Nylon Carpet Maintenance June 28, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Care and Maintenance, Carpet , add a comment
It is actually pretty easy to protect your new carpet. Start by checking the manufacturer’s warranty to see what they require. Some manufacturers now demand periodic, regular professional steam extraction to maintain their warranty in force.
According to maintenance studies, up to 80% of soil that reaches your floors arrives with the first 4-6 steps from outside. Equipping each entry with appropriate walkoff mats or entry rugs will dramatically reduce the amount of soil.
Everyone hates vacuuming, but it is your top line of defense in keeping carpet looking its best. Vacuuming needs to be done regularly, with high traffic areas vacuumed daily. Dirt particles have sharp edges that can cut and abrade the carpet’s fibers, ultimately leading to a crushed and matted appearance. Make sure your vacuum cleaner has strong beater bars and good suction. If it has bags, change them often.
Even with regular vacuuming, every carpet should receive a periodic, professional deep clean with hot water extraction. Home models are typically ineffective at removing enough water and cleaning solution, so use a professional!
Spills and spots must be addressed immediately. Blot the spill with a clean, absorbent cloth, working from the outside to the center. Use a neutral pH cleaner and rinse with clean water to remove all the residues. Dry well and vacuum before walking on the spill area.
Cover any oil-based stains completely with baking soda, baby powder or cornstarch, allowing it to sit overnight. Vacuum well in the morning and if there is residual staining, repeat this process and then follow the routine outlined above for water-based stains.
We hope this helps you feel more comfortable about how to maintain nylon carpet!
Bring a Friend, Stretch Your Perspective! June 21, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Hints and Tips , add a commentShopping for flooring can be intimidating. One helpful idea is to grab a friend to take with you. This can be a great idea, or it can backfire. Here are some tips to make shopping with a friend an asset rather than a liability.
Choose carefully. The friend that is so fun to run around with may not be your best choice when making a flooring decision. Does your friend have taste in home décor you admire? Will he/she help you make a good decision or want to take over the decision-making process? Do they help you make decisions or are they more likely to distract you?
Set ground rules. This is your home, not theirs. You want to end up with your own flooring choices. Let them know why you are bringing them along. A friend can help you remember certain characteristics you want that you may forget in the excitement of picking flooring (a reminder that you have children and dogs is helpful when you are drooling over that white carpet). Pick a friend who helps you think through decisions by asking the right questions.
Be prepared. If your friend is proving to be a distracting rather than a helpful element, let yourself either ask your friend to help you focus, or stop the process and come again later by yourself.
Consider a non-friend. Maybe your best helper is not a friend at all. How about your cousin Rita whose home always looks so beautiful? A spouse can be a real help or a challenge – consider past shopping trips when making that decision. How about your mom? Even consider someone you don’t know well, but you know loves home decorating. You may be surprised to find out that they would love to join you. Having finished their home, they may want to have the fun of helping you with yours!
Polyester Carpet Fibers June 17, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Product Education , add a comment
There is great confusion these days about polyester fiber for carpets. When you talk about polyester carpet, do you mean just plain polyester, PET or PTT? Most of today’s polyester carpets are made from PET fibers, which are manufactured primarily from used plastic soda bottles. PET is an improved fiber over the older, original polyester, but it still comes with some of the performance baggage about which you may have heard stories.
The main positives about PET carpets are that when new, they have a great “hand,” which means a particularly soft and luxurious feel. Probably the greatest lure of PET carpets is the price, which is generally inexpensive. Another selling point is the colorfastness and resistance to water-based staining agents. The biggest complaints about this carpet are its propensity to crush and mat quickly – and that oil-based stains are at best difficult – and at worst, impossible to remove.
PTT polyester is a relatively new introduction into the fiber market (by DuPont in 2000) and sold under the trade name Sorona. It has some unique characteristics, like 37% renewable resource content (corn-based) and reports of advanced stain and wear capabilities over older generations of polyester. In fact, because of its unusual performance characteristics in carpet construction, the FTC granted in March, 2009, a new generic carpet fiber name and classification, Triexta. Smartstrand carpets from Mohawk are manufactured from this fiber.
Early reports from both DuPont and Mohawk indicate that carpets made from this fiber will perform to the expectations of nylon, and will also retain the soft feel and stain-resistance of polyester.
We hope this helps you understand more about polyester carpet fibers! To learn more about Nylon, click here!
Nylon Carpet Fibers June 10, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Uncategorized , add a comment
60 years ago, the United States was in a wartime economy. Military fabrics producers were running out of the silk they needed to make parachutes – and the scramble was on to produce a synthetic replacement for silk. The result, originally created by DuPont’s chemical and textile engineers is the nylon we now utilize in myriad industries. Because of nylon’s incredible strength and durability, it made its way into both the commercial and residential carpet manufacturing markets.
Since its debut all those years ago, very little has changed in the essential chemical construction of nylon carpet fiber. Attendant processes though, like dye methods, carpet construction and finishing technologies have undergone regular improvements. The result has been consistent, incremental increases in performance, so that today’s nylon carpets perform exceptionally well, whether in plush (cut-pile) or loop pile constructions.
One of the keys to nylon’s popularity is its dramatic colorfastness. Solution dyed nylon – where the polymer is colored prior to extrusion into filament fiber – is virtually impervious to the effects of direct sunlight or bleach! Even nylon dyed after extrusion is incredibly colorfast, because of the latest stain protection technologies.
When they are constructed, installed and maintained properly, nylon carpets retain their original shape and appearance, providing years of useful life. Besides their ability to resist stain and soiling, nylon carpets also respond well to common commercial cleaning methodologies. Today’s nylon carpets will never actually wear out – they simply get ugly at the end of their useful lives.
Tigressá SoftStyle Carpet June 2, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Carpet, Product Education , add a comment
At Big Bob’s, we want you to be in the know with what’s new and changing in the world of carpet. Shaw Floors has introduced a product called Tigressá. This new carpet has advanced engineered yarn that produces a stong, durable and soft new carpet.
The difference between Tigressá and other carpets is its unique fiber shape. This unique fiber shape helps maintain a smoother appearance and an ultra-soft texture. It also makes it stronger than ordinary carpet.
Other advantages of Tigressá carpet:
- Dense, resilient super-strong fibers show less matting, crushing and wear.
- More filaments per square inch spread out daily abuse over more individual fibers.
- Patented color enhancement system protects each fiber and allows for deeper color and textures.
Click here and you can enter to win in the Tigressá Sweepstakes.
Today Brings….A Poem by Riley Millner June 1, 2010
Posted by Shannonbilby in : Don't click here! , 3commentsToday’s post is a little different than our usual posts…. It’s not about how to decorate a room, how to remove a stain from your carpet or what the different types of flooring and mattress options are, but something far more important! Please take a few moments to read the following inspirational poem by 14 year old, Riley Millner and hopefully look at what today brings for you a little differently! – Thanks, Riley for sharing!
Today Brings…
When I wake up in the morning
I can hear the birds’ song.
It’s the tune that keeps me smiling
And dancing all day long.
As soon as I step outside
I see the wonderful things,
Which God has made for all of us,
So I find joy in that he brings.
The trees then beckon me towards them,
As a small breeze makes them sway.
Their arms of gentle branches
Make me skip their way.
On entering the forest,
I see a golden shine.
It shimmers in, between the leaves,
Into a secret place o’ mine.
I feel a tap upon my shoulder,
And welcome my dear friend.
She teaches me the beauty of life
And how it never ends.
Now, at the water’s side,
The sun begins to set.
The birds start to quiet their hum,
As I sleep with no regret.
Riley Millner
