Everything you need to know about keeping up with your carpets
The beauty and life of your carpet depend on the care it receives. Proper cleaning will keep it looking great for its full lifetime, help improve your indoor air quality, and keep your carpet warranties intact. It is recommended to professionally deep clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months to remove embedded dirt and grime.
Homeowner Care and Maintenance
Your selection sheets provide a record of the brand, style, and color of floor coverings in your home. Please retain this information for future reference. Refer to the various manufacturers’ recommendations for additional information on the care of your floor coverings.
Cleaning
You can add years to the life of your carpet with regular care. Carpet wears out because of foot traffic and dirt particles that get trampled deep into the pile beyond the suction of the vacuum. The dirt particles wear down the fibers like sandpaper and dull the carpet. The most important thing you can do to protect your carpet is to vacuum it frequently.
Vacuum twice each week lightly and once a week thoroughly. Heavy traffic areas may require more frequent cleaning. A light vacuuming is three passes; a thorough job may need seven passes.
Vacuuming high-traffic areas daily helps keep them clean and maintains the upright position of the nap. Wipe spills and clean stains immediately. For best results, blot or dab any spill or stain; avoid rubbing. Test stain removers on an out-of-the-way area of the carpet, such as in a closet, to check for any undesirable effects.
Some problem conditions that may occur with your new carpet and our suggested remedies are presented below:
Burns
Take care of any kind of burn immediately. First snip off the darkened fibers, then use a soap less cleaner and sponge with water. If the burn is extensive, talk with a professional about replacing the damaged area.
Crushing
Furniture and traffic may crush a carpet’s pile fibers. Frequent vacuuming in high-traffic areas and glides or cups under heavy pieces of furniture can help prevent this. Rotating your furniture to change the traffic pattern in a room promotes more even wear. Some carpets resist matting and crushing because of their level of fiber, but this does not imply or guarantee that no matting or crushing will occur. Heavy traffic areas such as halls and stairways are more susceptible to wear and crushing. This is considered normal wear.
Fading
Science has yet to develop a color that will not fade with time. All carpets will slowly lose some color due to natural and artificial forces in the environment. You can delay this process by frequently removing soil with vacuuming, regularly changing air filters in heating and air- conditioning systems, keeping humidity and room temperature from getting too high, and reducing sunlight exposure with window coverings.
Filtration
If interior doors are kept closed while the air conditioning is operating, air circulation from the closed room flows through the small space at the bottom of the door. This forces the air over the carpet fibers, which in turn act as a filter, catching particulate pollution. Over time, a noticeable stain may develop at the threshold.
Fuzzing
In loop carpets, fibers may break. Simply clip the excess fibers. If it continues, call a professional.
Pilling
Pilling or small balls of fabric can appear on your carpet, depending on the type of carpet fiber and the type of traffic. If this occurs, clip off the pills. If they cover a large area, seek professional advice.
Rippling
With wall-to-wall carpeting, high humidity may cause rippling. If the carpet remains rippled after the humidity has left, have a professional re-stretch the carpet using a power stretcher, not a knee-kicker.
Seam
Carpet usually comes in 12-foot widths, making seams necessary in most rooms. Visible seams are not a defect unless they have been improperly made or the material has a defect, making the seam appear more pronounced than normal. The denser and uniform the carpet is, the more visible the seams will be. Carpet styles with low, tight naps result in the most visible seams. Seams are never more visible than when the carpet is first installed. Usually with time, use, and vacuuming the seams become less visible. You can see examples of how carpet seams diminish after they have been vacuumed and experienced traffic in the model homes.
Shading
Shading is an inherent quality of fine-cut pile carpets. Household traffic causes pile fibers to
assume different angles; thus, the carpet appears darker and lighter in these areas. A good
vacuuming, which makes the pile all go in the same direction, provides a temporary remedy.
Shedding
New carpeting, especially pile, shed bits of fiber for a period. Eventually, vacuuming removes
these loose fibers. Shedding usually occurs more with wool carpeting than with nylon or other synthetics.
Snags
Sharp-edged objects can grab or snag the carpet fiber. When this occurs, cut off the snag. If the snag is especially large, call a professional
Stains
No carpet is stain-proof. Although your carpet manufacturer designates your carpet as stain- resistant, some substances may still cause permanent staining. These include hair dyes, shoe polish, paints, and India ink. Some substances destroy or change the color of carpets, including bleaches, acne medications, drain cleaners, plant food, insecticides, and food or beverages with strongly colored natural dyes such as those found in some brands of mustard and herbal tea. Refer to your care and maintenance brochures for recommended cleaning procedures for your fiber. Pretest any spot-removal solution in an inconspicuous area before using it in a large area. Apply several drops of the solution, hold a white tissue on the area, and count to ten. Examine both tissue and carpet for dye transfer and check for carpet damage.
Static
Cooler temperatures outside often contribute to static electricity inside. To avoid the problem, look for carpets made with anti-static. You can also install a humidifier to help control static build-up.
Alturas Homes Limited Warranty Guidelines
During your New Home Orientation, we will confirm that your carpet is in acceptable condition. We will correct stains or spots noted at this time by cleaning, patching, or replacement. Alturas Homes will not be responsible for dye lot variations if replacements are made.
Edges
Edges of carpet along moldings and edges of stairs should be held firmly in place. In some areas, metal or other edging material may be used where carpet meets another floor covering.
Seams
Carpet seams will be visible and will not be covered under your limited home warranty.