Carpet matting and crushing may seem to be the result of heavy wear and tear. However, this may not always be the case. The good news is that with proper care and attention to maintenance, matting and crushing can be minimized, thereby extending the life of the carpet.
Anytime carpet fibers have high pressure upon them, the fibers compress and flatten. This is called a carpet “imprint.” This usually happens from the legs of a couch when the couch is moved. Other causes can include improper thickness of padding, infrequent cleaning and extra dirty carpeting. Matting and crushing can be remedied in many cases. But for particularly bad performance, a carpet inspector can determine what’s going on.
A flooring inspector will take a close look at the carpeting for matting and crushing. To establish matting, the inspector will look at the yarn fibers to see if they are untwisted and intermingled. With crushing, the carpet inspector will actually measure the pile height to draw their conclusions.
To minimize matting and crushing, owners can wet the affected area of the carpet with an ice cube, then pick the fibers with the edge of a coin or a spoon to fluff them up. Vacuuming over the area in several different directions can also help the carpet fibers straighten up.
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