Vacuums Are Being Called On The Carpet [Throwback]
Yes, your vacuum may be destroying your carpet.
Carpet has been declining in sales over the new hard surface options available, but it is still something nice and fuzzy to walk on. It is still used as area rugs, in bedrooms, and some large living spaces. With the new innovations in vacuums, many do not work well with the extra soft style fibers that are in the market today.
A brief overview of carpet and fibers
Wall-to-wall carpeting was first made out of acrylic yarns. While these replicated a wool look and dyed well, they did not have good resiliency and were soon replaced by nylon. Nylon at one time was king of all the fibers and is still a large percentage of the market today. Other synthetic fiber types that are in the market, polyester and Triexta, are lower in cost and taking market share away from nylon. The consumer demand for a soft hand has caused manufacturers to produce smaller denier (thickness) fibers and yarns, so a very soft carpet is felt. The most prevalent soft style carpets are Shaw Caress (nylon) and Mohawk SmartStrand Ultra (Triexta). While these soft style yarns have a nice hand, they are not as resilient as their standard counterparts, which has led some companies to reduce their production of them. Many companies are moving to more polyester fibers which have some good resilience, on-trend colors, and excellent stain resistance.
A brief overview of vacuums
The first electric vacuums used a beater bar, that as the Hoover Company advertised, “It beats as it sweeps as it cleans”. These vacuums evolved to better ones that were easier to maneuver and worked well for the wall-to-wall carpet that became popular in the 1960s. Over time, HEPA filters and brush bars improved on the design making them better at removing dust and allergens from the environment.
What does that have to do with me?
Many vacuums today are marketed as “no suction lost” and “extreme clean”. While these are appealing to keep a clean home, they don’t always work with the new carpets that are available. Many of the soft style carpets and new styles of the standard yarns have so many fibers packed into a small space that there is not much air movement from the backing or through the pile itself. So a vacuum that has “no suction lost” will suck the vacuum to the face of the carpet making it extremely difficult to push or pull. Some of the new vacuums available have a very aggressive brush bar. Some of these are marketed as “extreme clean” or “animal” and will hurt your carpet more than help it. If you think about the fibers as hair, the aggressive brush bars are like a wire brush. These aggressive brush bar vacuums will cause severe texture loss by literally combing the twist out of the yarn and will void the warranty on the carpet. While the soft style carpets are most susceptible to aggressive vacuums, I have seen these vacuums affect all styles of carpet.
So, what should I buy?
The Carpet and Rug Institute has created a Seal of Approval program to help guide consumers to vacuums that will work with these new carpets.
To earn the CRI Seal of Approval certification, vacuums must pass the following independent laboratory tests:
Soil removal
Dust containment
Surface Appearance Change
There is a list of approved vacuums at: http://www.carpet-rug.org/certified-vacuums.html
This is not an exhaustive list of approved vacuums. Look for the CRI Seal of Approval on the machine you’re looking at. A good local vacuum store can guide you in the right direction.
Some manufacturers have a list of approved vacuums, other manufacturers guide you to the Carpet and Rug Institute or state guidelines on what to look for in a vacuum.
What do I suggest?
Purchase the vacuum that will work best in your home or business.
An upright, bagged vacuum, in my opinion, works best. “But the stick vacuums are so easy!” They sure are! They also have a very small dust cup and don’t have the suction that an upright or canister vacuum has. Those are best used for hard surfaces or quick crumb pick up on carpet. “But I like my bagless vacuum!” That’s fine! But in order to not put those dust particles back in the air, make sure you empty the canister outside of the home – like in the garage. Bagged vacuums also give you another layer of HEPA filtration (with the proper bag). For people with allergies, this can help keep more dust out of the air.
I have a vacuum, but it doesn’t seem to be working well.
Vacuums are like any investment, they need to be maintained properly. Change the bags when it is 1/2 to 2/3rds full, change the belt, make sure the brush bar is clean, and hoses are clear. If it is a HEPA filtered vacuum, change or clean the filters regularly. An older vacuum works fine as long as it is taken care of. (If you are cleaning your vacuum, does that make you a vacuum cleaner?)
I got a new vacuum, now what?
Congratulations! Make sure it is adjusted properly. If it is not an automatic adjusting head, start at the highest setting and move it down until you can see that it is moving the pile and has a deep, almost airplane jet sound. While there are some sites out there that tell you not to use a brush bar on loop style carpets, this is not necessarily true. Yes, loop styles are more prone to snags and runs, but not using a brush bar can allow soil to become embedded in the backing. NOW, some carpets should be vacuumed suction only. These are the VERY thick shag styles that are seen more in area rugs and wool loop carpets. Vacuuming carpet or rugs made with wool or viscose with a brush bar can result in a fuzzy carpet.
How often should I vacuum?
The rule of thumb on vacuuming is once a week for everything that has feet on the floor. So 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 dog = 4 times per week. While that may not be feasible, you should try for at least once a week and more in the higher trafficked areas. Slow and steady wins this race and go in different directions to pull the most dry soil from the carpet.
What about cleaning?
All manufacturers require you get your carpet hot water extraction cleaned by an IICRC trained professional at least once every 18 months.
Here is a link to find qualified professionals in your area: https://iicrc.org/iicrcgloballocator/
Home cleaners work fine but are no substitute for a professional cleaning and are not approved as an acceptable cleaning to maintain your warranty.
THE BOTTOM LINE
While the purchase of new carpeting is exciting, the proper care and maintenance of it will ensure that you get a lifetime of performance out of it. Using the proper equipment is just as important as the color and style you pick. This article is a short guide to help you get the longest, best-looking life out of your investment.