Carpet Protectors

Stain Guard Soil Retardants:

Soil retardants help to keep carpet cleaner two ways:

1) Liquid spills bead on the carpet surface, making them easier to clean up

2) Dry soils cannot adhere to the fibres so easily.

This is not to say that soils cannot adhere to it. Soil retardants slow down the soiling process. In other words, they are an aid, not a solution.

Since soil retardants, being topically applied (on top of the surface), coating the yarn, they are subject to wear from soil and foot traffic abrasion as is the yarn itself. For this reason, cleaning your carpeting as soon as soil becomes visible will prolong both the beauty of your carpeting and the efficiency of the protective treatment. You would be wise to use the hot water extraction (steam cleaning) method.

Cleaning methods that employ brushes and do not rinse the cleaning agent from carpeting are not recommended. Cleaning agent left in carpeting attributes to rapid re-soiling.

From the date carpeting is installed, when should a soil retardant be reapply?

From home to home, there are too many variables to say.

You should know that hot water extraction cleaning does not remove factory-applied soil retardants.

However, the longer you delay cleaning, the more abrasive wear to both the soil retardant coating and to carpet yarn. Therefore, timely, proper cleaning is important. Since high traffic areas get the most wear, reapplication of the treatment in these areas will be required sooner than others. In most homes, the treatment should probably be reapplied to high traffic areas after one or two years.

The most common question I hear is:

Do they work?

Clean Tech recently cleaned carpet in a home that houses two adults, a teenager, and two dogs. The last time we cleaned their carpets stainguard was applied to protect the carpets. It was amazing how easily the soil released itself from their carpet fibres on the last visit.

A carpet protector such as stain guard cannot make soil, food or drink hover six inches above the carpet, but it does provide you with the necessary time to clean up a spill before it can become a permanent stain.

Protectors guard against two things – “Soiling” and “Staining”. Does that mean that a protected carpet or sofa cannot be stained or become soiled?

Of course not; protectors improve the release of spills, soils, and dust.

If coffee or a soda is spilled on a protected area and left unattended to dry, the dyes from these spills will eventually seep through the protector and may stain the fabric; however if the surface is immediately cleaned with an appropriate spotter or by a professional cleaner, the chances are very good that all of the spill will be removed. Dust and soils are easier to remove (from protected carpets) when vacuuming.

Protected fibres essentially have a barrier to lessen the entanglement of abrasive soil within a carpet…thus vacuuming is far more productive. This means you reduce the wear and tear and the abrasive effects of soil within your carpet. Hence, with routine maintenance it will last longer than un-protected carpet.

Are protectors perfect?  No

Do they wear off?  Yes

Do they need re-application?  Yes

Can they increase the life span of carpet and fabrics?  Yes

Do they keep your carpets or fabrics from ever getting dirty? NO

The bottom line is that carpet protectors give you an infinitely greater chance of cleaning soil or spills than you would otherwise have without a protector. Almost all new carpets now come with a protector to help prevent staining or premature wear.

Just as you apply wax to your cars’ finish to protect it from the elements and keep it looking new so should you protect your carpets’ finish by having a protector applied after it has been professionally cleaned. In addition to helping prevent staining, protectors help prevent soils from adhering to fibres which makes your normal vacuuming more productive.

While no protectant is bullet-proof they will allow you a window of time to remove spots and stains.

By protecting the fibres from abrasive soils you will be rewarded with a longer over-all carpet life.

Please call Mike Barrett at Clean Tech on 01485 609223 for a free sample card to see for yourself how stainguard works.