Cleaning your Berber Carpet
Berber is not a type of carpet, but a type of weave. Berber carpet simply means that the fibres are a "loop" weave style, generally with the same height loops. But Berber carpet can also be made with various heights of loops, or it can be mixed with cut loops (pile) of the same or different height. Modern Berber carpets usually contain small flecks of dark colour on lighter shades of background colours. They are typically in a plain colour mix with no pattern, and are relatively cheap and durable (dependent on material); so they are popular for areas with relatively heavy use, such as offices.
Modern Berber carpets are made from a range of materials. Nylon, Olefin (polypropylene) and wool are the most common materials, and the size of loops and cut pile varies for each manufacturer. Carpets with blends of the different materials are also available.
Wool. As it is made from the wool of sheep it is naturally hypoallergenic and non-toxic, easy to clean, and stain resistant. It is also more expensive than nylon or olefin.
Nylon. The majority of carpets you can purchase are made from nylon. Nylon is a synthetic fibre and is easy to clean, especially if it has been treated with acid dye blockers and stain repellents. It is the
strongest fibre that Berber carpets are made of, and it is non-allergenic. It is also both soil and mildew resistant and perfect for heavy traffic rooms. On the down side, nylon fabrics can pill and are prone to static, and are more expensive than olefin.
Olefin. Olefin is the most popular fabric used in Berber carpeting. Since it is resistant to moisture and mildew, it is often used in basements. Since it looks and feels similar to wool, it is a cost-effective fibre. Olefin is colourfast because the material is dyed before the carpet is made. Olefin can flatten easily and fades in direct sunlight from windows.
Cleaning Berber Carpets.
As the carpet is stain resistant, it is easy to surface clean. The carpet is also dirt resistant as the style of loops makes it hard for dirt to get deep down into the carpet.
However, the carpet is difficult to deep clean. This is because the carpet is so dense and it draws dirt to the bottom of the fibres and traps it there. It is hard to remove this dirt from below the surface because of the loop weave and the twist of the loop being larger at the top than at the bottom. This makes it's very difficult to extract the dirt with a vacuum cleaner or even a professional wet extractor.
Wool Berbers weaken when wet, and all Berber carpets can suffer from “browning” if they are over-wetted or are dried too slowly (see our separate article on the browning effect under ‘Cleaning’). Alkaline cleaning substances can also contribute to browning.
Therefore it is important that Berber carpets are cleaned using the right cleaners, using steam extraction, and with the steam vapour being dried as quickly as possible.
This is why Best 1 Carpet Cleaning have invested in our powerful truck mounted machines, which use high temperature steam and high airflow extraction to remove the maximum amount of dirt and moisture from the carpet.
How Best 1 Cleans your Berber Carpet
We recommend that you get rid of as much of the dry soil as possible by dry vacuuming. Each room should be vacuumed thoroughly, spending 5-10 minutes on each room. Particular attention should be given to hallways, which usually have a high concentration of particle soil.
- Best 1 pre-condition the carpet with an appropriate solution and leave the pre-conditioner on the carpet for an appropriate dwell time.
- Best 1 uses cleaning solutions with a low pH to prevent alkaline browning of the carpet. We apply the cleaning solution to the carpet in the pressurised steam from the truck mount system via the cleaning
wand. The wand is stroked over the surface to apply the steam, and then to extract the soiled cleaning mix.
- When a carpet is heavily soiled, Best 1 use a Hoss 700 rotary head wand, connected to the truck mount system, to apply and remove the cleaning mix.
- Best 1 always use a double pass of the wand over a Berber carpet to ensure maximum moisture removal.
- Best 1 can use air movers to blow air over the main traffic area to accelerate the drying time.
- Best 1 then use a carpet rake to groom the fibres and lift the pile. This prevents any streak marks appearing in the carpet from the wand strokes and can also help with drying.
Drying Times.
In all the procedures that Best 1 use to prepare and clean a wool or fibre Berber carpet, we always refer back to dry times. This is because short dry times are critical in preventing “browning” when steam cleaning this type of carpet.
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE, EQUIPMENT AND
EXPERIENCE
Poorly trained or inexperienced cleaners, with the wrong cleaning substances or equipment can easily “brown” and ruin your Berber carpet.
This is why it pays to use a carpet cleaning company like Best 1, that has been in business for 15 years, and has the knowledge, the expertise, the right equipment and the experience to take care of your valuable Berber carpets.
So always call Best 1 Carpet Cleaning; a cleaning company that takes pride in its equipment
and results.