What Makes a Carpet Shrink?

Are you one of those people who paid a fortune to install and maintain carpet flooring, only to find that they have shrunk down from their original size? Uneven and out of condition carpets are not only an eyesore, but sometimes the damage is also likely to be irreversible and therefore requires complete replacement.

Carpet Shrink
Carpet Shrink

All You Need to Know About Carpet Shrinking

Being a leader in carpet repair and restoration industry, we have seen and dealt with innumerable cases of shrunk carpeting. More often than not, carpet owners are left without a clue of what caused the problem in the first place. They get anxious and stressed because they don’t know how to protect the value of their home décor investment now. This is why we recommend hiring expert help. A Professional Carpet Cleaning in Perth technician has the required skill and knowledge to re-stretch a carpet evenly without ripping its fabric.

In our today’s article we will highlight what causes a carpet to shrink and how to deal with this problem.

Not every type of carpet is prone to shrinking. You can ask the retailer for recommendation as per your needs and requirements. When it comes to shrinking, carpets can be classified into two types:

  1. Wilton Carpeting
  2. Axminster Carpeting

Wilton Carpeting

Quality Wilton carpets are made of woollen fibres and jute padding. They rarely shrink as the jute padding holds their shape together. On the other hand, cheaper variants of Wilton carpets such as Belgian Wilton have polypropylene fibres. The main problem in a Belgian Wilton carpet is that its polypropylene fibres hold much less liquid than woollen fibres. This causes more residue water to flow into the carpet padding, hence shrinking it.

Axminster Carpeting

Authentic Axminster carpets are pretty expensive to own and maintain compared to other types of carpeting. But don’t be mistaken, this actually makes the problem even worse. Because one small mistake and the value of your investment will shrink faster than the carpet itself. Like Wilton, quality Axminster carpets also consist of jute padding and woollen fibres. Due to the intricacy and solidity of its weaving, Axminster carpet padding rarely gets wet. The surface repels most of the residue water from cleaning and spills.

How to Know If You have a Belgian Wilton Carpet?

Nowadays it is difficult to distinguish between original wool fibres and synthetic ones. Check the underside of carpeting and see if you can find a visible outline. Otherwise, look for duplicity of carpet pattern on the padding. If your carpet has either of these two, it is a Belgian Wilton carpet which runs the risk of shrinking. We strongly advise that you confirm the nature and authenticity of carpet fabric before purchasing it.

What Makes a Carpet Shrink?

The short answer to this question is, poor cleaning and maintenance. For example, in commercial premises, this might include outdated cleaning tools and equipment, inexperienced staff, or use of chemical solutions. A regular office cleaner will simply pour chemical solution to get rid of any stain on the carpet regardless of its nature and fabric. Similarly, many people expect the carpet floors to dry naturally; this is impossible. These innumerable factors relating to delinquency and negligence lead to one reason why carpets shrink, the padding getting wet. When a jute padding gets wet, it expands and swells up, causing the carpet floor to shrink away from walls.

How to Avoid Carpet Shrinking?

Just because you spend a fortune on a quality carpet does not mean that you won’t have to clean it. On the contrary, you should exercise even more caution and hire professional Carpet Cleaning Tips to protect the natural shine and lustre of your home décor investment.

Carpet Cleaning Service
Carpet Cleaning Service

Book Our Ians Cleaning Services for Best Results

IANS Cleaning Services offers quick, effective, and reliable professional carpet re-stretching services throughout Perth. Our expert carpet technicians have more than 20 years of experience in carpet re-stretching, carpet cleaning, carpet repair, carpet drying, and flood water damage restoration services.

Call us today to Make an Appointment and get a free quote of our carpet re-stretching services. You can also get in touch with our experts by filling out the small contact form on the right side of your screen.