removed.
7. The final step is to cover the stained area with 6 layers of paper towel, place a heavy object on top and leave to dry for 24 hours.
   The paper towel will absorb stains in the base of the yarns.

 Water-based stains 

1. Soak up the spill immediately with absorbent tissue or paper towel. 
2. Re-wet the stained area with lukewarm water on a sponge or piece of cotton wool to dilute the spilled liquid.
3. Blot with tissue or paper towel.
4. Dry the area with a hair-dryer, moving continuously over the stain, to avoid watermarking.
5. Repeat this process if the stain is not entirely removed.The final step is to cover the stained area with 6 layers of paper towel,
   place a heavy object on top and leave to dry for 24 hours. The paper towel will absorb stains in the base of the yarns.

Dried-in (water-based) stains

1. Scrape off excess spill with a spoon, from the edges of the stain to the centre. If necessary, freeze the spill with ice cubes and then scrape off with a spoon.
   Make sure to not put the ice cubes on the carpet directly, as they will melt and soak the area. Put them in a plastic bag instead.
2. Apply a light soap solution (add half a teaspoon of professional carpet shampoo to 2l of lukewarm water) to a piece of cotton wool and dampen the stained area.
3. Blot with tissue or paper towel.
4. Dry the area with a hair-dryer, moving continuously over the stain, to avoid watermarking.
5. Repeat this process if the stain is not entirely removed.
6. The final step is to cover the stained area with 6 layers of paper towel, place a heavy object on top and leave to dry for 24 hours.
   The paper towel will absorb stains in the base of the yarns.
   
   ! Never rub the tufted carpet, this could damage the carpet fibres or yarns and change the carpet structure.
   Never soak a carpet with water through to the backing.

In-depth cleaning

Even if you vacuum your carpet regularly and treat stains accordingly, an in-depth cleaning is necessary once every 12 to 24 months.
This will remove persistent dirt and smaller particles that cause your carpet to wear out.

There are various in-depth cleaning methods. Here is an overview of the most common ones:

• Wet shampoo 
  First test to see if the product is of a good quality. Pour some drops on a saucer and let them evaporate overnight.
  If the leftover stain looks greasy or sticky, avoid using the product. Dust could cling to the sticky film that is formed over your carpet.
  When you rent a shampooing machine, follow its instructions precisely. Make sure to remove your furniture and vacuum before shampooing.
  It is very important to not let your tufted carpet get too wet. This can cause permanent damage to the fibre and backing.
• Dry powder or dry shampoo
  Follow the instructions on the package. Make sure to properly vacuum the carpet afterwards, to remove any leftover product.
• Injection-extraction with hot water - Also referred to as “steam cleaning”.
  The injection-extraction method does not require steam, so this term is actually incorrect. With injection-extraction,
  the carpet pile is injected with hot water and a cleaning solution under pressure. The water is extracted immediately,
  as it is suctioned out by a wet vacuum system. This prevents the carpet from getting too wet.
  Injection-extraction is very efficient and cleans out all of the dirt and shampoo residues from prior cleanings.
  This type of cleaning should be done by a professional. If you rent a machine and do it yourself, you risk over-wetting and soaking the carpet.
  This could permanently damage the backing and fibres.
• A combination of these different methods is also possible. A wet or dry shampoo treatment first and a hot water injection-extraction cleaning second, for example.

Whichever method you choose, make sure that all detergents are properly removed from the carpet afterwards and that the carpet is dry before walking on it again.

General guidelines

• Use a carpet shampoo according to its instructions.
• Never walk on a moist carpet. Its pile fibres could get damaged.
• When the carpet is completely dry after any cleaning treatment, always vacuum the carpet thoroughly.
• Be careful with tufted carpets that have a backing of natural fibres (e.g. jute, cotton). They could shrink when they get too wet.
• If a pile yarn gets loose, cut it off with scissors. Never pull it out.
• Never fold your tufted carpet, always roll it up. Folding a carpet, damages the backing