Shrinking a carpet?

[DaveT159]

The carpeting in my house was installed during the winter, and they
apparently didn't bother heating the area and letting it expand before
installation.

Over the last few years the carpet has developed substantial wrinkles.

Can anything be done to get it to contract? I've already priced having a
reputable company come and trim it, and it's more than I feel like
spending to cure the problem.

Thanks

[Oren]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:20:04 -0600, DaveT159 <dontb...@nospam.com>
wrote:

>The carpeting in my house was installed during the winter, and they
>apparently didn't bother heating the area and letting it expand before
>installation.
>

My guess is it was not stretched (kicked) in very well.

>Over the last few years the carpet has developed substantial wrinkles.
>

My last new house did the same after a few years. The cure was to
stretch it again and trim it. You can rent a "knee kicker" or ones
with poles that will span the room (caution with that one - you can
tear the carpet)

>Can anything be done to get it to contract? I've already priced having a
>reputable company come and trim it, and it's more than I feel like
>spending to cure the problem.

Nothing I've ever seen. How old is this carpet?

[DaveT159]

Ten years old, I bought the house new, and the carpet was tight when I
moved in.

[Oren]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:51:45 -0600, DaveT159 <dontb...@nospam.com>
wrote:

In my case the carpet was about 5 years old when it wrinkled and
became a trip hazard. It was only in the MBR. Using the tools above
it was fixed tight, and freshly trimmed.

If you trip and fall it could cost more than having Carpet Joe stretch
it in again.

[ChairMan]

As Oren said, rent a power stretcher or a knee kick(if ya
got good knees) and take it loose on 3 walls and just
restretch it.
You might be able to get away with just stretching 2 walls,
just depends how loose it is
Oh yeah, rent the wall trimmer too. It will properly trim
the carpet after you've got it to hang on the tack strip,
then just use putty knife(wide) or a cold chisel to tuck the
carpet in

[Stormin Mormon]

You need to stretch your floors to the carpet size.


Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org


"DaveT159" <dontb...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:kuge87$heo$1...@dont-email.me...

[nestork]

Dave:

The carpet didn't expand due to temperature change; it stretched with
use.

I installed all of the carpets in my 21 living rooms, except for one
that I paid to have installed because I had sprained my ankle and
couldn't do the work at the time. And, that carpet was the ONLY one to
ever need restretching.

If the carpet is loose on the floor, you should be able to restretch it
with just a knee kicker. Even though you're supposed to use a power
stretcher on each installation, I wouldn't bother using a power
stretcher for something like this. Also, I wouldn't bother renting a
wall trimmer either because the amount you'll be cutting off probably
won't be enough to even use a wall trimmer. You need the carpet to run
up the wall a few inches at least to be able to use a wall trimmer.
Otherwise the carpet just twists and binds in the wall trimmer.

I'd just pull the carpet back along one wall and cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an
inch or so off along it's entire length with a razor knife, straight
edge and a piece of thin plywood so as not to damage whatever's under
the carpet when you cut. Then just use the knee kicker to kick the
carpet back in.

Now, if you're right handed, you'll be kicking with the right knee, and
so that means you start on the left end of the wall and move to the
right as you kick the carpet back into place. If you're left handed,
start at the right and work your way to the left.

Then, pull back the carpet out along an adjacent wall (perpendicular to
the first wall) and do an encore performance.

The carpet should be tight then.




--
nestork

[nestork]

Dave:

The carpet didn't expand due to temperature change; it stretched with
use.

I installed all of the carpets in my 21 living rooms, except for one
that I paid to have installed because I had sprained my ankle and
couldn't do the work at the time. And, that carpet was the ONLY one to
ever need restretching.

If the carpet is loose on the floor, you should be able to restretch it
with just a knee kicker. Even though you're supposed to use a power
stretcher on each installation, I wouldn't bother using a power
stretcher for something like this. Also, I wouldn't bother renting a
wall trimmer either because the amount you'll be cutting off probably
won't be enough to even use a wall trimmer. You need the carpet to run
up the wall a few inches at least to be able to use a wall trimmer.
Otherwise the carpet just twists and binds in the wall trimmer.

You need to move the furniture out of the room before you stretch the
carpet. It's best if the room is empty except for you and the carpet
installation tools.

I'd just pull the carpet back along one wall and cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an
inch or so off along it's entire length with a razor knife, straight
edge and a piece of thin plywood so as not to damage whatever's under

the carpet when you cut. You cut the carpet from the back, not from the
pile side. Then just use the knee kicker to kick the carpet back in
over the "tack strip". (See PS below) If the carpet is 20 feet long,
you can easily stretch it 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch with some effort using
a knee kicker. You can stretch a 20 foot carpet a full inch easily with
a power stretcher. So, if the dimensions of your room are 10 by 20, cut
1/4 to3/8 inch off the 10 foot dimension of the carpet and 3/8 to 3/4
inch off the 20 foot dimension of the carpet.

Now, if you're right handed, you'll be kicking with the right knee, and

so that means you start on the left end of the wall and work your way to

the right as you kick the carpet back into place. If you're left

handed, start at the right and work your way to the left. That way,
your body weight isn't on the part of the carpet that will be moving.
When you stretch carpet, it behaves somewhat like a fishing net in that
the area right in front of the knee kicker head will stretch the most
and the stretch will diminish as you get further away from the head of
the knee kicker. You want to kick the carpet every 12 inches or so.
Don't try to stretch the carpet near the perpendicular walls because
it'll be held down by the tack strips along those walls. You can start
and stop stretching within a foot or two of the adjacent walls.

The knee kicker will have a dial on it's head which rotates to lower
steel pins. You want those pins to just go into the backing of the
carpet, but not deeper so that they jab into the underpad. There will
also be a finger release on the underside of the knee kicker by which
you can make it longer or shorter, depending on what feels comfortable
for your body size. Place your hands on each side of the head of the
knee kicker with your thumbs pressing downward on the head and the tips
of your fingers about 2 inches away from the wall and pressing down on
lightly on the carpet. When you kick with your knee, try to hold the
head of the knee kicker down with your thumbs. The carpet will jerk
forward and your finger tips will press the carpet down on the
tackstrips as it snaps back. Do that until the cut edge of the carpet
butts up against the wall or baseboard.

If the carpet is 20 feet long, you can easily stretch it 1/2 inch

Do one whole wall first, and then, pull back the carpet out along an

adjacent wall (perpendicular to the first wall) and do an encore
performance.

The carpet should be tight then.

PS: The correct term for "tack strip" is actually "tackless strip".
That's because when the Robert's Company first came out with
"Smoothedge" in the 1950's, it eliminated the need to use tacks to nail
the carpet down around it's perimeter as had been the custom prior to
then. So, "tackless strips" eliminated the need for carpet tacks.
Nowadays, people don't even know what carpet tacks are, so they call
those strips "tack strips". You know someone knows his history when he
calls it a "tackless strip".

PS: In the first Blues Brothers Movie, Jake Blues (John Belushi) throws
a box of carpet tacks out the window of the Bluesmobile to evade the
dozen or so police cars that are chasing him and Elwood.




--
nestork

[bob haller]

the OP reports the carpet is 10 years old. aggresive stretching may rip it.....

at this point live with it, stretch it a little and live with it.....

or replace the carpet. 10 years is a long time for carpet..

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 19:38:13 -0700 (PDT), bob haller <hal...@aol.com>
wrote:

>the OP reports the carpet is 10 years old. aggresive stretching may rip it.....
>
>at this point live with it, stretch it a little and live with it.....
>
>or replace the carpet. 10 years is a long time for carpet..

We just replaced 20 year old carpet - still in good condition but
went to hardwood. Good carpet can last a LONG time. Cheap "berber",
not so long

[nestork]

cl...@snyder.on.ca;3107421 Wrote:
> On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 19:38:13 -0700 (PDT), bob haller hal...@aol.com
> wrote:

> -

> the OP reports the carpet is 10 years old. aggresive stretching may rip
> it.....
>
> at this point live with it, stretch it a little and live with it.....
>

> or replace the carpet. 10 years is a long time for carpet..-

> We just replaced 20 year old carpet - still in good condition but
> went to hardwood. Good carpet can last a LONG time. Cheap "berber",
> not so long

It depends a lot on what the carpet is made of.

Nylon is the strongest fiber that carpets are made of, and so nylon
carpets are the longest wearing carpets. 10 years is not old if it's a
nylon carpet.

Olefin is the least expensive fiber that carpet is made of. My
experience with Olefin carpets is that they last about 15 years, give or
take 2 or 3 years.

You should be able to get 30 to 40 years from a nylon carpet in a
residential setting if it's vaccuumed regularily. Not cleaning your
carpet is the single biggest thing that will shorten it's life because
road grit (if you live near a graven road) will get into the carpet pile
and literally cut the fibers to shreads when you walk on the carpet.




--
nestork

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

And a good wool carpet CAN last 50 years.

[David L. Martel]

Nestork,

What is a graven road?

Dave M.

[US President is the Enemy]

I suggest emptying the room out in the house on a nice hot muggy day. That way the carpet will stretch easier. Be careful else you may have to redo seams.

Then kick the shit out of it.

[nestork]

US President is the Enemy;3107679 Wrote:
>
> Be careful else you may have to redo seams.
>

Hot melt taping a carpet together is not a job for an amateur. I used
to do that, but now when I have to install carpet in a 14 foot by 14
foot room, I buy a 15 foot long, 15 foot wide Berber instead so that I
don't have to do any taping.

I'd tell anyone in this forum that they can restretch their own carpet,
but I'd tell them to hire a pro to hot melt seams back together if the
tape lets go.




--
nestork

[ru...@twitter.com]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:20:04 -0600, DaveT159 <dontb...@nospam.com>
wrote:

It would be far easier to just make the house bigger. Just move all 4
walls outward about 2 inches.

[Oren]

On Thu, 15 Aug 2013 22:41:57 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>> Be careful else you may have to redo seams.
>>
>

I've never had a seam rip.

>Hot melt taping a carpet together is not a job for an amateur. I used
>to do that, but now when I have to install carpet in a 14 foot by 14
>foot room, I buy a 15 foot long, 15 foot wide Berber instead so that I
>don't have to do any taping.
>

What if the carpet transitions into another room with carpet? It
needs a seam (doorway).

>I'd tell anyone in this forum that they can restretch their own carpet,
>but I'd tell them to hire a pro to hot melt seams back together if the
>tape lets go.

I learned as a teenager to seam carpet. Easy to learn - but one needs
to learn from a pro. There is more to a good job than just melting
glue :)

Carpet at one time was sewn together at the seam - now that would be a
skill to have.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Actually a less technical skill - easier to do right, harder to do
wrong - but more time consuming and more labour intensive.

[Oren]

On Thu, 15 Aug 2013 03:24:38 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>PS: The correct term for "tack strip" is actually "tackless strip".
>That's because when the Robert's Company first came out with
>"Smoothedge" in the 1950's, it eliminated the need to use tacks to nail
>the carpet down around it's perimeter as had been the custom prior to
>then. So, "tackless strips" eliminated the need for carpet tacks.
>Nowadays, people don't even know what carpet tacks are, so they call
>those strips "tack strips". You know someone knows his history when he
>calls it a "tackless strip".

Okay. But I can still ask for "tack strip" and get what I want :)

[Oren]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2013 18:13:43 -0500, "ChairMan" <nos...@thanks.com>
wrote:

> rent a power stretcher or a knee kick(if ya
>got good knees)

Yes sir. Carpet installers often have knee, hip, and back problems if
they spend any real time at the job.

[nestork]

'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
> ;3108089']

> I've never had a seam rip.
>

Oh, I'm not concerned about the seam tearing. I'd be concerned about
getting the tape down the middle of the seam. I was always concerned
that the tape would move and by the time I got to the other end of the
seam, there wouldn't actually be any tape under the seam.

And, I was always concerned about pulling the seaming iron out from
under the carpet at the end of the seam, and having it come out like a
great piece of pizza with glue stringers coming off all over the place
just like mozzarella and getting all over the carpet pile.


'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
> ;3108089']

> What if the carpet transitions into another room with carpet? It
> needs a seam (doorway).
>

I'm chicken. I'd either butt two pieces of naplock front to front under
the door, or use aluminum track and push a vinyl molding down between
the two carpets.


'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
> ;3108089']

> I learned as a teenager to seam carpet. Easy to learn - but one needs
> to learn from a pro. There is more to a good job than just melting

> glue.
>

The truth is that there isn't a single thing on this Earth that doesn't
seem easy once you have enough experience to be proficient at it. I
just never had anyone to learn from, and so I figured it out as best I
could on my own, but I learned that berbers were available in 15 foot
wide rolls before I ever became proficient at it.

In my building, there are only 3 apartments that have living rooms wider
than 12 feet, and I find it easier to install a 15 foot wide carpet than
to seam together a 12 foot wide carpet to fit a 14 foot wide room.

One adapts to one's situation as best one can. My situation is
completely different from a carpet installer. If the prospective tenant
doesn't like the fact that I installed a 15 foot wide carpet instead of
seaming together a 12 foot carpet, he can go rent somewhere else. I'm
not the only saloon in town.




--
nestork

[Oren]

On Sat, 17 Aug 2013 01:24:44 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>
>'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
>> ;3108089']
>> I've never had a seam rip.
>>
>Oh, I'm not concerned about the seam tearing. I'd be concerned about
>getting the tape down the middle of the seam. I was always concerned
>that the tape would move and by the time I got to the other end of the
>seam, there wouldn't actually be any tape under the seam.
>

Adjust the forward tape before the iron melts the glue. No hurry. The
piece of tape has color, designated the end of the roll. IDK if it
changed.

>And, I was always concerned about pulling the seaming iron out from
>under the carpet at the end of the seam, and having it come out like a
>great piece of pizza with glue stringers coming off all over the place
>just like mozzarella and getting all over the carpet pile.
>

Flip the hot iron upside down , then set it into the cradle.

>'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
>> ;3108089']
>> What if the carpet transitions into another room with carpet? It
>> needs a seam (doorway).
>>
>
>I'm chicken. I'd either butt two pieces of naplock front to front under
>the door, or use aluminum track and push a vinyl molding down between
>the two carpets.
>

YMMV

>
>'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
>> ;3108089']
>> I learned as a teenager to seam carpet. Easy to learn - but one needs
>> to learn from a pro. There is more to a good job than just melting
>> glue.
>>
>
>The truth is that there isn't a single thing on this Earth that doesn't
>seem easy once you have enough experience to be proficient at it. I
>just never had anyone to learn from, and so I figured it out as best I
>could on my own, but I learned that berbers were available in 15 foot
>wide rolls before I ever became proficient at it.
>

I just fixed my auto AC, Cool!

>In my building, there are only 3 apartments that have living rooms wider
>than 12 feet, and I find it easier to install a 15 foot wide carpet than
>to seam together a 12 foot wide carpet to fit a 14 foot wide room.
>

Agree. Do what makes youse guys happy.

>One adapts to one's situation as best one can. My situation is
>completely different from a carpet installer. If the prospective tenant
>doesn't like the fact that I installed a 15 foot wide carpet instead of
>seaming together a 12 foot carpet, he can go rent somewhere else. I'm
>not the only saloon in town.

!0-4! Roger that.

[Higgs Boson]

When you say"good carpet" do you mean wool or synthetic?

HB

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Both. Good wool or good Nylon can both last a long time. Polyethelene
is crap.

[nestork]

cl...@snyder.on.ca;3109077 Wrote:
>
> Good wool or good Nylon can both last a long time.
> Polyethelene is crap.
>

NEWBIE ALERT!!!

NEWBIE ALERT!!!

NEWBIE ALERT!!!

I'm calling a newbie alert so that the newbies in here don't get the
impression that carpet is actually made from polyethylene.

Carpet is made out of three synthetic fibers; nylon, POLYESTER and
Olefin.

The kind of polyester used to make carpet is called polyethylene
terephthalate or (PET for short) because the plastic consists of
repeating pairs of terephthalate groups bonded to ethylene groups like
this:

-ethylene-terephthalate-ethylene-terephthalate-ethylene-terephthalate-

so, it's realy poly(ethylene-terephthalate), which is a totally
different animal than polyethylene which looks like this:

-ethylene-ethylene-ethylene-ethylene-ethylene-ethylene-ethylene-

Poly(ethylene-tereaphthalate) is a polyester because each terephthalate
group consists of a benzene ring with a carboxylate ester on each side
and it's those ester groups that make PET a polyester.

poly(ethylene-terephthalate) is the plastic that soft drink bottles are
made of, and much of the polyester carpet that's manufactured in the US
today is made from recycled soft drink bottles.

http://chemsrv1.uwsp.edu/macrogcss/pet.html




--
nestork

[21bla...@gmail.com]

I have an 11 year old house & carpet,
with really light use

what would be a cost "range" to stretch my carpet?
maybe 1500 sq ft of carpet

thanks
marc

[Oren]

marc,

The cost will be decided locally. Who moves the furniture?!

Call a local pro (find one doing work for real estate agents) - some
do not advertise.

[Oren]

On Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:22:55 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>Carpet is made out of three synthetic fibers; nylon, POLYESTER and
>Olefin.

What do casinos, restaurants and other public high-traffic places use?

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:22:55 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>

>cl...@snyder.on.ca;3109077 Wrote:
>>
>> Good wool or good Nylon can both last a long time.
>> Polyethelene is crap.
>>
>
>NEWBIE ALERT!!!
>
>NEWBIE ALERT!!!
>
>NEWBIE ALERT!!!

Smartass alert!!!!
Smartass Alert!!!!

>
>I'm calling a newbie alert so that the newbies in here don't get the
>impression that carpet is actually made from polyethylene.
>

Sorry - PolyPropylene. AKA Olefin was the one I was thinking of - drag
a chair across an "olefin" berber and you have a permanent drag mark
melted into the fibre. It has pretty good colourfastness, mold
resistance, and a lfew other good qualities - but it makes a crappy
carpet for living spaces because of it's high friction and low melting
point. It also attracts dirt like a dog attracts fleas. Skin oil from
walking barefoot leaves tracks, and it is terrible stuff to clean -
and it is not nearly as wear resistant as nylon.


And you forgot PTT, or Triexta, or Sorona

>Carpet is made out of three synthetic fibers; nylon, POLYESTER and
>Olefin.
>

And you forgot PTT, (or Triexta, or Sorona) ( poly (trimethylene
teraphthalate)

[Stormin Mormon]

$.01 to $1,000,000,000.00 range.

Lot of factors to consider.

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org

.

[nestork]

'Oren[_2_ Wrote:
> ;3109355']On Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:22:55 +0200, nestork
> nestork...@diybanter.com wrote:
> -

> Carpet is made out of three synthetic fibers; nylon, POLYESTER and

> Olefin.-

>
> What do casinos, restaurants and other public high-traffic places use?

Over 80 percent of the commercial carpet made in the USA is made out of
nylon. Compared to Olefin and Polyester, Nylon is the strongest fiber
and makes for the longest wearing carpets. You can get even longer life
if you choose a LEVEL LOOP nylon carpet because of the natural
resiliency of a loop.




--
nestork

[Oren]

On Mon, 19 Aug 2013 13:21:01 -0400, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:

>>NEWBIE ALERT!!!
>
>Smartass alert!!!!

Eh?!

[Stormin Mormon]

Confused Canadian alert!

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Almost exclusively Nylon. High end hotels may use wool.

[nestork]

'Stormin Mormon[_10_ Wrote:
> ;3109505']
> Eh!
>

"Eh" doesn't count if not said by a Canadian.

Did you know that in Buckingham Palace, the traditional home of the
British monarch, they have carpeting in the hallways. But, only the
Royal Family, visiting dignitaries and the Prime Minister and his staff
are allowed to walk down the middle of the hallway. Servants, butlers
and maids are to walk on the edges of the carpet near the hallway
walls.

Apparantly, the Queen is frugal and she feels that having the staff walk
on the edges of the hallway carpet helps to extend the lifespan of the
carpet by distributing wear uniformly over the entire carpet. The Queen
doesn't want to throw away perfectly good carpeting just because it's
worn out in the middle.




--
nestork

[21bla...@gmail.com]

a related question

what should be done First - carpet shampooing, or stretching?

thanks
marc

[Oren]

marc,

When furniture is moved, stretch the carpet and then have it cleaned.

I would.

[nestork]

It really doesn't matter as neither one will affect the other. Most
inexpensive carpets have a polypropylene backing, and that polypropylene
won't soften if it gets wet because it doesn't absorb moisture. Good
quality carpets will have a latex backing that won't allow liquids to
seep through the carpet to cause stains or damage in the concrete or
wood below, and that latex won't be affected by shampoo'ing the carpet
either.

But, if it were me, I would stretch the carpet first, and then VACCUUM
it, and then shampoo it.

That way:
1.) you're not trying to shampoo a wrinkled carpet, so the work will go
easier
2.) you're not kneeling down on a damp carpet when you're stretching it,
and
3.) the vaccuum cleaner removes all the SOLID dirt (like skin cells,
pollen, paper fibers and such) from the carpet before that stuff gets
wet from shampooing. Once the carpet and the solid dirt are wet, you'll
have much greater difficulty removing that solid dirt cuz of water's
surface tension. Next time you're at the beach, try removing sand from
wet feet and dry feet and see which one works better. It's the same
with carpet. The water film on the carpet pile makes the solid soils
stick like glue to the carpet pile.

Contrary to popular belief, a carpet shampoo'er doesn't clean a carpet
better than a vaccuum cleaner. They are two different tools meant for
removing two different kinds of soils. You need to vaccuum regularily
to remove the solid soils, and shampoo periodically to remove the dried
up liquid spills.

if you don't read anything else in this post, read the following three
paragraphs.

Also, if you're planning on renting a carpet shampoo'er to do the
shampoo'ing yourself, then use only 1/5th of the carpet shampoo that Rug
Doctor or whomever recommends. That's because Rug Doctor (and that
other company too, forget their name) recommend using 5 times as much
carpet soap as the companies that make the carpet soaps that
professionals use. And, if I was a suspicious person, I'd suspect the
reason for that is because they know that if you follow their
instructions, there'll be a lot of soapy water left in that carpet after
you finish shampoo'ing. As the carpet dries, the residual soap will
form a film over all the carpet fibers which solid dirts will stick to,
causing the carpet to get dirty much faster than it otherwise would, and
making regular vaccuum cleaning ineffective at removing that dirt.

Under those conditions, the ONLY thing that will remove that solid dirt
stuck to the soap film on the carpet will be to shampoo the carpet
again, thereby simply replacing that soap film with a new one. And,
when people see how much dirt is being removed by shampoo'ing, and how
much cleaner the carpet is, they're impressed with how clean the rental
machine is getting the carpet. Truth is, most of that dirt wouldn't
have even be in the recovery tank water were it not for the residual
soap left behind the last time the carpet was shampoo'ed; it would have
been removed by vaccuuming. The only reason it's there is because it
stuck to the soap film on the carpet fibers.

But, if you feel compelled to follow Rug Doctor's instructions to the
letter, then at least do a SECOND pass over the carpet with just clean
hot water in the solution tank. That way, you remove that residual soap
film from the carpet so that you break that cycle of having to shampoo
all the time to keep the carpet clean.




--
nestork

[Stormin Mormon]

I've heard that about too much soap. I can imagine
that being the case, and the reasons you state.

As for different kinds of dirt. I have seen plenty
of buckets of mud come out of carpets that were
recently vacuumed. Different kind of dirt? I can't
be sure, but I can be sure that shampooing and
extracting (one then the other) sure does remove a
lot of dirt.

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[Stormin Mormon]

After trying a bunch of detergents and such,
I find that Ultra Tide powder works well.
About one tablespoon per 5 gal bucket of hot
water.

[nestork]

'Stormin Mormon[_10_ Wrote:
> ;3109826']

> I find that Ultra Tide powder works well.
> About one tablespoon per 5 gal bucket of hot
> water.
>

I just use Mr. Clean now. I used ChemSpec Formula 77 for years, but I
can't say that it works any better than any general purpose detergent
like Mr. Clean or Fantastik.

2 fluid ounces of Mr. Clean in 5 gallons of water.




--
nestork

[DerbyDad03]

nestork <nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

> Next time you're at the beach, try removing sand from
> wet feet and dry feet and see which one works better.

Dateline: Atlantic City

A man was arrested after beach goers complained that he was fondling their
feet. He seemed to be alternating between people with wet feet and people
with dry feet. "It was very creepy" said an elderly man from North Dakota,
clad in a bright green Speedo. "It was as if he was trying clean our feet.
He would wipe the sand off, jot something down in a notebook, and then move
on to someone else."

Police say the man did not resist as they led him from the beach, but they
are not sure what he meant when he kept muttering "nestork told me to do
it. nestork told me to do it."

[DerbyDad03]

nestork <nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

...snip...

.
>
> Also, if you're planning on renting a carpet shampoo'er to do the
> shampoo'ing yourself, then use only 1/5th of the carpet shampoo that Rug
> Doctor or whomever recommends.

...and don't buy the shampoo in the racks next to the rental machine. Go to
Home Depot, Lowes, wherever and buy the generic shampoo "for use in all
carpet shampoo machines". It'll be half the cost of the name brand stuff
sold with the machines. I paid $10 for a gallon. The Rug Doctor gallon was
$21.99.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

I usually use either a bit of fabric softener or vinegar in the
final rinse.

[Stormin Mormon]

And the black people phoned their girl friends.

"Some creepy ass cleaner, been following me around."

Pres. Obama said, reading off a teleprompter. "If I
had sandy feet, they would look a lot like mine."

National Rifle Association spokesman, Drain LePier
said "We'd like to remind you that the right to keep
and bear feet, isn't just about visiting the beach.
The Founding Fathers knew that some day we'd have to
walk away from government employed creepy ass cleaners."

Spokesperson Footsie Brady, from the Campaign against
Kicking and Violence was quoted as saying "No one needs
more than ten toes to kill a deer!"

Reporting live from Atlantic City, and now back to
you, Derby Dad 03 ....

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[Stormin Mormon]

I love the wisdom found on this group. Once in a
while, something is really good. This is such a
moment.

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[nestork]

cl...@snyder.on.ca;3109969 Wrote:
>
> I usually use ... a bit of ... vinegar in the final rinse.
>

Clare's right here.

Theoretically, the ideal way of shampoo'ing a carpet is to go over it
with carpet soap first, and then do a second pass with an acidic rinse.

The reason for that is that soap tends to be basic in pH and most foods
tend to be mildly acidic. So, acidic food spilled on a carpet with some
residual soap in it will tend to cause the food to stick better than it
otherwise would.

The idea behind the acidic rinse is to neutralized that alkalinity of
the carpet caused by the residual soap, and even leave the carpet
slightly acidic. That, theoretically, will result in mildly acidic food
spills not sticking as well to the carpet.

You can buy acidic rinse concentrates at any janitorial supply store,
but putting one to two cups of vinegar per 5 gallons of rinse water in
your solution tank before doing the final pass will work equally well.

NOW, there isn't a carpet cleaning contractor in North America that will
do a final rinse unless you pay extra for it. What they'll do instead
is say:
"Not necessay Ma'am. I'm using a friable soap".

What's a "friable soap"?

A friable soap is a carpet detergent that, under laboratory conditions,
dries to a brittle film on the carpet pile so that normal vaccuuming
will remove the soap film from the carpet pile.

The idea here is that once the carpet is dry, normal vaccuuming will
agitate the carpet pile to cause all the flakes of residual soap to
break off and be sucked into the vaccuum cleaner's filter bag. CUZ,
that's what happens under laboratory conditions when they test that
soap.

But, when you have who knows what spilled onto your carpet over the past
6 months, those aren't laboratory conditions. I won't believe that any
soap is truly friable until they test that soap under real life
conditions where they pour the soap onto carpets with dried up milk,
orange juice, vomit and beer in the carpet as well as the usual amount
of dust, pollen and road grit. THEN, if the soap dries to a brittle
film that breaks off the carpet pile easily to be sucked into the
vaccuum cleaner bag, I'll reconsider.

The way it stands now is that it's best to do a second pass with an
acidic rinse, but no one does unless you pay extra for it. But, at
least most professionals don't use so much soap that it creates problems
for the home owner, wherease that could easily happen with homeowners
that shampoo their own carpets with rental machines. And, that goes
double for those homeowners that think: "The instructions say to use 10
fluid ounces of soap per 5 gallons of solution tank water. But, I'm
going to forget where I put this soap the next time I need it, so I'll
pour the whole jug in to get the carpet really clean."

Anyhow, now everyone who's kept up with this thread knows more about
shampoo'ing carpets than 99% of home owners.

PS:
One GALLON of carpet shampoo'ing soap should be considered a lifetime
supply for your typical home owner.




--
nestork

[Oren]

On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 19:13:15 +0200, nestork
<nestork...@diybanter.com> wrote:

>Anyhow, now everyone who's kept up with this thread knows more about
>shampoo'ing carpets than 99% of home owners.

Not exactly.

We have never discussed steam cleaning using a truck / van mounted
unit.

[Norminn]

What about Woolite? That is what I used on a wool Oriental rug
(expensive, and very dirty)....cleaned in place with watering can, scrub
brush, Shop Vac, fan.

We had a vacuum cleaner salesman stop by; my idiot husband let him in
the door. Don't recall the brand, but the price was around $1300. He
did the usual spiel and demo with filter paper to show me how much dirt
my vac. left in the carpet. He was in no hurry, so we chatted quite a
while. Very friendly guy. I asked him if I could have a piece of his
filter paper. Sure. I hooked up my 40 y/o Electrolux, put a piece of
filter paper across the nozzle, and showed him how much dirt HIS sweeper
left on the carpet. :o)

[nestork]

Norminn;3110300 Wrote:
>
> What about Woolite? That is what I used on a wool Oriental rug
> (expensive, and very dirty)....cleaned in place with watering can, scrub
>
> brush, Shop Vac, fan.
>
> We had a vacuum cleaner salesman stop by; my idiot husband let him in
> the door. Don't recall the brand, but the price was around $1300. He
> did the usual spiel and demo with filter paper to show me how much dirt
>
> my vac. left in the carpet. He was in no hurry, so we chatted quite a
> while. Very friendly guy. I asked him if I could have a piece of his
> filter paper. Sure. I hooked up my 40 y/o Electrolux, put a piece of
> filter paper across the nozzle, and showed him how much dirt HIS sweeper
>
> left on the carpet. :o)

I've heard of Woolite, but have never used it. I've never had real wool
carpet in my building or in any of my apartments. However, if the 1-800
customer service phone number on your container of Woolite says you can
use it to clean wool carpets as well as wool fabrics, then I'd use it on
your wool carpet, too.

I used to use carpet soap made by a company called ChemSpec which is a
well respected name in the janitorial services sector of the economy.
But, I've found that their carpet soap really doesn't work any better or
worse than any all-purpose detergent like Mr. Clean or Fantastik.

It's important to use a good quality vaccuum cleaner to remove the solid
soils from your carpet. You can also, however, use a Shop Vac style
wet/dry vaccuum cleaner to clean liquid spills out of your carpet. Just
press the end of the suction hose directly against the carpet pile and
use the air flow through the hose to suck up as much liquid as you can.

You can also go to any Janitorial Supply outlet that carries carpet
cleaning products and buy cleaning chemicals made especially for the
kind of stain that's on your carpet. They're called "spotting
solutions" or "spotters".

Professional carpet cleaning contractors will buy a "spotting kit" like
the one shown below:

http://www.deltacleaning.co.uk/images/spotting%20kit.jpg

That kit will contain anywhere from 8 to 22 cleaning solutions, each one
for removing a particular type of stain; such as blood; ink and toner;
coffee and tea; feces and urine; fruit juices; edible synthetic dyes
such as Kool-Aid or Crystal Lite, etc.

You just go to any place listed under Janitorial Equipment & Supplies in
your yellow pages phone directory that sells carpet cleaning supplies
and ask for a spotting solution for whatever kind of stain you want to
remove.

You read the instructions on the spotting solution and typically spray
it onto the stain with one spray bottle, agitate with your fingers, suck
up the soiled cleaner with the suction hose of your wet/dry vaccuum,
repeat as necessary, spray clean water onto the area with another (or
the same) spray bottle, work the water in with your fingers and then
suck the rinse water out with your wet/dry vaccuum. If you can read and
understand Engrish, you'll be able to remove stains from your carpet
using a wet/dry vaccuum cleaner just as well as any of the professional
carpet cleaning contractors in town can. And, you'll be able to remove
stains far more effectively than by buying one of those $400 mini carpet
shampoo'ers made by Bissell, Hoover or Eureka because not only are you
using a cleaning product made specifically for the kind of stain you've
go, but you have WAY more suction available to you. The more soiled
cleaning solution you get out of the carpet, and the more soiled rinse
water you get out of the carpet, the cleaner your carpet will be when it
dries.

You can't clean an entire carpet that way, but you can certainly get
stains out of a carpet that way.

You don't need to buy an entire carpet spotting solution kit. You just
buy whatever kind of stain remover you need, which is exactly what
carpet cleaning contractors do when they run out of one kind of stain
remover.




--
nestork

[Norminn]

On 8/21/2013 2:54 PM, nestork wrote:
> Norminn;3110300 Wrote:
>>
>> What about Woolite? That is what I used on a wool Oriental rug
>> (expensive, and very dirty)....cleaned in place with watering can, scrub
>>
>> brush, Shop Vac, fan.
>>
>> We had a vacuum cleaner salesman stop by; my idiot husband let him in
>> the door. Don't recall the brand, but the price was around $1300. He
>> did the usual spiel and demo with filter paper to show me how much dirt
>>
>> my vac. left in the carpet. He was in no hurry, so we chatted quite a
>> while. Very friendly guy. I asked him if I could have a piece of his
>> filter paper. Sure. I hooked up my 40 y/o Electrolux, put a piece of
>> filter paper across the nozzle, and showed him how much dirt HIS sweeper
>>
>> left on the carpet. :o)
>
>
> I've heard of Woolite, but have never used it. I've never had real wool
> carpet in my building or in any of my apartments. However, if the 1-800
> customer service phone number on your container of Woolite says you can
> use it to clean wool carpets as well as wool fabrics, then I'd use it on
> your wool carpet, too.
>
> I used to use carpet soap made by a company called ChemSpec which is a
> well respected name in the janitorial services sector of the economy.
> But, I've found that their carpet soap really doesn't work any better or
> worse than any all-purpose detergent like Mr. Clean or Fantastik.

Mr. Clean? Yike! I had looked over the website for a local business
that did only cleaning of Oriental rugs...they explained how they did it
and that they used Woolite. I use it in the washer, as well, on
delicate cycle, cold water, for my wool sweaters. They never bleed dye
with Woolite, so I'm confident about using it on good rugs.

>
> It's important to use a good quality vaccuum cleaner to remove the solid
> soils from your carpet. You can also, however, use a Shop Vac style
> wet/dry vaccuum cleaner to clean liquid spills out of your carpet. Just
> press the end of the suction hose directly against the carpet pile and
> use the air flow through the hose to suck up as much liquid as you can.

Hubby wouldn't help haul the rug outside for cleaning, so I cleaned it
in place. I used the watering can to saturate it first with Woolite,
and then again for rinses, and scrubbed it with the soapy solution on it
and used a stiff scrub brush. Hubby worked in garage at the time and
the blackness of the dirt appeared to be grease, but it came out fine.
I used the regular floor attachment to pick up the water, which it did
very nicely. Afterward, I laid some pvc pipes under the rug to help
speed drying with the fan running....careful not to raise parts up too
high and make ridges when it dried. Dried in less than 24 hrs, looked
great.

>
> You can also go to any Janitorial Supply outlet that carries carpet
> cleaning products and buy cleaning chemicals made especially for the
> kind of stain that's on your carpet. They're called "spotting
> solutions" or "spotters".

I get mine at the pet store for my darling grand-Schnauzer who likes to
leave a gift whenever he visits....last time, he had pooped about a hr.
before I was ready to take him out again. He was resting in the LR when
I called him to go out; he promptly walked over to show me the little
pile he had made by the front door, and then scooted back to where he
had been resting and looked up at me with his "I'm sorry" look. He got
yelled at last time, for urinating right next to me at the computer and
got his nose rubbed in it. Only time ever, never again. If he didn't
get the message, he never will. He spent the first six years of his
life in a kennel, so house-breaking has been pretty successful and he is
a heck of a sweet dog.

[Stormin Mormon]

My church has been using a service that steam cleans
with the van mounted unit. I'm not impressed. I went
over the same carpet with my shampooer followed by
extractor, and got a LOT more dirt out. Oh, I got the
other kind of dirt, that's it.

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[DerbyDad03]

Or using a van mounted steam cleaning unit to clear ice dams from gutters.

My buddy had a steam cleaning unit in his van. In an effort to increase his
income, and considering that few people have their carpets cleaned in that
manner during the winter, he decided to see if he could convert his unit
into an ice dam clearing device.

He fitted a hose with a high pressure nozzle so he could use the hot water
to cut through the ice dams. At that same time I had a serious ice dam
problem with water leaking into my house, so we made a deal. I would shoot
a video as he tested his device on my ice dams so he could use it as
advertising and he would clear my ice dams for free.

Well, I sure got the better end of that deal. His "invention" did a great
job of clearing the ice dams, but the mist caused such a coating of ice on
the ladders, my deck, the ground, the roof, etc. that it was extremely
dangerous. It was bad enough for me just walking around on the ground
filming and moving the chunks of ice that he cut off. It was much, much
worse for him trying to move around on the roof and ladder. He decided that
there was no way he could get insurance for his crew based on the coating
of ice that covered everything.

Oh well, nice try!

[Stormin Mormon]

Thank you, that's one of the rare moments on Usenet when someone posts
an interesting idea.

.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[msufi...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 14 August 2013 10:20:04 UTC-7, DaveT159 wrote:
> The carpeting in my house was installed during the winter, and they
> apparently didn't bother heating the area and letting it expand before
> installation.
>
> Over the last few years the carpet has developed substantial wrinkles.
>
> Can anything be done to get it to contract? I've already priced having a
> reputable company come and trim it, and it's more than I feel like
> spending to cure the problem.
>
> Thanks

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

buy yourself a carpet stretcher and bang up YOUR knees instead of
paying the "robber baron" flooring guys to do the job - or get a
disreputable company to screw the job up for you?