We had a call from a customer in Geelong for an urgent Geelong carpet cleaning job. Her carpet was wool and turned out to be soiled and with many spots and stains. A few things to note about wool is that it is a natural fiber. This gives it resilience to mold and mildew if blended with other fibers and also softness and limited stain resistance. Upon closer inspection the stains were coffee, protein and some spots were oil based.
Natural Fiber Stains and Spots
Before we can talk about stains on carpet, we need to differentiate between spots and stains. A spot sits on top of the carpet and is easily removed with detergent, carpet cleaning solution and water. A stain is a discolored area on the carpet fiber due to foreign matter penetrating into or from a chemical reaction with the carpet. These are generally harder to remove and some stains can be permanent. If the color has been stripped from the carpet then the only way to restore the original color is to call a carpet color restoration technician or replace the stained area with new carpet.
Wool Cleaning
Care must be taken when cleaning wool. A lower pressure on the carpet machine must be set so that the wool is not damaged and that the wool is not saturated. For this job the style was loop and cut. Wool will tend to shrink with hot water so cold water must be used. Also be very careful not to over-wet the wool and always use a mild detergent (no bleach). If you are unsure or confused as to how to clean wool it is always best to consult a professional carpet cleaning professional. However if you want to try to clean the wool carpet yourself here are some of the most common stains and the best detergent to use on them:
Detergent: 1 tsp laundry detergent (no bleach) dissolved in 1 cup warm water.
Vinegar: About 1/4 vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup water.
Coffee:- Detergent solution then vinegar solution. Detergent solution again and make sure to blot between each step with plain water.
Juice: Detergent then ammonia solution. After this use the vinegar solution followed by detergent solution. Use plain water to blot between each step.
Tea: Use detergent solution then vinegar solution. Final step with detergent solution. Blot between steps.
Urine: Use detergent solution and then vinegar solution. Follow up with another detergent solution, and blow with plain water between each step.
Wine: Use detergent solution and then vinegar solution. Follow up with another detergent solution, and blow with plain water between each step.
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