Carpet Cleaning Warrington | Carpet Cleaners in Warrington
Services > Stain Protection
How to protect your carpets and sofas from future spillages
Does Carpet & Upholstery Protector Do What People Say It Does?
I am forever being asked… does that protector stuff work? My answer is yes. Provided you do not expect absolute miracles.
In most cases, it is amazing to see a spillage sit there on the surface, ready to be wiped away. There are others when it is not quite as effective (when someone knocks over a whole tin of wood stain onto a carpet, it can struggle!).
Types of Carpet and Upholstery Protectors available
There are two types of carpet protectors… topical (sprayed on separately) and “in-tank” stain blockers.
The first one is the “topical” spray-on sort. Many people refer to this as Scotch Guard, but it is just a brand name (like when people say “Biro” or “Hoover”).
Available in spirit-based or water-based varieties, the topical protector is a soil repellent that coats the outside of the fibres.
Like a “plastic mac” For Fibres…
Applying the solution
Using a hand pump with a wide spray, we apply it all over. Starting at the rear and working our way around.
First pass, we apply south to north.
In the second pass, we apply west to east.
The third pass is all over.
We need to do it this way to capture every fibre.
The curing time can take around twelve hours.
We suggest an annual service to ensure this protection works to its maximum capability. Things such as UV light can reduce its efficiency.
But how much does this cost?
Normally, it will be the same cost as the cleaning itself, but this depends on the fibre. Such as long pile compared to short pile.
It’s a bit like putting a plastic Mac on each fibre. This is most peoples’ idea of protector because spillages “bead” and sit on the surface (like raindrops on a newly waxed car).
The other type of protector is referred to as a “stain blocker”. This works in a slightly different way.
Imagine if your carpet or upholstery fibres were put under a very powerful microscope. Most fibres would look like sponges with lots of tiny holes in them. These are called “dye sites”. This is where the dye goes when the carpet is coloured during manufacture.
The trouble is that not all of the sites are filled with dye. Many are left empty and this is where the trouble comes. They are just waiting to be filled with curry or boiling hot tea and coffee spills. Once they get lodged in its nigh on impossible to move them.