Area rugs prone to wrinkle

[JHK]

I’m new to this forum but 25 year owner with several techs in Florida.
I’m the past, we had a rug washing plant but stopped that part of our company after a comprehensive profit report over several years.
We currently clean only on location: area rugs, carpets, upholstery,
tile.
We know what type of rugs should only be cleaned in a rug plant and we refer those out.
This thread is only to talk about rugs that can be safely cleaned on location using hot water extraction and wrinkle or buckle after cleaning and sometimes right after pre-spraying.
We are getting very good at identifying these potential problem rugs and get a release from our clients before cleaning so that’s not the issue.
Most rugs that do wrinkle after cleaning can have various surface fiber and/or blends: polypropylene, acrylic, polyester, nylon, wool, cotton, and…. the dreaded Viscose.
There doesn’t seem to be any common thread.... why a rug will or won’t wrinkle with respect to the rugs surface yarns. Or how expensive the rug is. We service mostly multi-million $ homes but some of those rugs are cheap and some are expensive.
It’s just very random whether or not it happens.
We live in humid south Florida so before we clean we always make sure clients A/C settings are proper for drying.
Seems like more and more rugs are doing this past few years.
Pictures are from our jobs, 1 rug shown is not wrinkled but is the type that would and client declined cleaning after given risks.
Your thought and or experiences…

 

[FredC]

Welcome!


and before Chavez runs you off I'd just like to say you really should update your website.



(no ssl redirect, not mobile friendly/old design elements, literally have to click "contact us" to find a ph#, etc)

 

[Cleanworks]

I’m new to this forum but 25 year owner with several techs in Florida.
I’m the past, we had a rug washing plant but stopped that part of our company after a comprehensive profit report over several years.
We currently clean only on location: area rugs, carpets, upholstery,
tile.
We know what type of rugs should only be cleaned in a rug plant and we refer those out.
This thread is only to talk about rugs that can be safely cleaned on location using hot water extraction and wrinkle or buckle after cleaning and sometimes right after pre-spraying.
We are getting very good at identifying these potential problem rugs and get a release from our clients before cleaning so that’s not the issue.
Most rugs that do wrinkle after cleaning can have various surface fiber and/or blends: polypropylene, acrylic, polyester, nylon, wool, cotton, and…. the dreaded Viscose.
There doesn’t seem to be any common thread.... why a rug will or won’t wrinkle with respect to the rugs surface yarns. Or how expensive the rug is. We service mostly multi-million $ homes but some of those rugs are cheap and some are expensive.
It’s just very random whether or not it happens.
We live in humid south Florida so before we clean we always make sure clients A/C settings are proper for drying.
Seems like more and more rugs are doing this past few years.
Pictures are from our jobs, 1 rug shown is not wrinkled but is the type that would and client declined cleaning after given risks.
Your thought and or experiences…

View attachment 110384 View attachment 110385 View attachment 110386

You will see that in a lot of polypropylene rugs. Usually because of the cotton foundation. When they say a rug is 100% poly, they mean the face fibre not the foundation or any backing material. The good news is they usually go back to normal when dry. Wool, viscose, even polyester can do the same thing.

 

[JHK]

I understand that issue, however, it does happen to a wool face rug with a synthetic latex carpet backing. Most all of these rugs have are bound also.
The bad news is that in south Florida, most rugs do not go back to normal after dry, even a week or more later.

 

[Ron K]

"We know what type of rugs should only be cleaned in a rug plant and we refer those out."

Huh?

 

[JHK]

heavily soiled, hand woven, silks, sensitive dyes, heavy urine rugs, problem rugs over sensitive flooring.

 

[Captain Morgan]

and before Chavez runs you off

Chavez? Really? ... Jimmy or hogjowl are bigger culprits to run people off the board. But everybody takes their turn.

 

[Jimmy L]

HISS!

 

[Cleanworks]

I understand that issue, however, it does happen to a wool face rug with a synthetic latex carpet backing. Most all of these rugs have are bound also.
The bad news is that in south Florida, most rugs do not go back to normal after dry, even a week or more later.

High humidity can cause issues. We have a moderate humidity here and very few problems. Most rugs I do in the shop but I do clean the odd polypropylene rug on home. Never have any issues. I'm surprised you found rug cleaning not to be profitable. I would think you have a lot of rugs in Florida.

 

[Mikey P]

1.Shrinkage:
Woven area rugs may shrink or buckle after cleaning. This is usually due to different materials used in the rug’s construction which absorb water at different rates resulting in expansion of some fibers and not of others. Certain rugs are more prone to shrinkage and some rugs may shrink uniformly so you may never notice.
The risk of shrinkage may be lessened, but not completely eliminated, through the use of low moisture cleaning methods.
Shrinkage prone rugs should be professionally cleaned, “in-plant”, where properly trained technicians and specific equipment is used to mitigate shrinkage issues .

2. Edge curl or waves:
The edges of some woven rugs can curl or wave due to variations in the construction or weave pattern. Both typically observed after cleaning or when high humidity is present. Rugs that exhibit this tendency would be best cleaned “in-plant” where humidity and other potential issues can be controlled.
Typically, this will self-correct in a few days. If the curling does not relax completely, you can try one of these fixes:
Placing the rug face down, roll the rug up as tight as you can and secure it with rope or tape for a few days.
Use a clothes steamer (not an iron; they are too hot and can quickly melt synthetic fibers) to relax the edges and place a large heavy object on the raised areas for 24 hours. Use a plastic garbage bag as a barrier between the weighted object and rug to limit damage to the rug by bleeding or rusting.

 

[JHK]

High humidity can cause issues. We have a moderate humidity here and very few problems. Most rugs I do in the shop but I do clean the odd polypropylene rug on home. Never have any issues. I'm surprised you found rug cleaning not to be profitable. I would think you have a lot of rugs in Florida.

There are plenty of rugs, here is the profit problem. When we had & ran a rug plant for 15 years, if you realllly track your labor hours including: pick up, rug dusting, dye testing, pre-treatment, rug washing, rug rinsing, spin out, fringe cleaning, protecting, hang drying, inspection & final grooming, rolling & wrapping, delivery & set up, Even at $5-$7 per s/f
we are making way more profit on cleaning most rugs that can be "in-home" at $2 per s/f. Much more profitable and less headache!!
*also rug plants have to clean a lot of problem rugs requiring much more labor time and expertise.

 

[JHK]

1.Shrinkage:
Woven area rugs may shrink or buckle after cleaning. This is usually due to different materials used in the rug’s construction which absorb water at different rates resulting in expansion of some fibers and not of others. Certain rugs are more prone to shrinkage and some rugs may shrink uniformly so you may never notice.
The risk of shrinkage may be lessened, but not completely eliminated, through the use of low moisture cleaning methods.
Shrinkage prone rugs should be professionally cleaned, “in-plant”, where properly trained technicians and specific equipment is used to mitigate shrinkage issues .

2. Edge curl or waves:
The edges of some woven rugs can curl or wave due to variations in the construction or weave pattern. Both typically observed after cleaning or when high humidity is present. Rugs that exhibit this tendency would be best cleaned “in-plant” where humidity and other potential issues can be controlled.
Typically, this will self-correct in a few days. If the curling does not relax completely, you can try one of these fixes:
Placing the rug face down, roll the rug up as tight as you can and secure it with rope or tape for a few days.
Use a clothes steamer (not an iron; they are too hot and can quickly melt synthetic fibers) to relax the edges and place a large heavy object on the raised areas for 24 hours. Use a plastic garbage bag as a barrier between the weighted object and rug to limit damage to the rug by bleeding or rusting.

 

[JHK]

1.Shrinkage:
Woven area rugs may shrink or buckle after cleaning. This is usually due to different materials used in the rug’s construction which absorb water at different rates resulting in expansion of some fibers and not of others. Certain rugs are more prone to shrinkage and some rugs may shrink uniformly so you may never notice.
The risk of shrinkage may be lessened, but not completely eliminated, through the use of low moisture cleaning methods.
Shrinkage prone rugs should be professionally cleaned, “in-plant”, where properly trained technicians and specific equipment is used to mitigate shrinkage issues .

2. Edge curl or waves:
The edges of some woven rugs can curl or wave due to variations in the construction or weave pattern. Both typically observed after cleaning or when high humidity is present. Rugs that exhibit this tendency would be best cleaned “in-plant” where humidity and other potential issues can be controlled.
Typically, this will self-correct in a few days. If the curling does not relax completely, you can try one of these fixes:
Placing the rug face down, roll the rug up as tight as you can and secure it with rope or tape for a few days.
Use a clothes steamer (not an iron; they are too hot and can quickly melt synthetic fibers) to relax the edges and place a large heavy object on the raised areas for 24 hours. Use a plastic garbage bag as a barrier between the weighted object and rug to limit damage to the rug by bleeding or rusting.

Edge curl or waves:
good tip on the reverse rolling!

 

[Tom Forsythe]

There are other options to cleaning in the house besides extraction; encapsulation and/or dry compound cleaning. This may be especially effective in Florida or other humid states. https://blog.aramsco.com/encapsulating-area-rugs

 

[Papa John]

Those are probably rugs that are made by Stark.
Most rug cleaning schools warn against cleaning them.
Use as little moisture as possible to clean them and remove as much water as possible.
Do a couple more extraction passes just to be sure.
Don't HWE Bordered Stark rugs unless you are prepared to possibly cut and rebuild the rug, which will change the size.

 

[JHK]

Those are probably rugs that are made by Stark.
Most rug cleaning schools warn against cleaning them.
Use as little moisture as possible to clean them and remove as much water as possible.
Do a couple more extraction passes just to be sure.
Don't HWE Bordered Stark rugs unless you are prepared to possibly cut and rebuild the rug, which will change the size.

Thanks, that type of "bound wool carpet" we have learned to not wet clean with a signed release. Florida has lots of wrinkle issues from high humidity.
As always, we dry extract extra on most rugs and carpet after cleaning.

 

[The Great Oz]

You're probably confusing yourself by just looking at the face fiber, which has nothing to do with buckling. I think you'll find that the rugs that do this the most are machine-woven using a plastic foundation. Plastic grow when warm and will "remember" being out of shape.

Most will get better with a simple roll/unroll after they're dry, or with foot traffic. One of the problems with on-location cleaning is that you don't control the drying. In our rug plant, we have zero problems with buckling on these rugs - they get dry in a dry room.