Many cleaners have a love/hate relationship with olefin Berber carpet.
We love how it cleans up, but hate the problems we can have after cleaning.
If you use the same procedures and
chemistry to clean olefin Berber, nylon Berber and wool Berber, you
could end up with problems.
Berber is a style of carpet that
originally was the name of wool loop carpet made in England. Today, it’s
the name for Berber “style” carpet that is one of several different
face yarns.
Olefin is a very common fiber of choice for Berber styles.
Olefin is practically non-absorbent —
making it naturally stain resistant — as it only absorbs one-tenth of
one percent of its weight in moisture.
This causes problems, however, with typical spotting.
A spill on olefin, because it is almost
non-absorbent, can run down to the lower part of the fiber or the
backing without being absorbed by the fiber.
Nylon or wool, unlike olefin, will absorb much of the substance before it reaches the backing.
This is not to be confused with dry particulate soil that must be vacuumed and that can work its way down into any carpet pile.
The spills have now created unseen stains that can be sitting below the surface waiting to come to the top.
Some migrated below the surface during
the original staining, while others were on the surface and were wiped
off or worn off with vacuuming or foot traffic.
When we clean using hot water extraction, the olefin loops are moistened.
This moisture provides a route to the
surface for the “slush” that has been created by mixing our water with
the unseen spill material in the carpet.
Olefin itself doesn’t wick the soil, but
the moisture that is sitting on the outside of the fiber provides a
great ride to the top for the spilled material.
The surface soils have cleaned off
beautifully, while the sub-surface materials are on their way up to the
surface to cause the cleaner heartache.
Just as they weren’t absorbed on the way down, they’re also not absorbed on the way back up.
You get a call next day: “My carpet looks terrible! I think you ruined it. It has spots on it that weren’t there before!”
Best cleaning practices
- Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum and vacuum again. Pull up as much dry particulate soil as you can, “the easy way.”
- If wet cleaning, use a preconditioner designed for olefin. They
do work better on olefin. Being oleophilic (oil loving), the oxidized
oily soils on the olefin fiber can be a tough nut to remove. (See “An
unhealthy appearance” sidebar)
- Don’t apply as much preconditioner on olefin as you would on
nylon or wool, because the olefin fibers won’t absorb the chemical. You
don’t need as much and you don’t want it running down the fibers.
- The surface of serious spill type stains can be bonneted off
with a cotton pad or wiped off with a towel after preconditioning. You
will prevent the material removed from being pushed down into the carpet
with the water pressure of your wand. This isn’t always needed, but
it’s better to be on the side of caution and do it too often rather than
not enough.
- Sometimes, if you don’t have a rotary machine, vacuuming with
your wand after preconditioning will remove 30 percent to 40 percent of
the staining material. That means less to get pushed down into the
non-absorbent fiber. (The idea is to have all the cleaning motion to be
in the “up” direction, not “down”)
- At this point you can re-apply (if needed) another light mist of
preconditioner and agitate the face pile with a grooming brush.
- Turn down the water pressure, perhaps in the range of 200-250
psi. The soil should be sitting there waiting to be rinsed off the
surface. You don’t need or want a lot of pressure.
Who’s going to pay?
Now, you’re thinking, “How much do I charge for all these steps? I think we’re up to $1.50 per square foot by now.”
It doesn’t take as long as it sounds and not every carpet will need these steps.
However, even on the lightly soiled ones, extreme vacuuming is needed, along with using less preconditioner and pump pressure.
Final rinsing and drying
Depending on your dry stroke technique, you may need to change it for olefin Berber.
If you rinse all the way across for
eight feet or so and then come back to dry stroke, you will want to
change so that each rinse stroke is immediately followed by one or more
dry strokes.
This removes your cleaning solution and soils before they have a chance to work down the carpet pile.
Rinse with a slightly alkaline to
neutral product through the machine. An acid after a high alkaline,
which is what olefin prespray is, can leave a whitish look from salts
that can form.
Bonneting with a cotton pad can assist
in the drying, as the wand sometimes bounces over the surface and leaves
a layer of moisture.
Bonneting, on olefin Berber, can help
clean between the uneven loops where the wand couldn’t go. It can also
help prevent wick-back of spots.
Use airmovers, and get it dry — fast.
Encapsulation
Thus far, we have addressed mainly hot water extraction with olefin
Berbers. This is because HWE is the most common cleaning method,
especially in residential settings.
Another effective way to clean olefin
Berber, if you have the equipment, is encapsulation using a rotary
machine and a bonnet pad.
Typical bonnet cleaning methods would apply here.
It’s very effective at cleaning, and also does a good job at preventing wick-back.
One caution: Be sure to rotary only
dampened, lubricated carpet fiber. Etched olefin from pads or brushes
spinning cannot be removed without resorting to carpet repair
techniques.
It’s not all bad
Some understanding of olefin and how it works can make dealing with it much easier.
Olefin is great for family rooms that get heavy “kid use,” or for rental homes, because of its natural stain resistance.
It’s perfect for areas that are prone to water-based stains.
