What You Need To Know About Carpet Stain Protection

What You Need To Know About Carpet Stain Protection

Many of us know that there is a need to have carpets protected from stains, but most people neglect this because there is an additional amount of money involved in giving complete stain protection to carpets. What is carpet stain protection, and how does it really work? This post will delve deeper into understanding what carpet stain protection is all about, and offer useful information about this form of carpet treatment.

What really is stain protection, and how does it protect my carpet?

There are various brands created for this treatment, but they generally provide a protective layer around the fiber of the fabric used on the carpet. There are two ways in which this is done. The first is applied while the fiber is in the milling process.  This means that the layer is ‘baked’ in when manufacturing is being done. It takes longer for such layers to wear out.

The other method is done after cleaning the carpet, or when the carpet is entirely new. The product is water based and is applied by the use of a hand spray. As it is water based, it tends to wear out faster than the one applied in the milling stage. The idea is to make a coating that repels against liquids (both water based and oil based), hereby making it hard for particle stains to stick on the fiber, and thus making it easier to clean the carpet.

Does the carpet become completely stain resistant?

To a large extent, most of the stains will come off relatively easily for a carpet with such protection, but it does not guarantee 100% stain-free protection. The treatment, for example, will not work against turmeric and pet’s urine. In addition, the type of treatment used will also determine the degree of protection.

Today, most upholstery come inclusive of some degree of stain protection, but some spills end up staining the carpets all the same. Brighter nylon material used to manufacture carpets will work very well with this layer of protection at manufacturing level, as the dyes used here do not penetrate the fabric enough to cover all the pores. Use the treatment and your nylon carpet’s brightness will last much longer.

How safe is the stain protection?

The original ingredients of the products used for stain protection, PFOA and PFOS were said to bring about some environmental and health concerns for humans and animals as well. The agent does not decompose in water or nature, meaning that it posed as a danger for very long.

However, companies like 3M replaced their treatment with a newer Scotchgard containing an environmentally friendly PFBS ingredient; non-toxic and decomposing if ingested.

How long does the fabric protection last?

The mill applied version of the protection will last up to 5 years when normal wear and tear patterns prevail. The one applied after manufacture, say after cleaning the carpet, will last up to 2 years. Vacuuming on a regular basis is encouraged as it keeps the abrasive effect of soils and particles away from the coating. In addition, hot water cleaning processes will also not harm the protection, so it is safe to use such methods to have your carpets cleaned.

Are there carpet fabrics that should not have such protection?

Fabric protection will have no effect on some of the fabrics we use today, including white wool rugs, acrylics, items that should be dry cleaned only, non-color fast rugs and polypropylene materials. You can always do a test on an inconspicuous area to find out what the reaction will be like on the carpet.

If you want to know more about best carpets with stain resistance, talk to us today.