Soil Protection by Teflon & Scotchgard (Scotchguard)- Tampa flooring for Carpet, Wood, Ceramic Tile, Laminate, Stone, Vinyl, etc.

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Soil and Stain Protection

Today, most carpet has soil protection and stain resistant qualities. However, the abrasion of foot traffic and activity gradually wear the protection off in about 2 to 4 years. The necessary maintenance of vacuuming and professional cleaning also play a part. Solutia, the makers of Wear-Dated carpet, say, "Normally, [the application of a soil Protection] is not necessary until the carpet has been steam cleaned at least three times." The soil retardant's loss is accelerated by the use of cleaning solutions that are not stain-resistant safe. Usually, these chemicals contain chlorinated solvents, are not cationic formulas, and have a pH level of 10.1 or higher. Most professional cleaning solutions on the market today are designed to preserve the built-in stain protection as are all the primary products used by Wolfe Flooring.

Available Protectors. Two of the most innovative corporations in the world hold the majority of the market share in carpet protectors: DuPont and 3M. There are other less known brands (some water-based, some solvent-based) like Chem-Dry® Protectant used by the Chem-Dry® carpet cleaning franchise, Fiber Treat Carpet Protectant, Afford 200+ Carpet Protectant, SpinShield, Thermax Carpet Protectant 8000, Protection Plus, Safe-T-Shield, Fabric Pro, Fiber-Shield®, Winsol Guard 690+, Fibre-Tec, SuperShield, and others. Some brands contain DuPont's Teflon® like Fabri-Guard and Carpet Guard. Wolfe Flooring makes no comment for or against these alternatives. Our comments are focused on the two name brand products we offer: Teflon® Advanced carpet protector by DuPont and Scotchgard™ Protector by 3M.

Defined. What are these products? Teflon® Advanced carpet protector and Scotchgard™ Protector are water-based, anionic fluorocarbon. There are silicone-based carpet protectors as well which cost less, but their use may void the carpet manufacturer's warranty. Anionic means that these products have negatively charged ions. A fluorocarbon is a neutral series of fluorine and carbon compounds that are very heat resistant. These products are applied as a liquid and turn into a solid. Teflon® has a 6.0 pH. Application can be a factory-application or topical-application. The factory-application has a more powerful bond. Neither product contains CFC's and are safe to use around kids and pets. Both products are color safe and dry as invisible shields. Both protectors are used on apparel and home furnishings in addition to most carpet yarns: wool, nylon, polyester, and acrylic.

Scotchgard™ Protector Improved. Scotchgard™ Protector has been used since 1956. Recently, 3M reformulated their product to be better than ever. Scotchgard's™ new formula is now free of perfluorooctanyl sulfonate (PFOS) and has enhanced acid stain resistance.

Benefits. As mentioned on the previous page. Teflon® Advanced repels water, oil, and dirt similar to wax on a car or Teflon® on a cooking pan which gives the following benefits:

Vacuum is more successful because the dirt does not cling.
Our professional cleaning will not be needed as frequently.
Stain removal is more success because Teflon® Advanced resists moisture penetration and hinders the stains from setting.

Limitations. No carpet is stain proof. Teflon® Advanced carpet protector and Scotchgard™ Protector both explicitly state that, although their after-treatments can help immensely, they will not make you carpet or upholstery stain proof. Protectors should not be used as a substitute for regular vacuuming.

Warranties. Both Teflon® Advanced carpet protector and Scotchgard™ Protector offer a limited one year warranty. We do NOT recommend the warranty programs to our commercial clients, including our property management customers, because non-residential buildings and rental properties are immediately excluded. (This may be due to the fact that the identity of stains can not be determined.) We do NOT recommend the warranty programs to our residential clients because the warranty certificates cost extra and the warranties have too many disclaimers. Looking at the warranties will help frame the benefits and limitations of these remarkable products. First, the warranties cover only certain types of stains that occur within one year. General soiling and stains from dyes, inks, medication, bleaches, corrosive liquids, fertilizer, insecticides, or natural disasters (e.g., floods) are excluded. As a professional carpet cleaner, we consider these constraints reasonable. These stains can alter the chemistry of the yarn and factory-applied dyes. If a stain occurs other than the types just named, the company will pay a professional cleaner like Wolfe Flooring to attempt the removal. If the stain removal is unsuccessful, the company will refund your original purchase price of the carpet protector. No carpet replacement will be made. No repair costs will be covered. The small print continues, but these are the major points.

Possible Scams. There are three scams that you could be easily taken by. First, a cleaner could use an untested off brand that doesn't really work. Second, the technician can water down the mix beyond the proper 1:4 ratio. There is a great motivation to do this for the dishonest person because Teflon® Advanced is expensive at wholesale. A gallon should be mixed 26 oz. of Teflon® Advanced with 102 oz. of water to make one gallon (i.e., 128 oz.). Lastly, the technician could sell the product by the room and then spread the mixture thin. The proper application on damp carpet is 200 sf. per gallon. The best way to avoid such vulnerability is to do business with people you trust.

Recommendations. The soil protectant ought to be applied immediately after the cleaning to preserve the refreshed appearance. We strongly recommend that the application be made in the high traffic and high-risk areas like the dining room and the childrens' rooms. In the selected rooms, we also suggest that the application be to the traffic areas only. That is to say, we do not recommend that the stain retardant along wall edges, room corners, underneath beds, etc. Thus, a 15'x20' room (300 sf.) may not use a full gallon. After the application, the carpet is groomed with a carpet rake to thoroughly coat the individual fibers and set the yarn. Both Teflon and Scotchgard™ Protector dry stiff. One vacuum will return the carpet to its usual softness.

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