When carpets are installed, the room is measured to ensure the carpet touches wall to wall and covers the entire area. However, if you have noticed that over time there are gaps developing at the edges of the carpet, this is usually due to shrinkage and the carpet has now pulled away from the carpet strips that hold the carpet in place. Carpet shrinking is a common problem and can occur in new or old carpets. For those who may be wondering why their carpet is shrinking, Carpet Care 2000 will share what causes carpets to shrink and what you can do to avoid your carpet from shrinking in the future.
Carpet Types Prone to Shrinking
There are two types of carpet that are prone to shrinking: Axminister and Wiltons. However, these aren’t the only types of carpet that will shrink. Axministers carpet uses a wool face with a jut backing and Wiltons are made with polypropylene face fibers which are also held together with a jute backing. Both are prone to shrink when exposed to moisture and bad carpet cleaning techniques.
Why Does Carpet Shrink?
The number one cause of shrinking is due to poor cleaning techniques and improper cleaners and machines. Carpet, when exposed to “hot” temperatures, will shrink. This often happens when the carpet is steamed cleaned with water that is too hot. Even though it is called steam cleaning, hot water is never used. Certain cleaning solutions react to the various materials differently. The wrong solution is another major cause of shrinking. Make sure you know what cleaner to use before cleaning the carpet or you can shrink your carpet. For example, many people will used laundry soap for carpet. This is a big mistake. Laundry soap causes shrinkage and most of the soap remains inside the carpet causing dirt to build up quicker if not rinsed out completely. Another cause, although not very common, is humidity. Frequent humidity inside the home dampens the carpet and the heat inside the home can cause the carpet to shrink. Again, this is the least common reason for shrinkage. It mostly happens in homes that use a humidifier during the winter combined with the heater. This combination is the perfect recipe for shrinking carpets.
How to Prevent Carpet Shrinking
To prevent carpets from shrinking, first know what type of carpet you have in your home. Know how to properly clean it. Learn what cleaning solutions can be used as well as the proper carpet cleaning techniques to help avoid your carpet from shrinking. Another alternative is using a professional cleaning service to deep clean your carpets.
Carpet Stretching & More in Tracy, Livermore, San Ramon, Dublin, Mountain House, Walnut Creek, Danville & the East Bay of California
Carpets can be stretched out and secured back in place. To do this yourself, you’ll have to remove the carpet, the carpet strips and the pad. You will then need to install new strips and padding and use a special carpet iron to stretch the carpet back out and re-secure the carpet in place. Better yet, you can contact Carpet Care 2000. We provide carpet stretching services and can help recover your carpet. To have your carpets professionally cleaned, stretched out, or recovered, along with many other services, contact Carpet Care 2000 to schedule our services today.
