Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

On housekeeping, maintenance and carpet care sites are dire warnings NOT to use a rotating brush vacuum because it will 'untwist' and 'fuzzy' the tips.

On the Shaw site, it uses the word "shag" in quotation marks, implying cable,shag, and frieze fall under the same maintenance requirements.

So, what would your top picks be, both vacuums and attachments, for vacuuming frieze,cable, and shag carpet? Some include berber in this suction only maintenance category, along with handmade rugs. So, what do you say should be used, considering some carpets have a 10yr. appearance retention warranty provided the care instructions are followed.  

Hi FloorGuru,

Thanks so much for the info but a lot of this we already know.  As a consumer I'd be glad to learn your suggestions or recommendations as to the best fit carpetwise for various household scenarios.

A single person or a couple without kids usually will find find that the sky's the limit in reard to choice as carpeting in such households generally suffers far less.  On the other hand, in a busy household with kids, pets, etc., there's a lot to deal with and maintenance routines may not always be the best despite even the best of intentions. Mom and pop both may be working and there's no room in the budget for outside help. What types of carpeting and carpet colors serve best there?

Thanks,

Venson

FloorGuru,

"a shampooer with agitating brushes will destroy your carpet"

Would you care to elaborate on your statement???  The recipe for carpet cleaning is: TACT  Time Agitation Chemical Temperature.  In the case of "restoration", (heavily soiled carpeting) some form of agitation is required, be it rotating brushes, or rotary extraction such as the rotovac or hydramster rx-20 to name a couple.  Could a power nozzle also be considered to have an agitating brush??  Any brush can be detrimental to a carpet depending on how stiff the brush is and how long you let it sit in one spot.  However, add a little bit of lubricant (water), the negatives can be greatly reduced. 

I have a training, reference and certification manual for cleaning professionals (carpet and rug care), agitation is discussed, and not frowned upon as you state. 

Your clarification on this would be greatly appreciated!

Vernon

I have a proposed solution for vacuuming "unvacuumable" carpet. If a Sebo powerhead were used with a gentle brushroll, and a 240 volt motor, that would slow the revolutions down by at least half. That should allow some slow, gentle agitation without pulling or tearing at the tufts. Thoughts?

Vernon,

I commend you on the research you have done and the knowledge you have acquired. You have taken this to a whole new level by bringing up that kind of equipment. To clarify, i was referring to home units and units that are rented from a grocery store. The technology has improved most of the home use products beyond the days of the old shampooers so you don't see them much anymore. I vividly remember as a kid using an electrolux model that my parents had bought. Knowing what i know now i never would have let them buy it. The type of products that i am referring to are the ones that you literally lathered the carpet with a shampoo and the machine had brushes that rotated parallel to the pile that just beat the heck out of it.

since you brought them up i will comment on them. please keep in mind, some of this is my opinion and no way a reflection of the quality of the equipment.

The rx-20 coupled along with their boxxer 427 system has received the gold seal from the carpet and rug institute. if you notice, the rx20 does not use brushes and it is a hot water extraction head, not a shampooer. Same goes for the rotovac except  you can change the heads to have brushes. this machine is more typically used in the commercial setting. IMHO, it would destroy any type of frieze or shag with the brushes on it. It may not due it in with one or two cleanings but over time you are reducing the life of the carpet.

The acronym that i know in the cleaning industry is CHAT. Chemical,Heat,Agitation,dwell Time. yes agitation is definitely a part of it, however some machines are better than others at accomplishing this. A lot of cleaners still use a carpet rake to agitate the pile before extraction.

My biggest concern is someone using a home remedy and destroying their carpet not the equipment a trained professional is using. At least if the cleaning technique used by a professional damages the carpet, you have the ability to make somebody accountable.

Two issues at play here.  First, presumably rug/carpet makers produce and sell products that are practical and American consumers want, need and like to buy.  Second, the consumers know and/or should learn the pitfalls of their likes and wants in these rug/carpet products.  Assuming both, then add the following:  Caveat emptor, buyer beware.  If you buy an industry product, regardless of what it is, which is different than the mainstream for products in that industry, then there is a risk involved.  Expect to have added consequences either money, time, effort and/or all the above.  Including difficulty to maintain and use unless you're willing to jump through hoops by the maker. 

Carmine D. 

IMO, the industry as a whole has not educated the consumers very well.

here are a few things everyone looking to buy carpet should know.

there are 3 synthetic fibers used to make carpet. Nylon, Olefin(polyporylene), and Polyester.

Nylon- Extremely durable, nearly impossible to abrasively wear the fiber, extremely resilient, technological advances in stain treatments have greatly improved nylon's stain resistance.

Olefin- Most commonly used in berbers and inexpensive commercial loops. Also used in high end woven patterned pieces from europe under the name of Eurolon. Good resistance to abrasive wear, weak in the resiliency category- it will matt and crush down, extremely naturally stain resistent, virtually impossible to stain the fiber or bleach the color out(it can be done but is difficult to do), low melting point, has an affinity for oil. This fiber is good in loop construction(berbers) for light to medium traffic areas and for areas such as basements where spills are going to hapen from the kids or partygoers.

Polyester- this is the green fiber. a good amount of this fiber is recycled plastics mainly from plastic beverage containers. very naturally stain resistant. resiliency is in between nylon and olefin, good maintenace will dramatically slow the matting and crushing however it is going to happen. the majority of products made from this fiber are of staple yarn construction. it will shed alot for the first 6-12 months and all staple products will shed lightly for the life of the product. The benefit from this fiber is it's natural stain resistance and it costs a lot less than nylon so you can get that thick soft plush on a much smaller budget.

If i had my way the only synthetic fiber that would be used to make carpet would be nylon. olefin and polyester are going to matt, crush and ugly out. if you have a family of 3, you can expect to see this within months and by the time you see it, it's too late to reverse.

The tighter the twist, the denser the pile, the better the carpet. the taller the pile the more it can move.

warranties-

wear warranty- the fiber will not abrasively wear out more than 10 % for the period of the warranty. i have never seena carpet made from a synthetic fiber abrasively wear unless it was severly abused. I have also never had a claim approved for true abrasive wear.

texture/appearance retention warranty- this warranty states the fiber will not lose it's texture as a result of the tufts losing their twist under normal foot traffic. This does not cover matting and crushing. matting and crushing is considered normal appearance change from use and is not caused by the tufts untwisting. The main cause for matting and crushing is soil in the pile. proper maintenance and the right fiber allow this condition to be prevented or corrected. The fibers are heat set to hold their shape and it is a rare circumstance that the process at the mill failed. one of the main reasons the mills recommend or require hot water extraction is the heat helps the pile bloom back up to it's original shape, especially nylons.

stain warranties-surprisingly, these are the best warranties on carpet. they do honor them. you have to jump through some hoops but if you have a legitimate claim, it will be taken care of.

for any performance claim, you have to provide your maintenance receipts. Depending on the fiber/carpet manufacturer, you have to have proof of maintenance at a MINIMUM of every 18-24 months and the last service has to be within 30 days of filing the claim. the consumer is the one using the product and is responsible for maintaining it.

lastly, remember that some of the warranties are prorated and some of them,not all, but some do not cover the replacement labor, they only cover the material.

Thank you much FloorGuru, that's the stuff people need to know.

Best,

Venson

I would say that since Carpet and Rug manufacturers have warrantys you have to abide by then by all means do just that by buying the appropriate equipment for the job... I will push Oreck since i own many of the products, but im sure other manufactures have the same Ideas. Oreck has 2 different full sized canisters that have power heads that the brush can be turned off. In additon to that they have an attachment called a Shag Rake for seperating fibers...there are also new attachments for the uprights that acctually moves the brush away from the carpet..I have one..cost me $10 ..or a chaeper solution would be to just remove the belt to clean those areas..its one screw access.

Tread184 wrote:
oreck has a shag rake...this connects to the vac head? do tell.