Berber Carpet Care
Berber carpet care requires a bit more effort than other carpets, but if you like your Berber carpeting, then the attention is worthwhile. The first enemy of Berber carpet is dirty feet and shoes. Food is another "hazard" to Berber carpet's beauty. Your care of Berber carpets is an investment in your flooring investment.
Berber carpeting is a beautiful option to cover your floors for any room in your home. Keeping it clean and stain free is the only way that you can keep it looking beautiful. Taking precautions to help keep your Berber carpeting as clean will maintain its look for years.
The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you buy well-constructed, quality carpet. Better quality Berber carpet, made from wool or nylon, is much easier to clean than a lower quality Berber carpet. That is one reason why you may want to spend a little more on your Berber carpet than you had planned.
Dirty feet are a major enemy of Berber carpeting. That is why you might want to begin a "no shoes" policy in your home by having your family leave their shoes at the door or encouraging them to wipe their feet off thoroughly by putting mats right at the door. Shoes are in contact with all kinds of dirt and grime, like oil, mud, and bubble gum, and not tracking that in will keep your carpet clean. Another rule that you may want to enforce is the "no food or drink on the carpet" rule. Both of these rules are a great way to keep a great deal of the dirt off your beautiful Berber carpets.
Regular vacuuming and stain removal is another key to keeping your Berber carpeting looking beautiful. The thick loops of Berber carpet makes it extremely difficult to clean if a stain gets down into the loops. That's why it is essential that you clean up spills and messes as soon as they occur to keep them from being trampled down or soaking into the carpeting. If your spill is a liquid one, take a clean dry cloth and blot don't rub. The blotting will help remove the excess liquid from your carpeting. If you have a dry spill, you need to pick up as much of the debris and dirt immediately, and then vacuum to remove the rest of it as soon afterwards as possible. The key to good stain removal is to take care of the stain as soon as it occurs, rather than letting it sit and soak into the carpeting fibers. If you have a stain that you just can't seem to remove, then you need to consult a professional carpet cleaner.
Berber carpet care will also usually involve a regular professional cleaning. Due to the dangers of getting Berber carpeting overwet, you may want to leave the cleaning to a professional. This cleaning can help remove some of the ground in dirt and stains that you may not see right now, but they may begin to come to the surface soon. A professional carpet cleaner will understand exactly how your Berber carpeting needs to be cleaned for maximum effectiveness.
A little care and maintenance is the main foundation of Berber carpet care. Preventing spills and messes, regular vacuuming, stain removal, and regular professional cleanings will help you to keep your Berber carpeting looking beautiful and welcoming. Careful attention to the care of your Berber carpet will let you enjoy its beauty for years. Since it's so pretty, it's worth it.
The biggest problem I have seen with Berber carpet is when furniture is removed, or re-positioned in a room. The tracks never go away. Does anyone have a solution for this before we decide to go with a different type?
Don Conner at April 19, 2008 8:12 PMI think what you are experiencing are the problems of Olefin, a petroleum-based product that has a low melting point. That means when you scoot furniture across it, those places melt and leave preferment marks. And yet another reason co go with natural-fiber carpets.
The Flooring Lady at April 19, 2008 10:02 PMWe just recently purchased New Mohawk brand Berber 1 week ago and have had the installer back 3 times due to loops sticking up. It is one of their top berbers in the Aladin line. The foot traffic has been extremely light if not at all. Is this something that should be ocurring so early and is this something I will always have to deal with? This worries me to the point of being afraid to even use a vaccuum on it.
Don N. at April 23, 2008 10:58 PMMohawk Aladdin berbers can be as much as 96% Olefin (a petroleum based product) and 6% Nylon. Their Floor Talk is one line made with this. You probably already know what I think about Olefin. Not knowing the which Aladdin line you've bought, I can't precisely tell what it's made of.
Do you have animals in the home? Their nails can get caught in the loops, causing snags and yes, this will most likely continue as long as pets are in the home. Simply running a sweeper on it shouldn't pose a problem though.
The Flooring Lady at April 24, 2008 8:57 AMWe have wool berber carpet...and two cats. Yesterday, we found a small pool of cat vomit on the carpet that was at least a couple of hours old--it was still damp but had soaked in. We cleaned up as much as we could, but what's the best way to get rid of the discoloration (and the smell of cat food) without damaging the carpet?
L. Clarke at May 26, 2008 11:55 AMI would try using a using cold water first, gently blotting it, I'm sure you'll have to do this several times to wick the discoloration up through the carpet so that it gets absorbed into your blotting material (old towel or whatever you're going to use). Make sure you get up as much of the water possible too to make sure that it doesn't mold or mildew. Berber is very dense, very thick, and this is an issue associated with berber carpeting when you have to clean it.
If the cold water doesn't work, you'll have to try a stain remover or you can try using vinegar & water, which will also deodorize it. After it's dry, you can also put a generous amount of badking soda on the spot, rub it in just a little, let sit a couple of hours and vacuum it up.
I hope some of these ideas help you. Feel free to drop in again and let everybody know how it went.
The Flooring Lady at May 26, 2008 9:59 PMWe spilled marinara on our Berber, a nice big spot. What is the best way to remove the stain? We have tried the blotting and Resolve but to no avail. Suggestions? thanks!
Melissa H at August 6, 2008 11:12 AMThere is a product called StainSolver - it's like OxyClean only better - has more bleaching power, yet is colorsafe. It's great for all kinds of cleaning.
The Flooring Lady at August 7, 2008 10:49 AMShould you turn off the brush of the vacum when vacuming berber carpet and just use the suction to keep it looking new?
dianne sconiers at October 21, 2008 12:57 PMI AM STAYIN AT MY MOTHER IN LAWS HOUSE AND THE ROOM HAS A STAIN IT COULD BE A BURN BUT WHEN I TRIED TO CLEAN IT THE BURBER STARTS TO COME OUT CAN THIS BE FIXED WITH EXTRA BERBER SHE HAS IN THE HOUSE OR A CLEANER? HELP I GOT TO FIX IT....THE STAIN THAT IS
meryl at November 13, 2008 11:12 AMHi Meryl,
Yes, it can be fixed by making a patch from the extra Berber. Sometimes, this will require a professional to repair the area, but if you're very careful, and it's a small area, you should be able to do it yourself if you're careful and take the time to do it correctly.
Use a carpet or utility knife to cut out the damaged area of carpet approximately 2" past the edge of the damaged area. Draw the knife between the fibers so that only the carpet backing is cut. Make your cuts as straight as possible.
Use the cutout as template to cut a patch from a carpet remnant. Make sure the fibers in the patch is going in the same direction as the damaged area.
Apply glue to the edges of the carpet to prevent the fibers from pulling out. Work the glue into the backing, and glue as much of the edge as possible. Let dry for a few hours and put something fairly heavy on the area.
Roll the seam with a "carpet tractor" to blend the fibers and hide the seam. Don't over-do it though or you might cause more damage!
Check the seams to make sure they're glued properly. If not, pull them out gently, and glue them again.
The Flooring Lady at November 14, 2008 6:40 AM