Ask any long-time Sydney residents about their northern beaches: carpets are not only a matter of convenience. They are memory keepers. That Persian runner your gran passed down; the fading shag from the 1970s tells stories rather than only fibers and colors. But what happens when those memories are buried behind decades of dust, stains, and what looks like the aftermath of a kids’ birthday party gone crazy? Now enter the knowledge of professional carpet cleaners—the people who transform worn-out carpets back into appropriate scene-stealers.
One could believe an old carpet belongs in the skip. North Shore cleaners dispute this, though. Tom Reeves, whose family has been deep cleaning everything from kilims to wall-to- walls since the 90s, adds “Old carpets almost always can be restored.” Tom says the secret is recognizing the nature of your carpet, not expensive devices or harsh chemicals. Wool calls for mild care. One silk even softer. Synthetic: suitable for experimentation.
The pros do it like this:
They begin by doing a colorfastness test. Not a humiliation like color running quicker than a child at cleaning. Next on schedule is a careful vacuuming. With a Dyson, this is hardly a sloppish run. It’s slow, patient, usually top-to- bottom, pulling up not only dirt but also the grit gradually chewing away at fibers. Next is spot treatment, depending on the perpetrator. Red wine, then There is a trick combining patience and club soda. pet marks? If you act quickly, enzyme cleaners will spare you major headaches.
Do not overlook the rinse phase. Many people overlook the fact that left-over soap draws dirt more quickly in future “More carpets are ruined by soap residue than by spills,” North Shore technician Mary Patten explains. Low-moisture steam is used by professionals almost exclusively to extract almost all of the rinse water, so guaranteeing short dry times and reduced likelihood of that musty “forget-me-in-the-basement” scent.
Carpet Care Specialists Mosman
50 Yeo St, Neutral Bay, NSW, 2089
(02) 8311 3724