CARING FOR YOUR CARPET
No carpet is completely stain-proof. However, if you follow our simple maintenance recommendations and stain removal guidelines, then you can help ensure your carpet keeps its good looks for longer.
Routine maintenance
A regular maintenance programme helps to remove soil before it can build up and potentially damage carpet fibre and dull its appearance. Vacuuming should be carried out at least once a week and more often in high traffic areas such as hallways and entranceways.
Professional cleaning should be carried out when your carpet still looks dirty after vacuuming – and every two years at a minimum. You should consult a professional cleaner for the best method of cleaning. Do-it-yourself carpet shampoo machines are not recommended as the associated detergent products can often leave a sticky residue – which attracts soil to the fibre and makes it become dirty more quickly.
Place walk-off mats at all entrances and use carpet protectors under heavy furniture and furniture with castor wheels. Chairs with roller wheels should have protector mats underneath.
If you have wool carpet, then you must vacuum regularly using your vacuum nozzle along skirting’s, underneath doorways and behind curtains and furniture, in order to prevent insect damage.
Dealing with spills and stains
When spills occur it is important that they are cleaned up immediately. Even though some carpet fibres have inbuilt stain resistant properties, no carpet is immune from staining if spills are left untreated.
BEFORE using any recommend stain treatment or remedy, please make sure you have ‘contained the stain’ – firmly blotting up any excess liquid spills with a wad of clean paper towels and scraping up any solids.
And please – NEVER rub or scrub wet carpet as this can cause permanent damage to the pile.
Once you have taken action to remove the worst of the stain, please refer to the appropriate stain guides on the following pages and use the six-step procedure outlined here. Make sure the stain is dry before proceeding to the next step in the order of recommended treatment.
Step 1 Test the recommended cleaning solution on a hidden piece of carpet or carpet mat.
Step 2 Apply a small amount of the selected cleaning solution to a clean white cloth and work in gently. Work from the edges of the spill to the centre to prevent the spill from spreading.
Step 3 Continue using the recommended stain treatment as long as there is a transfer of the spill to the cloth. You
don’t need to use the second or third treatment suggestions if this first one works.
Step 4 Dab (don’t drown) the affected area thoroughly with cold water and blot up using a wad of paper towels
until all of the solution has been removed.
Step 5 Apply a thick layer of white paper towels and weigh it down with a flat heavy object. Continue to change
the paper towels as needed till as much moisture is gone from the carpet as possible.
Step 6 When the carpet is completely dry, vacuum to restore the pile texture.
STAIN GUIDE FOR WOOL AND WOOL-RICH CARPETS
Code Cleaning agents / methods
1 Lukewarm water
2 One teaspoon of wool detergent with one teaspoon of white vinegar and one litre of warm water.
3 Clear household disinfectant.
4 Cavalier Bremworth Carpet Stain Remover for DRY stains. Use only on dry carpet.
5 Chill with ice cubes in a plastic bag. Pick or scrape off gum.
6 Mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of water.
7 Nail polish remover (should not contain lanolin).
8 Surgical alcohol.
9 Place absorbent paper over wax and apply hot iron to paper. Wax will melt and be absorbed by the paper.
10 Vacuum clean.
11 Mineral turpentine.
12 Seek assistance from a professional carpet cleaner.
STAIN REMOVAL GUIDE – WOOL CARPET
| Type of Treatment | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
| Wine, beer, spirits | 1 | 2 | – |
| Bleach | 1 | 12 | – |
| Blood | 1 | 2 | – |
| Butter | 4 | 2 | – |
| Candle Wax | 9 | 4 | – |
| Chewing gum | 5 | 4 | – |
| Chocolate | 4 | 1 | – |
| Coffee | 1 | 6 | – |
| Cola & soft drinks | 1 | 2 | – |
| Cooking oil | 4 | 2 | – |
| Cream | 1 | 4 | – |
| Egg | 1 | 12 | – |
| Faeces | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Floor wax | 4 | 1 | – |
| Fruit juice | 1 | 2 | – |
| Furniture polish | 4 | 1 | – |
| Gravy & sauces | 1 | 2 | – |
| Ink – ballpoint | 8 | 1 | – |
| Ink – felt-tip | 4 | 1 | – |
| Lipstick | 4 | 2 | – |
| Milk | 1 | 4 | – |
| Mud | 10 | 4 | – |
| Mustard | 1 | 2 | – |
| Nail Polish | 7 | 4 | – |
| Oil & grease | 4 | 2 | – |
| Paint ( Oil based) | 4 | – | – |
| Paint ( Acrylic) | 1 | 2 | – |
| Rust | 6 | 12 | – |
| Salad dressing | 1 | 4 | – |
| Shoe polish | 4 | 2 | – |
| Soot | 11 | 4 | – |
| Tar | 12 | 4 | – |
| Tea | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Tomato sauce | 7 | 2 | – |
| Urine (fresh) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Urine (old stain) | 12 | – | – |
| Vomit | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Wine | 1 | 6 | – |
Note: Some spills contain chemicals that may discolour or even damage the carpet fibre or dyes. If you have doubts about what caused the stain, and how to remove it, please contact a professional carpet cleaner.
While this advice is offered in good faith, no responsibility is accepted for claims arising from the recommended treatments.
STAIN REMOVAL GUIDE – SYNTHETIC CARPET
| Type of Treatment | Method |
| Acne medication | 1,3,6,5,4,8 |
| Alcoholic beverages | 3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Bleach | 3,4,8 |
| Blood | 6,3,4 (cold),7,8 |
| Candle Wax | 2,1,8 |
| Charcoal | 9,3,7,8 |
| Chewing gum (freeze with ice then chip away | 1,8 |
| Chocolate | 3,5,4,7,8 |
| Coffee / tea with milk / sugar | 3,5,4,7,8 |
| Cosmetics | 2,1,3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Crayon | 1,3,8 |
| Food | 3,6,4,8 |
| Fruit juice | 3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Furniture polish (water based) | 3,4,1,6,7,8 |
| Furniture polish (solvent based) | 2,1,3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Grass | 2,1,3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Grease | 1,3,4,8 |
| Ink | 2,1,3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Iodine | 1,3,6,5,4,8 |
| Lipstick | 2,1,3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Milk | 1,3,6,5,4,8 |
| Mud | 3,4,8 |
| Mustard | 3,5,4,7,8 |
| Nail Polish | 2 |
| Oil | 1,3,7,8 |
| Paint | 3,6,4,7,8 |
| Plant food | 3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Rust | 5,3,4,7,8 |
| Shoe polish | 2,1,3,6,4,7,8 |
| Soft drinks | 3,6,5,4,7,8 |
| Tar | 1,7,8 |
| Toothpaste | 3,5,6,4,8 |
| Urine (wet) | 3,6,5,4,8 |
| Urine (dry) | 3,4,5,6,8 |
| Vomit | 3,6,5,7,8 |
| Wine | 4,3,5,7 |
Note: Some spills contain chemicals that may discolour or even damage the carpet fibre or dyes. If you have doubts about what caused the stain, and how to remove it, please contact a professional carpet cleaner.
While this advice is offered in good faith, no responsibility is accepted for claims arising from the recommended treatments.
