photo by Skitterphoto- https://pixabay.com/en/users/Skitterphoto-324082/
One of the things that can happen after you get your carpets cleaned out is that the carpets can start to shrink. This can be terrible news because this can mean that the carpet will be absolutely useless for the homeowner. Usually, carpet cleaning is done to make sure the carpet looks good and is safe for all people who are using it, but sometimes because of simple mistakes, problems such as shrinking can happen.
The problem with carpet cleaning is that the carpets will become shrunken as a result of professional work that isn’t very well done. Usually, this is associated with unlicensed companies who aren’t that great at their job. However, before you want to try and avoid the phenomenon, you will need to understand what causes it to happen in the first place.
The kinds of carpets that are susceptible to shrinkage:
Mostly, there are often two kinds of carpets that are most susceptible to shrinkage after cleaning. The first one is a carpet that typically has a wool face and a layer of jute at the back, interwoven with the fibres of wool. The carpet can shrink however, when the jute is wet, causing the foundation to shrink, and damaging the whole carpet.
The other kind of carpet that can potentially shrink is made out of polypropylene fibre, and also has a jute backing. The polypropylene can’t hold any water at all, so in case of a leak or exposure to water, the water will just slip through the fibres and go down to the jute. This results in a shrunken carpet. If you have either of these carpets, make sure it is checked before the cleaners start working on it.
The mechanism for shrinkage in carpets:
One of the main reasons why the carpets tend to shrink is as a result of unprofessional cleaning. This could either be due to inefficient tools or just a lack of expertise and training. Inefficient tools can’t take all the water out of the carpet after washing, which means that some of it can be left behind, causing shrinkages.
Or, the shrinkage may be a result of the cleaning team using far more spray than necessary before the cleaning. This spray can seep down into the jute and cause further shrinking of the carpet. This causes the jute to swell, expand, and creating stress, leading to shrinking.
Methods to prevent carpet shrinking:
The best way to prevent shrinking carpets is to be careful when you’re hiring a cleaning company. However, sometimes it can be difficult to tell which company out there has your best interest at heart. The good news is, there are many ways for people to check and see whether the cleaning team they hire are actually up to the task.
One such way is to see if the company is trained and licensed. This also shows that they will reliably get your work done. In addition to this, if you work with a company who have the right tools to do the best work, you’ll probably save yourself a lot of trouble. A trained company will always check beforehand if the carpet is compatible with the methods and tools that are being used, so if you’re unsure, make them check it out before the cleaning.