Congratulations on your new polypropylene carpet purchased from and installed by Cavendish deVere. This is your guide to cleaning and maintaining your carpet so that it looks good for longer.

Polypropylene carpet is a hard-wearing flooring and a great investment. It?s durable, generally easy to clean and resistant to staining. To keep it at it's very best you need to clean it regularly with a vacuum, ensure you blot spills immediately and get it professionally cleaned with a steam cleaner at least once a year. Looking after your polypropylene carpet will mean it looks good for a lot longer. You should get a minimum of 7 years from this type of carpet and up to 12 if it is well cared for.

Regular maintenance

Invest in a good vacuum cleaner

Use a good vacuum cleaner with soft bristles that will gently agitate any trapped dirt and the more powerful the suction the more dust, dirt and subsequent bacteria will be pulled out of the fibres and into the vacuum for disposal.

At first vacuum every day for a week

When newly laid fibres from the carpet will work their way to the surface. This is completely normal but can be unsightly so vacuum your new carpet every day for the first week or so and then reduce as the weeks go by. There might also be a slight smell after a new carpet is fitted which is caused by the carpet, the underlay or any adhesives which have been used, so the room should be ventilated by opening windows and doors. The smell will normally disappear within a few days.

Prevention is better than cure

Placing doormats at all of the entrances will help to trap dirt and moisture.
If a piece of the carpet fibre stands proud of the surface, trimmed it to the level of the other tufts - never pull it out!
A vacuum cleaner fitted with a beater bar or brushes is great for cut pile carpets and a cleaner without them is best for loop pile carpets.

Clean regularly

In high-traffic areas get the vacuum out twice a week. Stair, hallways and landings get a lot of foot traffic and vacuuming it will bring out the dirt and make the pile springy. Vacuum once a week in low-traffic areas even if it isn?t walked on much because it will remove dust or dirt that moves through the air and settles.

Removing stains

Spilled something on your polypropylene carpet? Don't panic Captain!!!!!!!!

But don't hang about either! polypropylene naturally deters liquids from absorbing into its fibers but that doesn't mean you can leave it. Get moving and blot spills immediately. That means get paper towels and stand on them. Don't rub back and forth, let the towels absorb the moisture. Anything solid scrape it up as best as possible and then get the towels down.

Fresh wet stains

On wet stains you can use plain old water if it's still a fresh spillage. Get a bottle and fill it with warm water then spray a little on the spill after you have blotted as much as you can up. Lightly rub the water onto the stain with a soft cloth or sponge and then blot any excess water up again with a dry cloth or paper towel.

Pet stains and hairs

Smelly creatures leave odours and stains so look for an enzyme-based commercial product in the supermarket.
Test the product on a small patch of your carpet to ensure it doesn;t rob the colour. All being well then apply to the damaged area.
Once the solution has worked its magic rinse with water.
If it hasn't worked consider hiring a small commercial carpet cleaner.
A whopper means you may have to call a professional and if the creature is yours and is a permanent resident then invest in a vacuum specifically designed to pick up animal hairs.

How to remove wax stains from polypropylene carpet

So you've been experimenting with wax 'Body of Evidence' style and got some on the carpet. Next time lie on a towel. But this time take action as quickly as possible because the longer the wax sits on the carpet, the harder the stain will be to remove.

• Fill a plastic bag with ice and lay it directly onto the stain. Let it freeze the wax for a few minutes.
• Remove the bag and start to scrape the wax off the carpet using a blunt knife.
• Lay a clean cloth or a brown paper bag directly over the affected area of the carpet.
• Heat an electric iron until it is warm - not hot. Slowly press the iron on top of the paper bag or cloth and the material should start to absorb the wax and lift it off the carpet.
• Repeat this until the wax disappears.

Stubborn and serious stains

Lipstick, rust, oil and crayons can be classed as serious carpet abuse and you may want to inform your local professional cleaner. However, if you want to have a crack at this type of stain then soak a clean rag with white spirit or turpentine and lightly dab and blot the stain with it. Once (if) the stain disappears, blot all excess moisture up with a dry, white paper towel. Repeat as required.

Water-based stubborn stains

Water-based stains like wine, coffee, tea and juice can be cleaned with a cleaning detergent and white vinegar. Mix 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of cleaning detergent, 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of white vinegar, and 4.25 cups (1L) of warm water. Dampen a cloth in the solution, lightly rub and dab the stain. Now use a damp sponge to remove the cleaner. Blot all water up with a dry paper towel and let the area dry for several hours. Red wine? Should still work with this method but there are some more tips for removing red wine from carpet.

Cleaning polypropylene carpets with bleach

Theoretically a polypropylene carpet can be cleaned with bleach. You will often see 'bleach cleanable' on the back of the sample. The relaity is that unless you water it down to a 50% bleach / 50% water mix the backing will rot and the fibres will fall out.

• Wear rubber gloves and a mask - the fumes are caustic and then open a window.
• Use a solution of 50% thin domestic bleach to 50% tap water and put it in a spray bottle.
• Evenly cover the stain and leave for 60 minutes.
• Use a brush if needed to loosen the fibres.
• Rinse thoroughly with water.

Annual steam cleaning

It will pay dividends in the long-term

Do yourself a favour and give your carpet a steam clean once a year. Polypropylene is great at hiding dirt which is why it makes such a great floor covering. However, as you walk around on it any trapped dirt or dried mud will rub the fibres down and wear them making them thin. A steam clean will remove them and make your carpet smell nice, bounce around and last much longer

Move all your furniture out

Remove all furniture and items from your carpet and find a place to put them. You'll have to wait at least a day for the carpet to dry before you can put them back, so stack furniture along the edges of another room not being cleaned.

Get someone else to do it

Life is short and you are busy. As a Cavendish deVere client you are not likely to be the kind of person to scrimp so get your carpet professionally cleaned by a local carpet cleaner. Use a reliable professional with a commercial hot water extraction machine and ensure they are well versed with cleaning polypropylene carpets. Make sure they are insured!