Re: carpet cleaning in galleries reply

["Dr. Elizabeth A. Richards" <elizabeth.richards@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Judy,

 

I have worked with carpet cleaners for about twenty years during my thirty years teaching at the University of Alberta.  I am not familiar with Spotblock but will ask the best cleaner I know.

 

I highly recomend hot water cleaning because I think the system removes the most dirt and almost all surfactants work better in hot water than in cooler water.  The key is the operator, who makes a huge difference in not only how much dirt is removed from the carpet but also how wet the carpet will be afterwards.

 

If you have cleaned the carpets with a system that was not "steam cleaning" in the past, you may find there is a great deal of residual surfactant (rug shampoo) in the carpet and there may be a great deal of foam when the carpets are cleaned.  Sometimes they have to be cleaned twice.

 

If Spotblock is a flurocarbon finish, used to repel future soil, the carpet fibers must be very clean or it won't be effective.  A good operator will know if he is getting the carpets clean enough to use a fluorcarbon finish.

 

Using fans to dry the carpet afterwards is a good idea.  My carpet cleaner always provides me with industrial type fans in the day the carpet is to be cleaned is very humid or if it is raining.

 

Hope this is of assistance,

Elizabeth Richards

Professor Emerita, University of Alberta

-----Original Message-----
From: Textile Conservators [mailto:TEXCONS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Judy Schwender
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 9:47 AM
To: TEXCONS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: carpet cleaning in galleries

Hello all,

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society is at the point where our quilt gallery carpets need to be cleaned.  The maintenance staff is leaning towards Rug Doctor Steam Cleaner with Spotblock.  It's a hot water system (www.rugdoctor.com).  I obtained the MSDS from their website and it appears that it would be suitable.

 

I plan to use box fans to increase the air flow in the gallery overnight after the cleaning is complete to speed up the drying process.

 

Does anyone have any opinions about this product based on the MSDS?  Does anyone have other products or systems they have used that they prefer?  If you have any thoughts at all about steam cleaning gallery carpets, please respond.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Judy Schwender

Curator of Collections / Registrar

Museum of the American Quilter's Society

215 Jefferson Street

Paducah, KY 42001

(270) 442-8856 ext. 30

Fax: (270) 442-5448

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