Olefin Rugs

[lust1kiddo]

Hey Guys,

I have a lady who has a bunch of olefin rugs that I am going to be cleaning. Anything I should NOT do? I dont think I have cleaned these types before. I looked in my CCT book just to get info on the fiber and it wasnt that helpful. Any help with methods would be awesome. I was just thinking about using Pro's Choice Pre Spray then out it with like OneClean or Axiom..she said they are pretty stained up.
Thanks,
Jarred
p.s. you guys have been amazing..in november I will be 1 year old and havent had a losing month is 7 and thats largely because of the help I get here. I was also thinking about giving away spotter to my clients..but I am scared they will screw their own stuff up and then blame me and I will lose biz. opinion?

 

[cleanimagemarketing]

If they're really olefin, bring out the big guns. It's durable fiber that can withstand almost anything you throw at it. Not always the easiest to clean since oil loves olefin and sticks to it well.

You'll be fine.

 

[Dolly Llama]

What Phill said.

if they're olie rugs and in otherwise sound condition, they'd be pretty hard to mess up even if you tried


..L.T.A.

 

[dan mabes]

Agree with both of the above.

Olefin is "solution dyed" so it is almost impervious to staining. It is "oleophilic" so oils do indeed to bond to the fibers. While the olefin fiber itself does not stain, the oils do discolor, and if not removed will look as if the carpet is "stained".

We use a preconditioner with a 12.5 pH and high temperature and get excellent results. Then dry as quickly as possible to prevent wicking.

On the other hand, olefin "compresses" very easily and will not "bounce back" as nylon does. The compression (wear) causes these areas to look different than the rest of the carpet and needs to be explained to the customer or she will still think they remained soiled

Dan M

 

[ruff]

And remember that Olefin can not absorb much moisture....

So reduce pressure and use extra drying passes to avoid sending the stains to the backing and pads and having to deal with re-appearing stains.

 

[sweendogg]

... you'll be cleaning in place I presume.. and if that is the case.. put some tarps under neath the rugs as the olefin will shed water straight to the backing pretty easily... especially if they are woven olefin rugs. Follow directions.. and no need to worry over these too much..

Pre condition the customer about the drawbacks of Olefin: it attracts oils very easily, it has no resilience and will crush much easier than nylon or wool, they have the lowest melting temperature of any fiber(so beware of dragging heavy furniture across the rugs, or laying very hot items on the pile) and they can shed spills the backing or underlying floor very easily..

But benefits.. they are always solution dyed, they respond well to cleaning, they are impervious to many caustic chemicals that would destroy other fibers like Bleach. And as long as they have been vacuumed well.. they don't tend to hold a alot of dry soil and so dusting or vacuuming should be a pretty simple chore.

Some other considerations: Alot of olefin(also known as polypropylene) rugs that are woven are done so on cotton foundation. Its and will often have either intrinsic cotton fringe as part of the rug or attached cotton fringe for decoration. So be mindful when applying your cleaning solutions so you do not saturate the cotton foundation or fringe with high alkaline cleaning solutions or you'll be browning out your rug. (I've fixed rugs that cleaners have done this to.) Treat the fringe like you would any other cotton fringe you have cleaned and you should be ok.