Carpets made of nylon that are marketed as stain resistant have a two-part stain fighting property:
- DYE BLOCKER
It is acid based and for the most part is clear as not to tint the carpet color. This dye is used to fill in holes and such in the carpet fibers. When these are filled it blocks other dyes from getting in such as those found in teas, coffee, fruit juice, and inks. By stopping the dyes from penetrating the carpet fibers, the stain won’t set in, and it can be removed much easier by common home cleaning methods. - FLUOROCHEMICAL
This is the fiber protector commonly marketed as 3M Scotchgard ® or DuPont Teflon®. There are two functions for the fluorochemical. The first is that it helps to stop the spills from getting to the dye blockers. The second part is to resist soils from attaching to the carpet fibers. If the soils are not attached or not attached well they are picked up by common household cleaning. These methods include regular vacuuming and cleaning up after a spill.
Soils act like small teeth when they attach to the carpet fibers. The fibers are then damaged by the continued rubbing of soils on the fibers as traffic moves over the floor surface. By being able to remove the soils you have saved the carpet.
A carpet protector is removed from the carpet by regular foot traffic and by alkaline-based cleaners. Many of the common household carpet cleaners from over the counter also remove the protector.
If you have had your carpets cleaned in the past there is a good chance that you need to have the protector reapplied after your next cleaning.
There are many common mistakes that are made when protector is added:
- Using cheap protector is the biggest problem. They use these to cut corners and the results are that the consumer does not get the proper level of quality and notices that the results were not as anticipated.
- Not applying the product correctly. The proper amount is important. Too little and the carpet fibers are not covered completely. Too much and the fibers are hard and have a crunchy feel
- Many use sprayers that are also used for other purposes. This is a “BIG No-No.” The protector must be pure and not mixed with any other product or have even the smallest contaminant in it.
- This is also one that is all too often done wrong and it makes for a really poorly done job: Grooming must be done just after application to ensure that the protector is evenly applied from the top to the bottom of the fibers.
Reasons to Get Carpet Protector
The best reason is that it buys you time! Children, pets and, yes, even the husband do not run into the room to let you know about an accident that JUST happened! Most often it is done by the ever present “somebody”. When the protector is present it holds the stain from setting into the fibers and allows you to remove the stain.
Another great advantage of protector is that it allows soil to be removed from the carpets, and this prevents the carpet fibers from being destroyed from the soils cutting the fibers. Vacuuming the carpet and releasing the soils from the carpet fibers greatly increases the life of the carpet. Less dirt in the carpet = less damage to the fibers.
Carpet protector makes it much easer to remove stains yourself. Most are removed with just water (or water with just a little Dawn®) and a ShopVac®. Yes, the use of a ShopVac® is better than a rag and a bucket! A lot better because of the extraction and not pushing the material deeper in the carpet
If you find that there is a stain that you can not get out please call us to set up a visit to remove the stain. Be carefulset the stain in! Minimum charges apply, but it is better than a stain being there that could have come out! See our Stain and spot removal page here for additional help. about using over the counter products as many can
At Blue Ribbon there are no High Pressure sales. We show the benefits and then do what the customer wants. There will never be a high pressure sale. I do not like it and have walked away many times because of it. It is our hope that you will use our services. We treat everyone like family.
If you choose to use someone else do not fall for the tactics that are often used in the carpet cleaning business:
- Bait and Switch
- Over-charging for “should be” Included services
- Coupons That “do not apply to you”
- Coupons that do not offer a “thorough” cleaning, so that you should upgrade
If you would like to schedule an appointment, call us today at (912) 604-4470
Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.