General Introduction

Growing technology has enhanced the durability of flooring products immensely. Yet, our fast paced world still renders a lot of wear on our floors from spills to the family pet or foot traffic. Regular maintenance and preventative measures can significantly prolong the new look of this important investment. 

The following information is the accumulation of many years of experience, the guidelines of regulatory flooring agencies and the instructions provided by the leading manufactures of flooring products. The manufacturer of your flooring product may have unique guidelines that should be given seniority over the general advice given by Wolfe Flooring. The following guidelines are for regular maintenance, not initial care. Most likely, the initial care your flooring needs is different than regular maintenance. Generally, new flooring products need about 12 to 72 hours after the installation before they are ready for furniture, regular foot traffic, or cleaning of the seams, etc. Techniques, products, etc. change and some situations are very unique; thus, Wolfe Flooring assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome. These instructions may not apply to historic ceramic tile or antique oriental rugs and other very old and priceless flooring relics. Please exercise general caution implementing any of the following guidelines. You're welcome to call us for a specific professional address of your situation.

Rugs

Retain the sales receipt and any product description from the purchase of the rug. If possible, document the manufacturer's name and the manufacturer's full product description. For insurance purposes, its good to have a picture of your new product in a safe place.

Retain extra carpet (if this is a custom rug) for possible repairs that may be needed in the future. Keep the materials in a dry place that stays about room temperature. Do not put this in the attic. Extreme heat can damage the backing and discolor the yarn.

Keep the outside entrance areas (sidewalks, porches, driveways) free of sand and debris.

Non-staining walk off mats are strongly recommended at building entry ways (both inside and outside) to catch most of the soiling. The mass majority of the soil and grit that will fall within the first six feet of the entrances. Use mats on hard surfaces only if possible. Mats should be cleaned recurrently; otherwise, the mats will accelerate the soiling.

Vacuum your rug once per day if it gets regular daily foot traffic. A less used rug should be vacuumed once per week for a residential rug. Commercial facilities usually need to vacuum all rugs once per day or twice per day. Vacuuming should include between three and six passes. Vacuum in a north/south direction and then in a east/west direction to get maximum benefit. About 80% of soiling in rugs is dry particles. The easiest removal of soil particles is before it sifts down to the base of the rug yarn, so we can not emphasis enough how important vacuuming is to protect your flooring investment. (Follow the operating manual of the vacuum cleaner's manufacturer.)

Use a vacuum with a beater bar on structurally sound rugs if possible. Use a brush model with no beater bar if your rug is more delicate or very thin. Adjust the beater bar to the correct height to increase suction. Do not put the beater bar so low that the rug edges are damaged. Especially, watch the fringe of your rugs. The belts and brushes on your vacuum cleaner should be checked occasionally to verify they're in good working order.

Change the bag on your vacuum cleaner as specified by the manufacturer to not over stress the engine and to maintain strong suction.

Be especially careful when handling household chemicals (e.g., food dyes, acne medicine, cosmetics, hair dyes, cleaners, bleach, insecticide, plant food, paint, etc.). These chemicals can ruin the manufacturer's dye. Wolfe Flooring does provide solutions to these otherwise impossible problems.

Tend to stains and spills immediately after occurrence. Stains set with time. Many stains that may be removable will become permanent after six months. See the home remedies stain removal guide for specific instructions.

Be very careful when using any over-the-counter cleaner on rugs. The dye in rugs is oftentimes not as fast as the dyes used for residential or commercial carpet. Furthermore, the yarns for rugs are frequently more delicate than that of residential or commercial carpet. Some of the name brand over-the-counter cleaners will distort the dye and damage the rug's structure. Test the product in an inconspicuous area and leave it for 24 hours. Follow the instructions on the cleaner carefully. Avoid scrubbing the rug pile because this can permanently distort the yarn. 

Have your rug professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Recommendations vary as to which method and as to how frequently. We recommend that you have your rug professionally cleaned before the soiling becomes noticeable. Sand and grit accumulates at the base of the rug pile before it's noticed at the top of the pile. Sand and grit are abrasive to the rug yarn, thus shortening the rug's life span. Another reason to clean the rug frequently is that we spend most of our time indoors. Clean floors contributes to a healthy home and office in many ways including the indoor air quality (IAQ). The average is about once per year for residential rugs and about three times per year for commercial rugs. Entry rugs at commercial properties may need to be professional cleaned every month. Some manufacturer's warranties are void if the rug within time limitations. When rugs are cleaned with a water based method, the water temperature should be adjusted accordingly. (Lower temperatures are safer for dye colors. Higher temperatures are more effective at breaking down oils and soiling .) If a wet method is used, the professional should test the rug for color fastness in a small area before beginning a full cleaning. The professional cleaning company you use should also have the ability to give your rug a completely dry method of cleaning for rugs with unstable dyes.

Apply soil protection like DuPont's Teflon™ to prolong the need for professional cleaning and to prevent the likelihood of stains from setting. (This is not recommended for some oriental style rugs.)

Reflect direct sunlight away from your rug to prevent fading.

Use underlayments under rugs to prevent possible dye transfer and to prevent the rug from traveling.

Relocate furniture occasionally to distribute traffic patterns.

Displace the furniture just a little (about 1"-2") when you vacuum to prevent the rug's pile from being permanently crushed or the rug's backing from being permanently warped.

Clip short yarns that are higher than the pile -- called "sprouts." Do not cut long yarns or put them out, especially if your rug has a loop pile. Long yarns can be retufted.

Tend to repairs immediately to keep repair expenses as low as possible. This is especially true if the repair pertains to reinforcing the backing in some way. NOTE: Some high quality rugs should not be altered even for repairs. Alterations of such rugs can deminish their value.

Change the filters in your air conditioning system regularly.

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by Wolfe Flooring, Inc. of Tampa, FL 33637   All rights reserved.
A Full Service Flooring Company:  Sales, Installation, Maintenance & Repairs
Carpet, Rugs, Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic, Stone, Vinyl, Rubber, VCT
Serving Temple Terrace, Tampa, Brandon, and Surrounding Communities
of Tampa Bay in Central Florida
813-989-2101  or   813-989-2831
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