Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration™
Like it never even happened.®
| SERVPRO® of Northern Rhode Island (RI) |
401-949-9955 |
| SERVPRO® of The Attleboros, Massachusetts | 508-223-0505 |
| SERVPRO® of Southern Worcester County, MA | 508-234-3399 |
RESTORATION:
» Fire & Smoke Damage
» Soot Damage & Puffback
» Water Removal
» Dehumidification
» Mold Mitigation
» Storm Response
» Move Outs
» Contents Restoration
» Electronic Equipment
» Inventory Service
CLEANING:
» Air Ducts & HVAC
» Biohazard & Vandalism
» Carpet & Upholstery
» Drapes & Blinds
» Ceilings & Walls
» Artwork & Books
» Deodorization
The SERVPRO Home Furnishings Care Guide - Common Carpet Characteristics
SERVPRO Cleaning Services
Carpet Pilling
After carpeting has been subjected to foot traffic, moving of furniture, vacuuming and other forms of mechanical agitation, fuzzing or the working out of loose fiber ends in the pile can be observed. When an entire fiber is removed, it is called shedding or fluffing. In some cases, only one end of the fiber is worked out; in others, it is tightly twisted or entangled in the tuft. When this situation occurs in local areas, the long fibers become entangled and form a pill.
Pilling is common and is not a problem when the pills break or are pulled out by the vacuum as they form. However, a strong elastic fiber such as nylon will resist this breaking. This results in small spider-like pills over the entire surface of the carpet, perhaps more concentrated in the areas of greatest traffic.
These pills can generally be removed by lifting the main ball portion with the thumb and forefinger, and using scissors to cut the fiber which holds the pill onto the carpet. Take care not to pull any excess fibers from the carpet which may damage the pile when cutting.
Carpet Ripples
Carpeting is made under tension. Tension is necessary so that the loom or machine will function properly, producing fabric uniform from one portion to the next. Carpeting differs from many textiles. The back of the carpet may be composed of several layers which are not generally pre-shrunk. When backing yarns absorb moisture, the fibers swell, resulting in the relaxation of the yarns previously held under tension. Moisture, which produces swelling, may result from humidity, spills or improper cleaning methods.
If two adjacent areas are not manufactured under the same identical tension, unevenness or rippling will develop. Rippling will also happen if the tension of the second back is not uniform with the primary rug backing.
Ripples can be caused by dragging heavy furniture across the carpeting or by the sliding and pulling of carpeting in traffic areas caused by walking. Each case is different. Ripples may extend across the entire width of the rug,
from the edge to the middle, in the middle only, along the edges or in one small section. This situation can sometimes be corrected by wetting backing yarns and tacking the rug out in a stretched position. However, the ripples may reoccur when moisture is again present.
Carpet Shading
Shading is an apparent color difference between areas of the same carpet. This results from random differences in pile lay direction caused by normal wear.
Shading is a characteristic of all cut-pile carpet. Shading is not a manufacturing defect. The physical cause is the difference between cut end luster and side luster of fibers. The sides of fibers reflect more light and appear brighter and lighter in color than the ends which absorb more light and appear to be duller and darker in color.
Little can be done to prevent or correct shading. Shading is an inherent characteristic of certain types of carpet. Shading can be slowed down by vacuuming or brushing the pile in one direction during daily or weekly maintenance.
Carpet Static
Do you experience light shocks after walking across your carpet? This is static formed by the friction of your shoes against fibers in the carpet. Usually there is enough moisture or humidity in the air to carry off the static charge as it is formed, but when the weather turns dry and the humidity is low, watch out!
The tendency to generate a static charge at low humidity varies from carpet to carpet. Some of the new carpets have anti-static agents built into the fibers. Other carpets use very fine metal wires or even conductive latex within the carpet to carry off the static. Anti-static protection of this type usually lasts for the life of the carpet.
If your carpet has none of these innovations and acquires static in dry weather, it may still be possible to obtain some relief through increasing the humidity or by the use of an anti-static agent sprayed on the face of the carpet. Many home products of this type are available from your local store. These, however, are not permanent and generally become less effective after a period of time.
We can apply an anti-static agent to your carpet that will last through an entire heating season.
Carpet Sunlight Damage
Almost every carpet will lighten in color or fade over a period of time. The extent of damage depends on the location, exposure, color, intensity and type of dye and method of dyeing of the carpet.
A solution-dyed carpet (dyed during the synthetic fiber producing process) is least susceptible to sun fading. The pigments are added to the polymer before the fibers are formed, locking in the color. Most polypropylene (olefin), many acrylics and some polyester carpets are dyed by this method. Lighter shades will usually fade more quickly than darker shades because they contain less dye. Most dyes are composed of two or more colors. If one color is affected more than the other, the fading may appear as a color change rather than a lightening of the color. For example, a green carpet yarn is made from blue and yellow dyes. If the yellow dye is affected and the blue is not affected, the green carpet may seem to be turning bluer. In other cases, the colors may fade uniformly, appearing as a lighter shade of the original color. In severe cases, the color may be completely removed and can appear to be bleached white. The fiber itself can also deteriorate.
You may be able to prevent carpets from fading in sunny locations by keeping the windows covered by draperies or by treating the windows with a protective coating which filters the ultra-violet rays. If you live in an area where sunlight fading is a problem, shop carefully for your next carpet purchase.
