A. At TLC Carpet Care in Castle Rock Co we know Berber is not that hard to clean. Actually, Berber is not a type of carpet or fiber, but is how they weave the fibers together. It is designed by its loops and  pile weaving and usually contains small specs of many dyes and color on a light shade of background of the yarn. The first wool Berber area rug was a challenge, but not as difficult as today’s Olefin carpets. Berber has been manufactured with wool, polyester, nylon, olefin or PET (recycled plastic bottles) or with a blend of these fibers.

Understanding the fiber content can be done with a burn test, yet it is not an exact science because there are also wool blends (containing other fibers). One test is the odor test. When wet, does it smell like a wet sheep? If so, it is definitely  wool, and will require an acid rinse carpet cleaning procedure with a pH 7.5 or below steam or encapsulation cleaning and hot water vacuuming temperatures below 170 degrees.

Some textiles of olefin Berber recommend it is safe to clean with bleach. But, TLC Carpet Care in Castle Rock Co says bleach is hazardous to breathe and difficult to rinse from the carpet. Bleach can also compromise the original dye structure.Having said all this Olefin is one of the most commonly sold Berbers and easy to clean because it is oleophilic (oil loving). Traffic lanes can be especially challenging where oxidation has taken place. Heavily soiled olefin Berber is best cleaned with this process:

1. Thoroughly vacuum carpet with house hold vacuum.
2. Pre-spray with a acid based pre-conditioner boosted with oxygen bleach and solvents. TLC Carpet Care can help with cleaning sand help you with the proper chemical mixtures. Rule of thumb - use a sprayer size where you add 10 oz. of pre-spray, 2 oz. of oxygen elements booster and 2 oz. of a citrus solvent to the container or sprayer of water.
3. Pre-scrub the carpet with a  bonnet (sprayed with the pre-conditioner) after a 30 minutes chemical dwell time. The carpet cleaning project must remove over 100% of the visible soil, or it will require an additional treatment and agitation . Attempt to keep the carpet as dry as possible by not over-wetting with solution. Use caution on seams as they are vulnerable to separation at the fibers end.
4. If using a rotary 360 extractor, disconnect the vacuum cuff and scrub the carpet edges without triggering the water. This will accomplish a good agitation of the fiber prior to extraction.
5. Steam Clean with high temp. water with an acidic rinse added according to directions.
6. Either after extraction or after waiting a  day, lightly spray an encapsulation carpet cleaner on the carpet and bonnet clean with a slightly damp or dry bonnet.
7. Facilitate drying by using an air blower.