Soniclean vacuums

Vacuuming Carpets

Regular, proper vacuuming habits can help ensure that your carpet looks and feels its very best for many years. Using the wrong vacuum on your carpet, or vacuuming incorrectly or too often can actually cause more harm than good. Here are 4 tips on how to vacuum your carpet properly.

1. If you only vacuum in one direction, you're not removing all of the dirt and dust. Some of it can hide under carpet fibers, and vacuuming in both directions—north and south, and east and west—will ensure you thoroughly extract the dirt and debris from your carpets. For best results, alternate the direction that you vacuum every other time you clean your carpets. For example, if you vacuum Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, vacuum from north/south on Monday, east/west on Wednesday, and back to north/south on Friday.

2. Take your time. Vacuuming slowly will allow your machine to suck up more dirt and dust, and ultimately get your rugs and carpets much cleaner. Slow vacuuming allows the brush and the sonic bar to agitate the carpet properly and efficiently extract the dirt and debris from the carpet pile.

3. Don't wait until you can see the dust to start cleaning. Dirt can pile up underneath the fibers at the bottom of the rug long before you notice it. Set a regular vacuuming schedule and stick to it.

4. Clean your room from the top down, and back to front. This is one of the main techniques taught to those who work in the hospitality/cleaning industry. If you dust after vacuuming (clean from the bottom up), your carpets and rugs will immediately be replenished with a thin layer of dust, making all of your hard work moot. Foot traffic can deposit dust and debris from your shoes onto the carpet. If you vacuum the farthest corner of the room from the doorway back toward the doorway, you can make your vacuuming routine far more efficient. Plus, if you have thick carpets that leave footprints, this technique will leave your room looking pristine and devoid of footprints.

Shedding & Sprouting

The first few times you clean your new woven floor covering you may become concerned over the apparently large amount of “fluff” which your vacuum cleaner has picked up. This is a very natural condition in all new floor coverings, especially with carpets made of 100% wool or wool blends. It is brought about in two ways. Carpet yarns are composed of different lengths of fibers. Regardless of how thorough the carpet manufacturer is in the shearing process, a few of the short fibers obstinately remain in the face of the carpet. These loose fibers migrate to the surface and are picked up by your vacuum cleaner. Also, due to atmospheric conditions, the moisture content of the carpet might be somewhat low. This condition may give slightly more than normal fluffing.

However, as your carpet starts to re-absorb moisture from the atmosphere and has been thoroughly vacuumed a few times, the tendency to fluff is greatly lessened, if not virtually eliminated. The initial loss of this fuzz does not harm the carpet in any way. Don't think that your floor covering is slowly "coming apart". However, using a vacuum with a stiff brush roll can permanently damage the carpet fibers and cause the carpet to look worn after a short period of time. Our best recommendation is to consult with your carpet retailer and/or carpet manufacturer on which vacuum cleaner is recommended for your specific type of carpet.

Occasionally, yarn protrudes above the pile, due to extra-long tufts or pieces of backing material or stray tufts of a twist-weave fabric unravelling. In loop pile fabrics, extra-long tufts may appear. Using scissors, clip these ends level with the pile surface. NEVER PULL THEM OUT! With good quality carpets, sprouting is not cause for alarm. It does not indicate a defect. The life of the carpet is in no way affected.

Regular Carpet Care

Factors such as the number of people or pets in your household should determine the frequency rate of cleaning. On average, most areas should be thoroughly cleaned with a vacuum cleaner at least once or twice a week or more often if the occasion demands. Be sure to pay more attention to vacuuming frequently traveled areas such as in front of doorways.

Most carpet manufacturers require one professional cleaning via hot water extraction method every 18 months to keep your warranty intact. If you need recommendations on who to call, please reach out to one of our sales associates.

When vacuuming area rugs, avoid using a vacuum with a brush roll over the edges and tassels, as these can get stuck in your vacuum and/or damage the edge of the rug. Carefully vacuuming along the edges of your carpet with a straight-suction vacuum attachment, on low suction power, is the best way to avoid damaging the rug's seams/edges.