---------->HELP<----------- Urgent Question By 10:00AM

[B&BGaryC]

I feel like a giant idiot that I don't know the answer to this....

I did an inspection for a whole house cleaning for a smoke job I am doing at 10:00am 1-1-09. They said the carpet in the living room needs to be dry cleaned because it is made from corn. They say it is the greenest carpet available, and it is synthesized from corn. It feels softer like nylon but feels light like poly. It has been down for one year and is not crushed or matted in the traffic area (Low traffic room though) and the customer said it was a less expensive carpet.

What are the rules on corn carpet? Treat like nylon, acrylic, poly, ole, wool, cotton, jute, mohair, pig hair, baboon nards?

I plan on doing a burn test tomorrow just to see if they were lied to or if it really is a new thing... I am embarrassed to say I haven't ever heard of it yet....

Sorry for the novel, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mikey P]

Jimmy sells a special lubricant for it.

Makes your wand slide real easy.

 

[B&BGaryC]

C'mon, really, I need to know.

If I don't know, I'm gonna have to use weak sauce on it, and I like to use a little heat to cut through the soot on fire jobs.

Is it a scam, gimmick or the real McCoy?

 

[Mikey P]

http://corncarpet.carpetcourt.net/

 

[B&BGaryC]

Cool... I hope.

What are the no-no's on corn carpet?

PH range? Solvents? Butyl? Cationic, Non-ionic or anionic surfactants?

Enzymes?

Do I have anything on my truck that will make the carpet begin to "Biodegrade"?

Friggen hippies...

 

[Mikey P]

Never even heard of it ti'll now.


Someone here will have cleaned it.

 

[B&BGaryC]

I knew I should have ducked out of the party for a few minutes to post this question earlier....

 

[RickL]

Hope this helps from everything I've read Mohawk has an exclusive on this product.
Scroll to the end for the cleaning recommendations.


http://www.mohawkflooring.com/my-mohawk ... anties.pdf

Mohawk Limited
Manufacturing Defects Warranty
(See store sample for details) Mohawk Industries warrants residential carpeting against manufacturing defects for a
specified period of time from the original date of installation. If your carpet is determined to be defective, Mohawk will handle such
claims per the Terms and Conditions stated in this warranty booklet.
Mohawk SmartStrand Limited Stain
Resistance Warranties
Mohawk Carpet warrants residential carpeting made from SmartStrand® fiber: SmartStrand® and SmartStrand® with DuPont™
Sorona® polymer. Mohawk Carpet warrants to the original purchaser that the surface pile of this carpet will resist stains from any
food and beverage – including mustard, coffee, herbal teas, household bleach*, benzoyl peroxide, and other water soluble, nonwax/
oil based stains from the date of the purchase for the life of the car-pet, when properly installed over cushion meeting the
manufacturer’s recommendations and maintained in an owner-occupied, single family, indoor, residential installation. Mohawk will,
at its discretion and as its entire liability and the exclusive remedy of any party, repair, credit, or replace with comparable carpet,
on a pro-rate basis, any portion of the installation which fails to exhibit improved stain resistant properties during the limited
warranty period as provided below.
NOTE: This warranty applies to carpet manufactured using SmartStrand or SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona fibers, not Nylon or any other
fibers.
SmartStrand made with DuPont Sorona polymer carpets carry a Lifetime limited stain warranty.
E) Cleaning Recommendations
Even with regular vacuuming, soil particles and oily dirt will cling to the carpet fibers. With foot traffic these particles and
oily dirt are driven deep into the carpet. We recommend professional hot water extraction every 12 to 18 months using cleaning
products, equipment or systems that carry the Carpet & Rug Institute Seal of Approval. (Visit www.carpet-rug.org for a com-plete
list of certified products.) Periodic cleaning using the hot water extraction method performed by a certified carpet care
professional, will refresh carpet appearance.
The most used areas, such as entrances, doorways, traffic lanes, and in front of chairs will collect dirt faster than other
areas. Clean these areas as they begin to show soil. This will stop dirt from spreading and will extend the time between
professional cleaning.

 

[billyeadon]

Gary,
It is polyester for the most part. They don't believe in protectors.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

What Bill said.

No big thing Gary.

 

[davegillfishing]

i cleaned one not long ago. just use some caution. i pre sprayed with powermax dodnt rub anything and dont drag anything on it. i turned down the heat a little..200 at the truck and went at it. just dont get scrub happy and take your time..you will see if something starts to do something you dont want it to do and then stop doing what you are doing..
oh yea make sure you wrap you quick disconnects so they dont melt into the carpet.
dont stress over it too much..just take your time and pay attn.

sorry for not being a dick in this post but it seamed like you really needed help.

 

[Mark Saiger]

Gary,

To remove the smoke easier you will probaly want to use an alkali product in your rinse vs an acid. You might already be aware of that, but just giving info.

Like they said on the corn product, no big deal.

Mark

 

[TimP]

Looks to me that they just use the corn for the oil part of making the carpet. The rest of the carpet is made out of regular items. It's a plastic from what I read. It's not a big of a deal as a wool or something natural. Probably a bit late.....anyway let us know how it goes Gary.

 

[Dolly Llama]

wonder who told them it had to be "dry cleaned"??

my guess is the carpet retailer/salesman




...L.T.A.

 

[B&BGaryC]

When I called Gary at 5am he was freaking out a lil about it.

PS. Was cool talking to ya Gary, glad I could help

I was just pissed that I had to clean something I knew nothing about.

How does stanley steemer do it?

 

[hogjowl]

I'd freak out if you called me at 5:00AM too!

 

[Guest]

Use butter for protector, then sprinkle with salt...

 

[sweendogg]

Its a good thing the retail salesmen does not read the warranties... they would all be getting into carpet cleaning since most fiber manufactureres are putting either required cleanings or recommended cleanings every so often. Heaven forbid if they knew they could make money with a customer base they have already developed.

:roll: :mrgreen:

 

[B&BGaryC]

It was the salesman who told them only to dry clean it.

I haven't cleaned it yet though. My helper broke his leg in four places last night being an idiot. He says he's not sure exactly how it happened either.

In another little whileI should have a replacement helper monkey.

Because it's a whole house cleaning including furniture and we are bagging all linnens and clothing and moving all furniture wall to wall I am not going to start the cleaning unless I have a helper.

I'm headed off right now to start on the upholstery, and I should be finishing up with it in time for my new monkey to clear out the first room.

Thanks for all your help. This board is very valuable just for this reason.

 

[TimP]

It was the salesman who told them only to dry clean it.

I haven't cleaned it yet though. My helper broke his leg in four places last night being an idiot. He says he's not sure exactly how it happened either.

In another little whileI should have a replacement helper monkey.

Because it's a whole house cleaning including furniture and we are bagging all linnens and clothing and moving all furniture wall to wall I am not going to start the cleaning unless I have a helper.

I'm headed off right now to start on the upholstery, and I should be finishing up with it in time for my new monkey to clear out the first room.

Thanks for all your help. This board is very valuable just for this reason.

Oh come on....be a man do it all yourself. Get you some furniture movers and a buddy lift and go to town.

 

[davegillfishing]

man you should really get out of the habit of referring to your guys a monkeys and chimps. you should treat them as if they are the key to your future success and if you dont think they are you should fire them and hire someone that is.
i would kick the shit out of anyone that referred to me as their chimp or monkey or even treated me as such.

 

[Dominick Cassano]

Any cellulosic (plant) fiber weather it is sisal, jute, cotton, whatever, should be treated as such. Low moisture cleaning is highly recommended to maintain dimensional stability and prevent browning.

 

[hogjowl]

dave's a monkey

 

[davegillfishing]

dave's a monkey

i am king monkey and wifey spanks me every night..

 

[B&BGaryC]

Oh come on....be a man do it all yourself. Get you some furniture movers and a buddy lift and go to town.

Nuh uh. Fire jobs are lived in. Nobody is ready, and when something like that happens it's a negative moment of truth to tell them to pick up their mess so we can work. We tell them, "We have everything handled, get what you need and we'll have your house back together as soon as possible."

It's not quite the same as coming in for somebody who is prepared for a carpet cleaning. Thank goodness these were fairly tidy people with a spacious house.

Anyway, got done what needed to be done and the rest will be done later. I was hoping on getting to the second level and surprise the customers, but they had only expected me to do the first level today.

thanks for your help, guys. Even Dave.

P.S. helper monkey is just a figure of speech. These aren't my hires though....

 

[Numero Uno]

over vac force dry,use reg ph products nless trashed...

 

[billyeadon]

Any cellulosic (plant) fiber weather it is sisal, jute, cotton, whatever, should be treated as such. Low moisture cleaning is highly recommended to maintain dimensional stability and prevent browning.

Dominic.
While this product started as corn it is turned into a polymer while jute etc stay in their natural form. So Sorona does not have the browning or shrinkage problem that jute does.

PET fibers are made from plastic pop bottles. PTT from corn.

 

[sweendogg]

Right now, we only have four products in our higher end lines liked Karastand and Ralph Lauren that are running the sorono smartstrand fibers. We have been doing our own matt/crush testing for about 2 years now. I love the theory behind the stain resistance. I just need to get a few pieces from the Mill and do my own testing with it. If it holds up like they claim, I'd love to get this stuff out on the market. it would make all of our jobs easier. The brochure and book info they gave us on their products are quite impressive.

 

[Ron Werner]

from everything I've read Mohawk has an exclusive on this product.

That's because no one else WANTS it!!

Have to watch the high heat. Any loose kernals will pop!

Glad its working out for you Gary. I'd never heard of the stuff either.

 

[Ernie G]

I know you guys are just kidding with the chimp-monkey thing, but I agree with Dave, I have employees and never referred to them in that way, even when they have done something stupid. If you don't respect them, don't send them out to clean in a clients house. jmho!!