There are a couple common misconceptions we here at Greenway run into on a regular basis. Unfortunately, sometimes these myths are propagated by under trained or poorly informed third party vendors. It's too bad because the people who lose out are clients who run into problems later on!
Myth # 1
"I shouldn't Tuftguard (protect) my wool carpet because there's a natural lanolin coating that protects it already."
False! After wool is sheared off the sheep, is goes through a process called scouring. Scouring removes vegetable matter, dirt, impurities, wax, grease (lanolin) and sweat (suint) with detergents and hot water. After the wool is scoured, less than 0.05% of the lanolin remains on the wool. If lanolin were left on the wool, this natural grease would cause it to smell and the rug would resoil incredibly rapidly. Because wool is, in fact, hair fibre and can be dyed easily, it is incredibly important to protect it. Imagine coloring your hair and having a shower after. Your hair is clean, yet it remains permanently dyed. Sometimes we run into this permanent redying when cleaning wool carpets that have been exposed to dyes (wine, tea, coffee), especially ones that haven't been protected! A coating of Tuftguard will act as a barrier, helping to stop dyes from entering the hair fibre and damaging it.
Myth # 2
"You should wait for as long as possible to clean a new carpet, as it will resoil quickly after it is cleaned."
False! The origins of this myth are uncertain, but I would guess it has to do with improper product applications by uncertified cleaners. High alkaline detergents used by some carpet cleaners are sticky by nature. That is how they attract soils in order to clean. If these sticky detergents are not rinsed out and neutralized with an acid, they will remain sticky in the carpet and cause rapid resoiling. At Greenway we use neutral Ph cleaners and have no need of an acid rinse, however, any certified cleaner should have been trained to leave a carpet in an acidic state. Don't just take my word for it, when you purchase a new carpet consult the warranty! Most manufacturers recommend having your carpet cleaned every 12-18 months. In fact, some warranties will become void if you do not have them cleaned by a certified firm along the guidelines set forth in the warranty. A carpet that hasn't been cleaned in years (or sometimes a decade) will often have permanent damage. A properly cleaned carpet will NEVER resoil more quickly than before.