Unfortunately there is probably as a great deal of confusion about carpet protection in our industry. Untrained and sometimes dishonest carpet cleaners give out false information, and in the worst cases, intentionally misrepresent the product.

WARNING: The protector that “was” in your carpet may be GONE and leaving you EXPOSED!

A nylon stain-resist carpet is made with two protective properties: The first is an acid dye blocker that is basically a clear dye that fills the extra dye sites in a fiber. This helps to keep “foreign” dyes (such as red dye in a beverage) from penetrating the carpet fiber. The second property is called a “fluorochemical”. It is commonly known as 3M Scotchgard® or DuPont Teflon®. This treatment helps keep spillage from actually getting to the acid dye blocker, but its biggest job is to resist dry soil.

By resisting dry soil, less soil bonds to the carpet, therefore being picked up by your vacuum or cleaning. Making sure that you have a sufficient amount of protector on your carpet will help keep the soil from bonding to the carpet. Once it bonds to the carpet, it acts like sandpaper on your traffic area. Once the traffic area yarns are broken down, there is no way to bring them back to their original state.

2 primary ways that factory protector is removed from a carpet…

1. Regular foot traffic – Over a period of 6 months to 2 years depending on the traffic, a significant amount of protector can be removed from your traffic areas and needs to be reapplied.

2. High alkaline cleaner – Many cleaners use harsh chemicals on the carpet that will strip it’s factory protection. If you have had your carpet cleaned in the past, there is a good chance the cleaner that removed a significant amount of protector. It needs to be reapplied.

1. Not using high quality protector – Discount protectors are not as effective and sometimes void the warranty of the carpet. California Steam Clean uses only the highest quality, recommended protectors.

2. Not using a dedicated container – Using the same container for carpet protector as other cleaners can contaminate the carpet protector making it gummy and ineffective. Our vans have a dedicated container reserved ONLY for carpet protector.

3. Not applying the product properly – Some cleaners either under apply or over apply the protector.

4. Not grooming the carpet – For the best performance, the product should be groomed into the carpet for maximum penetration. This ensures contact with all surfaces of the carpet yarn and proper distribution and drying.

1. More permanent stains – A great looking carpet can be ruined by an ugly spot. Unprotected carpet doesn’t repel spillage as well as protected carpet. Being able to remove spots and spills more effectively, you can avoid permanent staining.

2. “Uglied Out” Traffic Lanes – Traffic area soil is very abrasive and cuts carpet yarns like a knife. This damaging soil can easily bond to an unprotected carpet. By applying protector, you will increase the life of your carpet dramatically. When you vacuum your protected carpet the soils will release from the carpet pile much more effectively.

3. Difficult spot removal – The easier a spot is to remove, the less cleaner you will have to use. The less agitation you will have to use, and the less time it will take. With a protected carpet, many spots can be removed easily with just water or the free spot remover we have provided you with.

4. Next professional cleaning not as effective. Makes your next professional cleaning more effective – Having protector applied to your carpet will enhance your next cleaning. More soil will be removed the next time your carpeting is professionally cleaned.

5. Costly service calls – Although you want to call us out to handle any spot you cannot remove immediately, carpet protector helps you remove more spots than you could without protector. You may be able to save a minimum charge by removing the spot yourself.