Why some vacuums can ruin some carpets (and rugs)
Having the strongest vacuum with the highest suction might be good if you want to lift a bowling ball but many of today’s carpets cannot survive high suction or a vigorous beater brush.
The upright vacuum with a beater bar/ brush was a great invention; but it was brought out at a time when most carpets were made with either a course wool or a thick nylon fiber. Then, as nylon grew more popular, the need for more vigorous vacuuming became necessary. This is because nylon fiber is slippery, like a fishing line, so dry soil slides down the fiber to settle at the base of the carpet pile. The beater bar/brush helps pull up the settled dry soil. It is not really necessary with wool carpet because wool fiber has scales that catch dry soil, holding most of it at the top of the carpet.
Another huge difference between wool and synthetic fibers (nylon, polypropylene, polyester, acrylic) is that wool fibers can only be a certain, short length. Since it is the hair of sheep, the fibers will be no longer than 3” or 4”; many even 1” or 2”. The process of spinning, as with cotton, is what causes the wool fibers to link together – making yarn. It is simply the natural curls and scales of wool that locks the fibers together. Most synthetic fibers used in carpet are made as “continuous filament” fiber. When the synthetic liquid is extruded through a nozzle - much like a shower head - it dries as it comes out and the extruded fiber can be many feet or even miles long – again, like a fishing line.
So, that rough treatment given to the surface of a carpet with a beater brush is mostly okay for many synthetic fibers but it will pull wool fibers away from the yarn – because they are shorter fibers and only linked together by twisting and friction. Further, most rotating beater brushes in an upright vacuum are made of nylon which is a strong, sharp fiber. Rapidly beating your wool carpet with a nylon brush is kind of like washing your car with steel wool; effective but harmful.
Now, let’s back up a bit. This is basically saying you should use only synthetic fiber carpet if you want to use a tough vacuum. Unfortunately, there are a couple of trends that have put synthetic fiber carpets in the same boat as wool carpet. The first trend is the current desire for a very soft carpet. To make a soft carpet with a synthetic fiber means using much thinner fibers. Imagine instead of using that fishing line we now use the nylon fiber that makes nylon hosiery. These fibers, being so fine, can be pulled and torn by aggressive vacuuming.
The other trend is the use of viscose fibers (rayon, faux silk, art silk, bamboo silk, banana silk, etc.). These fibers are generally more brittle and very slippery. Aggressive vacuuming can pull them free of the yarn bundle that makes up the pile of carpet or a rug.
What happens to a carpet or rug when the fibers are pulled loose? Much of the pulled fibers are swept up into the vacuum bag. But many are left partly attached to the yarn they were meant to be with. This gives a fuzzy “beard” effect to the surface, or with synthetic, the fibers roll up into a ball. A lot of people mistake this ugly look as bad-wearing carpet – like there’s something wrong with the way it was made. This is not the case. It is just improper maintenance.
Many carpets, especially wool carpet, can be cleaned up from this mess simply by raising the beater brush to a fraction of an inch above the carpet pile. That way, the brush will chop off the "beard" without making more fuzz. In fact, if you have a carpet or rug made of wool, viscose or a soft nylon or polyester, you can still use a vacuum with a beater brush by making sure the brush is adjusted to a height where it does not actually dig into the carpet pile. With many vacuums, there is no such adjustment or even if it is raised up it can still grab the pile if pushed forward too hard or if the wheels are so narrow that the vac falls into the pile; or if the pile is very thick or loose.
Now, if you ask wool carpet manufacturers, most will say do not use a beater brush vacuum, or at least turn off the brush, if possible, when vacuuming wool. As I mentioned earlier, dry soil stays pretty much at the top of a wool carpet so suction alone would be enough to do a good job when the carpet is vacuumed twice a week.
But now that soft synthetic carpet is so popular, there is still a need for aggressive vacuuming – to get closer to the base of the carpet to pull out dry soil that has slipped down. There’s a vacuum we like to recommend, “Soniclean SFC-7000 Soft Carpet”. It does have a brush, but the fibers are softer than most. It has wide wheels to keep the vacuum from digging into the carpet. It has no attachments so it weighs only 10 ½ pounds – also keeping it from digging into the carpet. It has a sliding vent in the front to adjust the suction. It also has a bar at the bottom that pounds the carpet (like the old way of beating a rug to remove the dust).
We can demonstrate the Soniclean in our showroom and give you some literature. Or go to the Soniclean link on our website home page.
The upright vacuum with a beater bar/ brush was a great invention; but it was brought out at a time when most carpets were made with either a course wool or a thick nylon fiber. Then, as nylon grew more popular, the need for more vigorous vacuuming became necessary. This is because nylon fiber is slippery, like a fishing line, so dry soil slides down the fiber to settle at the base of the carpet pile. The beater bar/brush helps pull up the settled dry soil. It is not really necessary with wool carpet because wool fiber has scales that catch dry soil, holding most of it at the top of the carpet.
Another huge difference between wool and synthetic fibers (nylon, polypropylene, polyester, acrylic) is that wool fibers can only be a certain, short length. Since it is the hair of sheep, the fibers will be no longer than 3” or 4”; many even 1” or 2”. The process of spinning, as with cotton, is what causes the wool fibers to link together – making yarn. It is simply the natural curls and scales of wool that locks the fibers together. Most synthetic fibers used in carpet are made as “continuous filament” fiber. When the synthetic liquid is extruded through a nozzle - much like a shower head - it dries as it comes out and the extruded fiber can be many feet or even miles long – again, like a fishing line.
So, that rough treatment given to the surface of a carpet with a beater brush is mostly okay for many synthetic fibers but it will pull wool fibers away from the yarn – because they are shorter fibers and only linked together by twisting and friction. Further, most rotating beater brushes in an upright vacuum are made of nylon which is a strong, sharp fiber. Rapidly beating your wool carpet with a nylon brush is kind of like washing your car with steel wool; effective but harmful.
Now, let’s back up a bit. This is basically saying you should use only synthetic fiber carpet if you want to use a tough vacuum. Unfortunately, there are a couple of trends that have put synthetic fiber carpets in the same boat as wool carpet. The first trend is the current desire for a very soft carpet. To make a soft carpet with a synthetic fiber means using much thinner fibers. Imagine instead of using that fishing line we now use the nylon fiber that makes nylon hosiery. These fibers, being so fine, can be pulled and torn by aggressive vacuuming.
The other trend is the use of viscose fibers (rayon, faux silk, art silk, bamboo silk, banana silk, etc.). These fibers are generally more brittle and very slippery. Aggressive vacuuming can pull them free of the yarn bundle that makes up the pile of carpet or a rug.
What happens to a carpet or rug when the fibers are pulled loose? Much of the pulled fibers are swept up into the vacuum bag. But many are left partly attached to the yarn they were meant to be with. This gives a fuzzy “beard” effect to the surface, or with synthetic, the fibers roll up into a ball. A lot of people mistake this ugly look as bad-wearing carpet – like there’s something wrong with the way it was made. This is not the case. It is just improper maintenance.
Many carpets, especially wool carpet, can be cleaned up from this mess simply by raising the beater brush to a fraction of an inch above the carpet pile. That way, the brush will chop off the "beard" without making more fuzz. In fact, if you have a carpet or rug made of wool, viscose or a soft nylon or polyester, you can still use a vacuum with a beater brush by making sure the brush is adjusted to a height where it does not actually dig into the carpet pile. With many vacuums, there is no such adjustment or even if it is raised up it can still grab the pile if pushed forward too hard or if the wheels are so narrow that the vac falls into the pile; or if the pile is very thick or loose.
Now, if you ask wool carpet manufacturers, most will say do not use a beater brush vacuum, or at least turn off the brush, if possible, when vacuuming wool. As I mentioned earlier, dry soil stays pretty much at the top of a wool carpet so suction alone would be enough to do a good job when the carpet is vacuumed twice a week.
But now that soft synthetic carpet is so popular, there is still a need for aggressive vacuuming – to get closer to the base of the carpet to pull out dry soil that has slipped down. There’s a vacuum we like to recommend, “Soniclean SFC-7000 Soft Carpet”. It does have a brush, but the fibers are softer than most. It has wide wheels to keep the vacuum from digging into the carpet. It has no attachments so it weighs only 10 ½ pounds – also keeping it from digging into the carpet. It has a sliding vent in the front to adjust the suction. It also has a bar at the bottom that pounds the carpet (like the old way of beating a rug to remove the dust).
We can demonstrate the Soniclean in our showroom and give you some literature. Or go to the Soniclean link on our website home page.
Good maintenance is important
The key to long carpet life is good maintenance: frequent vacuuming, spot removal and regular cleaning. Entry mats can cut down on soiling. Please view one of our specialized maintenance pages for procedures and tips.
The key to long carpet life is good maintenance: frequent vacuuming, spot removal and regular cleaning. Entry mats can cut down on soiling. Please view one of our specialized maintenance pages for procedures and tips.
