To our valued customers regarding carpet, materials, and their installation.

1) Moving of Furniture (with the exception of pianos, organs, grandfather clocks, waterbeds, and pool tables) - Our installers will be glad to move furniture in your home if you choose. Great care will be taken not to cause damage to your furniture, walls, or trim. Items we ask that you move would include things like glass lamps, china plates or any other breakables. Irreplaceable heirloom items must also be moved to a safe area of the house prior to installation.

2) Wall & Trim Scratches - Our installers are cautious when working around the perimeter of your rooms. However, carpet backings are very abrasive and even with the greatest of care, some scratching can be expected. For walls, use left over paint to do touch-ups. For trim, use either varnish or paint to restore the trim's finish.

3) Seams - Dugan's Paint and Flooring Centers subcontracts labor to only the most qualified installers to ensure the best installation. Our installers use the most modern cutting and seaming techniques to minimize the appearance of seams. If your job requires seams, they will be put together properly. NOTE: A PROPER SEAM CAN BE BUILT AND STILL BE VISIBLE ON ALL CONTRUCTIONS OF CARPET. Dugan's Paint and Flooring Centers nor the subcontract installer will guarantee that all seams in all types of carpets, under all conditions will be totally invisible. Some constructions of carpet tend to show more than others. Be aware that lightly colored carpets are more suspect to show the seams.

4) Roll Crush - Roll crush is a temporary flattening of the carpet pile. It can cause distortions in the carpets color, texture, and pile height. Seams can be very noticeable on carpet with roll crush. The good news about roll crush is that it is almost always a temporary situation that is usually corrected within six months of installation. If your carpet has roll crush, be sure to vacuum your carpet frequently. Avoid vacuuming the same way every time. Vacuuming from the four compass points will help the carpet to blossom as quickly as possible. However, the best way to correct roll crush is to be patient with your new carpet and give it the necessary time unrolled and installed to raise up and blossom.

5) Wrinkles - Avoid scooting heavy objects across the surface of the carpet (couches, love seats, dressers, etc.) and rolling heavy objects across the carpet (refrigerators, beds, chairs, etc.). Lift to move these items. Scooting and rolling can cause the backings to overstretch and result in wrinkling. Wrinkles can also be caused by excessive humidity, inadequate cushion, or not using recommended installation procedures as found in CRI-105 as it relates to powerstretching. The subcontract installer on your job will correct wrinkles in the carpet for a period of one year from the date of installation at no charge if they appear. Charges for carpet restretching after the one year period will apply and can be quoted by the installer.

6) Fading - Science has yet to develop a color that will not fade with time. All carpets will slowly lose some color due to natural and artificial forces in the environment. This can be delayed by: 1) Frequently removing dirt by vacuuming. 2) Regularly changing air filters in heating and air conditioning systems. 3) Keeping humidity and temperature from getting too high. 4) Reducing sunlight exposure with window coverings or sunlight filter materials.

Caring for your Carpet

Properly specified carpet can wear out or appear to (ugly out) if it is not maintained adequately. Dirt detracts from the beauty of the carpet and it also can scratch, distort and abrasively wear the carpet fiber. As foot traffic deposits soil, and causes the pile yarns to flex, embedded grit cuts the face fibers. The carpet begins to lose density and resilience. This soiling must be removed. Therefore, a maintenance plan is no less important to the life of your carpet than the initial carpet selection and installation.

When preparing a maintenance plan certain facts should be considered: 1) Carpet tends to localize the soil and spills where they occur instead of allowing them to spread quickly; 2) heavy traffic areas, entrances, halls, and steps, will require the heaviest maintenance; and 3) the environment and surrounding areas (greasy oil from driveways or garages, smoke, and wet areas adjoining carpeted areas, etc.).

The Four Steps to any Maintenance Program

1. Walk-off mats - Control most soil with mats
2. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum
3. Spot and spill removal, promptly
4. Periodic cleaning (Hot Water Extraction)

Vacuuming

Vacuuming is the most cost effective maintenance procedure. Vacuuming should be done even when soil is not visible. Eighty percent of soil is walked in, twenty percent is environmental. The following is a normal vacuuming schedule:
• High traffic - vacuum daily (in super heavy traffic, 2 - 3 times daily)
• Medium traffic - vacuum twice to three times weekly
• Light traffic - vacuum weekly

Laboratory tests indicate that vacuum cleaner with brush of beater action are the most effective in removing soil. The action of the brush disturbs and agitates the pile surface loosening soil particles from the fibers. The strong suction of the vacuum motor then removes the particles from the carpet. Frequent vacuuming is more important than the type of vacuum used. Thorough vacuuming involves three to five slow passes over an area. Do not use a beater bar on looped pile staple carpet.

A good vacuum's air flow rate should be about 100 CFM (cubic feet per minute). Never use vacuum bags that are more than 2/3 full. Cloth bags are not as effective as sealed paper bags. Built-in systems are effective if CFM is about 200 because about 50% of CFM is lost at suction point.

All carpet maintenance requires the systematic use of the vacuum. Proper vacuuming approaches the carpet pile from all directions. If continued in one pattern, the vacuum will actually start to mat the fibers. Direction must be reversed and worked from the four primary compass points. In areas adjacent to entries, carpet should be vacuumed from the four primary directions and the process repeated one extra time. Cut pile requires more vacuuming than level loop. The higher piles such as plushes and shags require a grooming tool prior to vacuuming. Carpet rakes and groomers are necessary to lift the carpet pile so vacuuming can be effective.

Spot Cleaning

1) First, excess matter is scraped off with the handle of a spotter's brush or spatula. Spills that are still wet should be blotted until almost dry.

2) Cleaning solutions should be less than 10 pH, preferably near a 9 pH. For wool 8 pH or less. Don't apply the spotter directly from the container onto the carpet.

3) The cleaning solution should have no optical brighteners, nor silicones.

4) In order to minimize the residues, do not use excess detergent.

5) The cleaning solution residue must dry brittle - not sticky.

6) The spot should not become over wet.

7) Work spot cleaner into the spot to prevent wicking (return of spot).

8) Must use a white cloth.

9) Blot to the center of the spot, do not rub.

10) Rinse spot to remove all detergent with slightly acidic solution (water and vinegar).

11) Spray stain blocker back onto carpet when dry.

Note: Each fiber manufacturer has recommended procedures for identifying and removing specific stains. Dugan's Paint and Flooring Centers can provide the 1-800 hotline number for your carpet.

Periodic Cleaning

For most all residential wear and texture retention warranties to be valid, proof of professional hot water extraction is required every 12-18 months. NO RUG DOCTORS.

Advantages of professional cleaning:

• The strong vacuum system allows immediate removal of much of the water, detergent solution and loosened dirt.
• Detergent buildup in the pile, which contributes to resoiling, is reduced.
• Minimum pile distortion or texture change occurs because mechanical brushing is not involved over the body of the carpet.
• Revitalizes the twist - heat and moisture help the yarn to retwist as much as possible.

Risks of doing it yourself:

• Over-wetting can cause shrinkage, rapid resoiling, mildew, and delamination of the carpet backings.
• Inappropriate or excessive use of alkaline (above pH10) detergents.
• Hot water can set many spots and stains beyond redemption.
• Inability of rental machines to suction out enough moisture before exposing the carpet to general traffic.

More About Professional Cleaning

• Avoid walking on wet carpet, and do not replace furniture. If it is necessary to arrange furniture before carpet is completely dry, use pieces of plastic under the furniture to prevent rust or other furniture related stains. Remove plastic after one week in order to allow for adequate drying time under the plastic.