A CLEANER CARPET CHRONICLE
Published exclusively for clients of A Cleaner Carpet Cleaner
JULY 2015
“The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” – Patrick Henry
In This Issue
Do You Have Wrinkles?
Firework Viewing Safety
Are We There Yet?
FE AND H
A SA
A
E
Y
PP
HAV
Recipe: Perfect Summer Fruit
Salad
Client Testimonials and
Quick Tips
FROM ALL OF US AT
A CLEANER
CARPET CLEANER
301.774.4455
301.730.1620
www.carpetcleaner.com
Call now for a FREE estimate!
Carpet Cleaning
Upholstery Cleaning
Tile and Grout Cleaning
Drapery Cleaning
Guaranteed Pet Odor Removal
Scotchgard Carpet and
Upholstery Protector
Natural Stone Polishing
Emergency Water Extraction
Do You Have Wrinkles?
Occasionally, we get calls from clients who
have wrinkles or ripples in their carpet.
Sometimes it is in a fairly new carpet that
has had little traffic. Other times it is an
older carpet that developed ripples over
time. So what causes these unsightly
conditions, and can they be fixed?
WRINKLES are usually seen in new
carpet immediately after installation
and are localized to one end of the
carpet. Carpet wrinkles are areas
where the carpet has been folded
or crushed during storage.
It is best if this condition is
identified before the carpet
is installed. If possible the
wrinkled portion of the carpet
roll should not be used.
The carpet retailer or installer
may tell you to wait and the wrinkles will
relax over time. However, this is not always
the case. Wrinkles not only affect the
surface yarns, they go all the way through
the carpet backings and may be permanent.
Steaming and grooming the carpet can
improve this condition, but results will
vary based on the type of carpet yarn,
backing, and the severity of the wrinkles.
RIPPLES are small waves that usually
appear from few months to a year
or more after the carpet is installed.
The most common reason that carpet
develops ripples is installer error. Often
an installer will save time by using a kneekicker rather than a power-stretcher.
This results in inadequate stretch and
the potential for ripples to develop as the
carpet relaxes.
Another reason for ripples is carpet
that was not properly acclimated to the
structure prior to installation, especially if
the carpet was installed in cooler weather.
A carpet needs to acclimate to normal
room temperature and humidity for at
least 48 hours before installation. It is
difficult to stretch cold carpet, so as the
carpet warms and absorbs atmospheric
moisture, it will relax.
Not all wrinkles are
quite this cute!
Occasionally, carpet will develop
ripples immediately after cleaning. The
cause is moisture absorption into the
adhesive layer between the primary and
secondary backings of the carpet. Even
though the ripples appear after cleaning,
the root cause is improper stretch of
the carpet during installation. Once the
carpet dries completely and acclimates
to the normal temperature and humidity
of the home, the carpet will lie flat. This
can take up to 48 hours. In rare cases,
the ripples may persist.
The only way to fix rippled carpet is to
stretch the carpet again. Re-stretching
requires training and patience. Often it
is more difficult to re-stretch a carpet
than it is to stretch it right the first time.
If ripples are ignored for too long, the
carpet will develop buckles.
BUCKLES are large ripples that form
peaks and or wrinkles through the face
yarns and carpet backing. Even if the
carpet is re-stretched, the damage from
buckles may still be apparent. Steaming
the carpet and grooming the pile yarns
may help to minimize the appearance of
the damage.
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