Looking after your new carpet
It is important to remember that carpets do get dirty under normal use. There are, however, simple measures you can take to ensure the lasting beauty of you carpet. Prolong the life and looks of your carpet with these easy-to-follow steps…
- Vacuuming is most important.
- Immediate action should be taken to clean up spillages.
- Professional carpet cleaners should be used in the case of serious accident/spillage or when heavy soiling is involved.
- We advise professional carpet cleaning is carried out one per year.
Give time and attention to the most-used areas of the carpet – entrances, doorways, traffic lanes, around chairs/sofas, etc. They will collect dirt much faster that the remainder of the carpet. Cleaning these areas when they just begin to look soiled stops the dirt from spreading to the rest of the house and can extend the time between professional cleanings.
Vacuuming
Daily vacuuming using a well serviced upright cleaner which incorporates a beater bar/brush head is highly recommended. Vacuuming should begin immediately the carpet has been laid. Daily vacuuming is essential to remove dirt and grit, preventing it from collecting at the base of the tufts where it would act as an abrasive contributing factor to premature wear.
Attend to stains and spills immediately
Most stains and spills are far easier to remove when attended to immediately. Please follow the general advice below.
Periodic professional cleaning
Airborne particles of dust and oils will eventually leave a thin dull film on even unused parts of the carpet. To help overcome this natural soiling, periodic professional cleaning of the carpet is essential. Carpets perform best when properly cleaned by a professional carpet cleaner using specially formulated cleaners developed for your carpet.
Cleaning methods
These are general instructions to help you keep your carpet free from stains and spills. We would always recommend you contact a professional carpet cleaner for further advice.
General procedures
It is important that you act quickly upon encountering a spill!
Depending on the spill, absorb the liquid spills by blotting (DO NOT RUB) with absorbent cloths or plain white paper towels. You can scrape lightly to loosen a hard or crusty type stain, or scoop up soft substances with the dull edge of a spoon or vacuum any loose particles that can be readily removed.
Sponge warm water onto the spill, blot the spill firmly using a sponge or cloth. Repeat this procedure several times, rinsing the sponge or cloth frequently. Take care not to get the carpet too wet and do not walk on the carpet until thoroughly dry. The final process on carpets after following wetting and blotting should be as follows: Place 5-6 layers of kitchen roll on the affected area and place on top a heavy book. Allow to dry over 2-4 hours. The kitchen roll will absorb any stain in the base fibres.
Protection from fading
Fading or loss of colour can occur if the carpet is continuously subjected to strong sunlight. Light protection in the form of blinds or curtains is essential in all sun facing rooms.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR LAMINATE FLOORINGS
Much of the usual entry of dirt can be prevented by providing clean-off zones (mats and carpet runners etc.) in entry areas and including these in routine cleaning.
General care instructions for wood and wood-based floorings
Only ever wipe down laminate floorings with a damp cloth. Wood and wood-based floorings should never be left damp or even wet for any length of time because they absorb water, which changes their shape. Avoiding standing water is therefore vital!
Always work in sections, since allowing the parquet and laminate flooring care product to act for too long can result in the temporary formation of milky patches. You should therefore keep the care product exposure time to a minimum.
Our tip: To wipe down laminate floorings, use only normal floor cloths and soft cleaning rags; do not use microfibre cloths. Because of their special texture, they can leave behind fine scratches, particularly on highly polished surfaces.
Like all wooden components, parquet and laminate floorings react to ambient air humidity. You should therefore make sure that the relative humidity remains between 55% and 65% at around 20°C throughout the year in the area where the parquet or laminate floorings are laid. You might have to implement ventilation or heating measures or measures to increase the air humidity. Ensuring these climate conditions has a positive effect on paintings, wooden furniture, and your personal wellbeing as well as on your parquet floorings.
Thorough cleaning following laying
Remove any coarse particles of dirt from the laminate flooring by sweeping or vacuuming.
Before carrying out thorough cleaning, mask off any metal surfaces, expansion joint profiles, transition profiles, and so on in the covering plane.
Select a suitable care product depending on the flooring. Only ever wipe down the laminate flooring with a damp cloth. Work in sections. Dry off the flooring as quickly as possible using a wrung out cloth.
Our tip: You can dry off the laminate flooring really well in a final step using a soft piece of terry towelling.
Routine cleaning and care
Each flooring is subject to natural wear in accordance with its use.
It should therefore be treated regularly with a suitable flooring care product. This reduces abrasion, makes regular upkeep cleaning easier, and revitalizes the flooring.
Care intervals should be chosen in accordance with the level of use:
- Floorings with low use (for example, in living rooms, bedrooms, and offices without public traffic): Every 2 – 3 weeks as required;
- Floorings with average use (for example, in corridors, on stairs, and in offices with public traffic): Every 2 weeks if required; more frequently for areas with heavier use;
- Floorings with heavy use (for example, in pubs and restaurants, shops, stores, schools, and dance floors): Weekly; more frequently for areas with particularly heavy use.
Our tip: In addition to the care intervals specified here, you should remove coarse particles of dirt from your flooring by sweeping or vacuuming it at least every 2 – 3 days.