Q. Does your carpet look dirty around the edges?

Carpets can develop dark marks or soiling around the edges, around doors and under air vents. This is often due to an accumulation of small particles borne in the air or poor fitting.

Simple vacuuming or washing does not generally get rid of the problem and often specialist cleaning is required. Identifying the particles that cause discoloration can often require expert analysis, sometimes under laboratory conditions.

Q. Does the carpet show signs of wear sooner than expected?

Quantifying what constitutes premature wear in a carpet is not always straightforward. As there can be a number of contributing factors, an expert inspection is often required to determine the exact cause.

Factors can include; poorly fitted or inappropriate underlay; irregular vacuuming of parts of the carpet subject to heavy foot traffic, allowing for the build up of dirt and grit that break up carpet fibres or manufacturing faults. Samples can be tested on machine that duplicates hundreds of foot impressions every minute.

Q. Does the carpet have ‘pools’ of lighter or darker shades?

Shading or pile reversal results in parts of the carpet or rug looking distinctly darker or lighter depending on the viewer’s position.

This is usually the result of the pile changing direction in places in response to electrostatic charges in the surrounding air.

Unfortunately this is not often rectifiable and most manufacturers have a disclaimer to the effect that they can not be held responsible. 

Q. Are holes appearing in the carpet?

Insects such as moths and carpet beetle are often responsible for eating out irregular holes in carpets and rugs. Both are mobile and can move from room to room.

An initial inspection and often sampling and testing will be required to identify the specific pest causing the problem so that the appropriate treatment is identified.

Q.  Is the carpet shedding small balls of fluff?

Known as pilling, shedding or fluffing, this is when fluffy particles appear on top of the carpet.

The problem is often the result of either loose threads of fabric being left in the carpet during production or fibres that have worked their way loose due to weak twists or snags in the material. The cause and severity can usually be ascertained by an on-site inspection.

Q. Is the carpet lifting off the floor surface or rippling?

This is often caused by delamination, or in other words when the latex adhesives used to fix the carpet to its backing become oxidised, making them go hard and brittle.

Eventually the adhesive breaks down and separates from the carpet itself. This process can also be exasperated by significant and regular wear, particularly when heavily laden carts or trolleys are frequently rolled over the carpet.

An on-site inspection is usually sufficient to establish the cause and whether it is down to age, high usage or faulty fitting.

Q. Has the carpet lost colour or changed appearance after cleaning?

If the carpet it over-wetted during the cleaning process colours may appear to run or ‘bleed‘.  This can be down to a range of factors and successfully identifying the cause may require on-site inspection and testing.

Common factors include weak or excessive dye being used in the manufacturing process. There is also the possibility that dyes can be affected by levels of sunlight or the presence of chemicals or fumes.