Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Cleaning Jute carpet

Jute
With its soft silky luster, jute is a fine natural fiber. It is best suited to areas of the house such as sitting rooms and bedrooms, rather than the more heavily used areas such as halls and passageways. Jute is a very versatile, adaptable yarn which weaves well, looks and feels good and comes in natural tones. It can also be mixed with wool and linen, enabling more color variations, and improving durability, so the jute/wool/linen mix can be used throughout the home except for in kitchens or bathrooms.
Where you find this fiber in carpets:
Residentially, before the popularity of broadloom synthetic carpets, these fibers were typically used in higher end homes as summer rugs. With the return of hard wood floors in homes these fibers are making a comeback as summer rugs, and being used as carpets by designers in upscale homes.
Commercially, class "A" executive areas and inside high end residential condominiums where traffic is kept to a minimum and luxury is important are also potential areas to find these fibers.
Characteristics:
All natural fiber specialty carpets exhibit one single characteristic that is common to the fibers. When exposed to heat, humidity and sun light they age over time. The ageing process is exhibited in a gradual darkening of the color. Alkaline cleaning accelerates the ageing process creating a browning condition with alkaline residues leading to premature decay (rotting) of the fiber, a condition known as "Dry Rot". Jute can be dyed and is subjected to the same water based staining issues as typical synthetic / natural fibers.
What you need to know to clean:
These carpets are natural fibers with jute and or linen derived from the plant family. As with all plant fibers they are susceptible to damage from high alkalinity leading to browning rapidly and breaking down (rotting) prematurely.
When exposed to hot water solutions they swell very fast loosing dimensional stability and upon drying will not revert to their original carpet dimension.
Flat weave Jute & Jute Blends
100% Jute is typically available in flat weave only since it is a soft fiber with low abrasion resistance and durability. Flat weave jute and jute blends are best cleaned with mild agitation using either rotary or cylindrical equipment. Brushes should be the same Polyester brushes used on
silk and cotton carpet. Note: It is not recommended nor should you ever use Nylon fiber brushes on this fiber, the Nylon bristles will cause irreversible fiber damage no matter how soft you feel the brush is.
Pile weave Jute blends
Blending Jute with Linen and Wool allows for a pile carpet and rug to be made. The blending of the three fibers is performed in the spinning process and provides a yarn that is soft, luxurious and more durable. The durability of the wool lends the blended yarn to the pile process. Pile jute carpets should never be agitated, as the jute in the blend is too weak to resist agitation and will rapidly cause shedding and pilling. Note: Jute has lower moisture absorption than Linen and Wool and will saturate very quickly, when cleaning Jute blends it is recommended that your psi be between 60 and 80psi to avoid over wetting.
Cleaning:
When cleaning Jute fibers use cold water only and mild acid based chemistries. Using hot water and alkaline base chemistries will cause the fiber to brown and distort the weave.
Tools needed:
The following is a list of the equipment you need to effectively clean these specialty fiber carpets.
 Rotary or Cylindrical equipment.
 Polyester Brushes for the equipment.
 Pump up tank sprayer, electric sprayer.
 HWE extractor.
Procedures:
Always thoroughly test the carpet before you begin any procedure. For a detailed explanation and testing procedures refer to Testing Procedures for Textiles.
1. Vacuum the carpet thoroughly in two directions to remove as much dry soil as possible.
2. Thoroughly mix your cleaning chemistries according to label directions. With the exception of an enzyme based pre conditioner use cold water only.
3. Pre Condition the carpet using an Enzyme based pre conditioner to emulsify the oils.
4. Based on the fiber and weave as described above clean the carpet using either a reducing based natural fiber shampoo cleaner or a reducing based natural fiber extraction detergent.
5. Rinse carpet using a non surfactant based acid rinse to remove detergent residues. Call Superior Steam Cleaners at 443-277-7265 or go to our website http://www.superiorsteamcleaners.com/ Homeowners
http://globalindustryresources.com/ other carpet professionals

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Health Benefits for Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Are There Any Health Benefits of Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning?

When spring arrives it seems to be the perfect time to dig into the house that has been closed up all winter to do some extensive spring cleaning. One of the most effective ways of really getting all of the dust, dirt, particulates and allergens out of your home is to have Superior Steam Cleaners perform carpet and upholstery cleaning. All kinds of dirt, grime, bacteria and microorganisms can collect in the fibers of your rugs, carpets and your upholstered furniture.
Superior Steam Cleaners professional carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning can do a very effective job at removing the minute, particulate material that falls out of the air and into your carpeting and furniture, as well as the dirt that gets tracked in from the outdoors by people coming into your home. You are probably already aware of the fact that the more foot traffic, people and pets that are in your house on a regular basis, the more you need to be on top of cleaning carpets and upholstery.
People who have sensitivities to certain substances and are prone to allergies inevitably find that spring is a difficult time for them because of all of the pollen in the air. But, the good news is that you can help lessen their suffering by regularly having carpet and upholstery cleaning done in your home.
Carpeting and upholstery will collect much more than just dust and dirt. The fibers that are used in upholstery materials, rugs and carpets are a perfect breeding ground for dust mites, mildew, mold, fungi, and other microorganisms that can be serious allergens for everyone. Especially for those who have sensitivities already.
When a person that suffers from allergies comes into a home where carpet and upholstery cleaning has recently taken place, they stand a much better chance of relief from their allergies, than if they enter a house where cleaning has not been properly performed.
Upholstered furniture, rugs and carpets that haven’t been cleaned recently will release the built up dust, pollen, microorganisms, etc into the air when someone sits or walks on them. However, when the flooring or furniture has been properly maintained and professionally cleaned, you can ensure that the living environment is much healthier and everyone will be happier as a result.
In addition to its health benefits, professionally cleaned upholstery and carpets will stay looking new and vibrant much longer than products that are not maintained. The properly maintained upholstery and carpets will also last much longer and save you money in the long run.
For more information go to www.superiorsteamcleaners.com