New Carpet Guide

Here are a few things that you may notice soon after your new carpet is installed. Most of the following situations are perfectly normal.

Shedding

Most carpets retain some loose fibres after they leave the factory or showroom. These often appear as balls of fluff on the surface of your carpet. With time, they will go away.

Sprouting

Do you have a loose tuft that seems to grow above the rest of the carpet surface? If so, just snip the end even with the surface. Don't ever pull out long or loose ends. This can permanently damage the carpet.

Shading

Shading, sometimes referred to as watermarking or pooling, is an inherent characteristic of some fine cut pile carpets- not a manufacturing defect. One area may seem to change colour when you look at it from different directions. This is because light reflects differently as the pile is pushed in different directions. Foot traffic generally causes this. Sweep or vacuum the pile in a uniform direction.

Rippling

If your carpet is rippling up off the floor, it may be due to things getting too hot in your house (humidity or otherwise.) This situation usually resolves itself as the humidity levels stabilize and the carpet settles.

The 'New Carpet Smell'

This usually goes away within about a week, sometimes within days. To minimize the odour, be sure to ventilate the area as much as possible. Open doors and windows, and use fans to keep the air circulating during installation and for up to 72 hours afterward. Heating and air conditioning fans help if you have them. Vacuum your carpet often to help remove the odour and leave your place smelling like the love pad it truly is.

Static Electricity

If a room's humidity is low, a static charge can build up in your carpet as you walk across it. Commercial products for your carpet can help reduce or eliminate static electric build up. Over time, your carpet will be less prone to holding a charge.

Crushing

Your carpet will crush in spots where heavy objects have been placed. To raise the pile back, you’ll have to brush vigorously. Also try holding a hot steam iron over the indentations – but no closer than six inches above the carpet. Another method is to gently place an ice cube in there, allowing it to melt. Evaporation should help reset the original shape of the tuft.

Missing Tufts

If a tuft becomes snagged or works loose, just cut it off and let the surrounding yarn fill in the space.