cure for traffic lanes?

[Dion R]

There is a call center we maintain that has blue CGD. The high traffic area are of course worn and the blue has faded revealing browns and grays. When it is wet the blue is vibrant and it looks fabulous. I'm always a little disheartened when it dries to that faded worn colour. I know that you can't repair a carpet by cleaning it. I understand that it is just water filling in all the worn parts like when you get scratched pexiglas wet and it looks shiny and not scuffed but it seems to me there must be some product out there that you can apply that will replicate what it looks like when its wet. The "wet look" for carpets.





Besides varnish

 

[Greg Loe]

Release-It seems to help.

 

[SteamBon]

sounds like a great idea


Larry, Jeff or Les....do any of yous sell a hi-gloss carpet protector?
lol.....ever hear of one?

 

[Contemporary Carpet Clean]

how about an olefin prespray....I used some on a CGD last week on a pastel/sky blue carpet at a bridal shop. It seemed to work better than my usual prespray on the heavy traffic areas. The product I used was made by CHEM-WIZARD.

 

[steve r]

releasit and fiberplus pads. i do it all the time.

 

[Dion R]

I agree with the "dead is dead" comment. And I do use cimex releas-it line. Mostly I was just dreaming that there ought to be a product like that. The new Maxim Advanced claims to protect "from the inside out" So I was thinking that what ever chemistry they are using to deliver the protectant could be used to deliver a clear dye that would give it the "wet look" . IT seems to me that it is doable. Just thinking out loud. When it does get developed I want royalties.

 

[Rob Rocha]

When I took a class with Jim Smith, He called it traffic lane gray. He says you can clean, then spray it with an encap product and just spread it around with a synthetic pad and 175 machine don't try and get out the encap it sounds like it could last at least for a while, I haven't had one bad enough to try yet.

 

[Rex Tyus]

I agree dead is dead. However before you pronounce be sure and check the pulse. Take some concentrate of your best prespray or even emulsifier pour on a spot of the "dead" carpet. Rub vigourously with a cotton rag. Rinse thouroughly, speed dry. if there is a clean spot it is not dead just still dirty. May not need to be polished. Perhaps just cleaned. "Traffic lane grey" while real it is an over used term and an easy diagnoses for carpet that needs true restoration.

It is also possible some twit cleaned it with a bleach solution at some point in the past. Quite common for janitors with a portable and a Castex wand around here.

Not saying you haven't already done that just food for thought for any that haven't.

 

[Ron Werner]

Could it not be sprayed with a blue dye to enhance the colour? I seem to remember being shown that at a Colour Repair course.

 

[floorguy]

I have the same problem at the movie theater, where they come in and buy their tickets...

you look straight down and see the red and black easily, looks great. Stand back at the other side and its a gawdawful traffic area, but the carpet is so worn there, its killing out the reds, only the blacks are showing..

I tried encap, i tried flushing the holy hell out of it with any and all cleaners, i have post padded, its just DEAD...

Looks a little better each time we clean it, but quickly goes to shit again.

 

[Dion R]

Could it not be sprayed with a blue dye to enhance the colour? I seem to remember being shown that at a Colour Repair course.

I thought of that but there are specks of other colours in th carpet, like the grays and browns that are left over after the blue has faded. I wouldn't want dye over those colours also.

 

[Jimmy L]

Extraction formula with a optical brightner?

 

[Dion R]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into optical brightener. I remember in one class they frowned on them but its not like I can ruin this carpet. It has been used and abused.

 

[J Scott W]

Adding a blue (or whatever color) dye to the rinse water was once a rather common method to enhance color in locations with a lot of sunlight or otherwise prone to fading. When a small amount of dye is ued in this manner it willnot harm the other colors but simply brighten them.

A couple of years ago a variation of this process was introduced under the name Rasa Rejuvenator. Worked OK on nylon. But most CDG is olefin. That carpet will not be dyed with conventional dyes. (Maybe Terry or Harry have some really big crayons you can get to regain the missing color.) The Rejuvenator did appear to help on olefin, but did not last very long.

Scott Warrington

 

[Carpet Dude]

Optical Brightener. Walrus has the right idea.