When it comes to cleaning carpets and rugs, one of the biggest mistakes is assuming that every fiber can be cleaned the same way.
Natural fiber carpet cleaning requires a different approach from cleaning synthetic carpets.
There is another reason this is important: natural-fiber carpets and rugs can cost considerably more than their synthetic counterparts. But just as not all beef is the same simply because it comes from cattle, not all wool is the same simply because it comes from sheep.
The quality and characteristics of wool can vary depending on where it comes from, the conditions in which the animals were raised, the characteristics of the fiber and how that fiber was processed. The same principle applies to other natural fibers. Knowing that a carpet is made of “wool” tells a professional cleaner something important, but it does not tell the whole story.
Natural Fibers Require a Different Cleaning Approach
One of the first things I consider when evaluating a carpet or rug is what fiber I am actually dealing with.
A synthetic fiber such as nylon or polyester generally gives a professional cleaner considerably more latitude when selecting cleaning chemistry and cleaning procedures. Natural fibers can be less forgiving.
Wool, silk, cotton, linen and sisal each have their own characteristics, and the cleaning process needs to take those characteristics into account.
That starts with the cleaning chemistry.
The Importance of pH
The pH of a cleaning product is one of the things that should be considered before applying it to a textile.
In my experience, most wool carpets and rugs are best approached with cleaning products in a relatively neutral range rather than with a strongly alkaline detergent or a strongly acidic product. As a general working range, I have found that staying approximately between pH 5 and pH 8 is reasonable for many wool textiles, depending upon the particular fiber, construction, dyes and soiling involved.
Silk is even more sensitive, and I prefer to keep the cleaning chemistry much closer to neutral whenever possible.
Cotton can tolerate somewhat different chemistry and may respond well to a neutral or somewhat acidic approach.
The important point isn’t that there is one magic pH number for every natural fiber. There isn’t.
The important point is that the cleaning solution should be selected with the textile in mind.
Is the Same Prespray Being Used on Every Carpet?
This is where professional cleaning methods can vary considerably.
Many professional cleaners apply a prespray or traffic-lane cleaner to the carpet before extraction. Some will then agitate that solution into the carpet fibers to help loosen soil, while others may not. Some companies may offer agitation as an additional service.
There is nothing inherently wrong with these different approaches. The question I would ask is:
Is the cleaning chemistry being changed when the type of fiber changes?
A professional cleaner who properly identifies the textile can select a cleaning solution appropriate for that particular material.
But there is another part of the cleaning process that can be more difficult to customize.
What About the Rinse?
Many truckmount carpet-cleaning machines have a solution tank that is filled at the beginning of the day with the cleaning rinse solution. That same rinse may then be used throughout the day.
Think about what that can mean.
The cleaner may go from a synthetic nylon carpet in one home to a wool rug in another home, and potentially use the same rinse solution on both.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the cleaning was performed incorrectly. But it does mean the cleaner’s ability to customize the chemistry may be limited by the equipment and procedures being used.
This is one of the reasons I have always liked high-end portable extraction equipment, including the Monsoon machines made by Rotovac Corporation. With this type of equipment, I can select and adjust the cleaning products being used for the particular textile I am cleaning.
If I am cleaning several different types of material in the same home, I can make adjustments from room to room when appropriate.
To me, that is an important advantage: the cleaning process can be designed around the textile rather than forcing every textile through exactly the same cleaning system.
Hotter Doesn’t Always Mean Cleaner
Another common assumption in carpet cleaning is that the hotter the water, the better the cleaning.
Heat can certainly be an important part of professional cleaning. In heavily soiled commercial environments, such as restaurants, higher temperatures can be extremely helpful in accelerating the removal of grease and other difficult soils.
But a typical residential carpet is a different situation.
Much of the soil found in an average home does not necessarily require extremely high temperatures to be removed effectively. In many residential situations, I have found that properly prepared hot water from the home’s water supply can be entirely adequate.
With natural fibers, I believe it is especially important not to assume that more heat and more moisture automatically produce better results.
Excessive heat or moisture can create additional challenges, including the potential for shrinkage or distortion in susceptible textiles. Some stains can also become more difficult to remove when exposed to inappropriate heat.
The objective should not be to use the hottest water possible.
The objective should be to use the appropriate temperature for the textile and the soil being removed.
Don’t Forget What You Can’t See
There is another issue that I believe is frequently overlooked: the backing of the carpet or rug.
When you look at a wool rug, what you see is the face fiber. But underneath those beautiful wool fibers can be another material that reacts very differently to moisture.
I have encountered natural-fiber rugs with jute backing, and this is one reason I personally would be very cautious about purchasing a rug with a jute backing.
Jute can create additional concerns when it becomes excessively wet. Under the wrong circumstances, moisture can contribute to discoloration or other problems associated with the backing, including the potential for color from the backing to migrate into the face fibers.
That is an important distinction.
A rug may have beautiful, expensive wool on the surface, but the backing is part of the cleaning equation too.
This is why I have always emphasized that professional cleaning isn’t simply a matter of spraying something on the top of a carpet and extracting it.
You have to understand the entire textile.
Natural Doesn’t Mean Indestructible
There is sometimes a perception that because a product is made from natural materials, it must somehow be safer or better.
Natural fibers can be beautiful, luxurious and extremely durable when properly selected and maintained. Wool, for example, has been used in carpets for centuries for very good reasons.
But natural does not mean indestructible.
A beautiful wool rug can still shrink. Its dyes can still migrate. Its shape can still distort. Its backing can still react badly to excessive moisture. Silk can be particularly sensitive to improper cleaning procedures.
And these problems may not be obvious until after the cleaning has been completed.
That is why fiber identification, construction, dyes, backing, cleaning chemistry, pH, temperature and moisture all need to be considered together.
My Approach After More Than 55 Years in the Business
After more than 55 years in the carpet and upholstery cleaning business, one thing I have learned is that there is no substitute for understanding what you are actually cleaning.
A synthetic carpet and a handwoven wool rug may both look like “carpet” to a homeowner, but they are very different textiles.
The best cleaning method isn’t necessarily the most aggressive method.
It isn’t necessarily the hottest method.
And it certainly isn’t necessarily the same method that was used on the last carpet that was cleaned.
The best approach is the one that safely removes the soil while respecting the fiber, dyes, construction and backing of the textile.
That is particularly important when you’re dealing with an expensive natural-fiber carpet or rug. The cost of the textile alone can make the consequences of an inappropriate cleaning procedure much greater.
So if you have a wool, silk, cotton, linen, sisal or other natural-fiber carpet or rug, don’t simply ask a cleaner, “Can you clean it?”
Ask them:
“How are you going to clean it?”
The answer can tell you a lot about how well they understand the textile sitting on your floor.
Have a carpet or upholstery cleaning question you’d like me to answer? Ask Alec.
Find out more about the carpet, upholstery and area rug cleaning services we offer at Alec’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning.