Stainmaster

It can be tricky explaining all the performance characteristics of various carpets in a simple way.

Of the nylons, DuPont Stainmaster is among the best you can buy, with excellent durability. However, there are different colours, shades and varieties available. Choose a very dense, (but not too thick) type, for best performance.

Although they engineer the carpet to have good appearance rention, it still is a synthetic and will show to some degree if soil accumulates. Wool rich carpets are better at hiding soil and keeping their looks better.

But S/Master is more forgiving of accidents and spills and chemicals, so if a young family and a carpet isn't going to be looked after well, a S/Master might be more practical than wools.

Really its a matter of choice. S/Master feels very nice under foot, has excellent stain resistance and resilience. Wools are a little more costly, but have a lot of benefits that only a natural fibre can give.

Personally, I have only wool-rich carpets in my home, but that's me.

Of the thousands of customers I've known with S/Master carpets, a greater proportion have been quite happy with it, and some have not. In almost all cases, those unhappy have not maintained their carpets all that well.

Ash.

In my opinion 80/20 wool is the best way to go.
I had 80/20 wool carpet for 18 years, it was never professionally cleaned.

When we ripped it up for our reno, only then could I see how bad the carpet was, but not while it was on the floor.

What gave out first….the underlay!

I can’t stress enough to people when purchasing carpet to get top quality underlay!
It will help your carpet last longer and give better performance!

I’ve since put a Poly prop down…..very disappointed!

Southies, your experience suggests that it was NOT cleaned correctly. Proper cleaning by a qualified carpet cleaning technician will only enhance the appearance and performance of a carpet. A Stainmaster must be cleaned at least every 2 years under the terms of maintenance, and DuPont can refer you to a recommended cleaning contractor if you asked. Essentially, it is unwarranted to blame the carpet for the poor performance you have had.

Can you say how they cleaned it, where you got them from, or how much they charged?

Ash.

Firstly, let me explain what a DuPont Stainmaster carpet means.....

Carpets are produced, using various components. The average carpet sold in Australia for domestic use consists of a woven polypropylene primary backing, a woven jute secondary backing, latex to hold the backings together and lock the pile in, and the face yarn (or pile).

A DuPont Stainmaster carpet may be made by any of a number of manufacturers. To be sold under that name, the face yarn will be supplied by Dupont. They sell the spools of yarn to the manufacturer, and the manufacturer constructs the carpet using components and specifications to which they have agreed with Dupont. So, DuPont will certify a carpet that is made to their specs and with their yarn. The yarn itself is known as a 6th generation nylon yarn. It has a lot of technology built into it to give it its performance, include carbon filaments to stop static, acid dye blockers to fill up dye-sites, and topical fluorochemical treatments (DuPont Teflon).

The technology DOES give very good performance characteristics to the carpet, and when maintained correctly, will keep looking quite good.

However, the treatments do gradually wear in areas of heavy traffic. A topical treatment of Teflon can be applied by a tech after cleaning if required to maintain optimum performance, but shouldn't be required until say the 5-7 year mark (after several cleans) and even then, only in traffic areas.

NOTE though.... using incorrect spotters or chemicals can damage the stain resistant coatings, especially disinfectants or other products that are cationic (have a positive molecular charge) or strong alkalies or solvents. Basically, don't use chemicals on the carpet unless they are approved by DuPont. Many other products that people use may work, but either leave sticky residues or damage the SR treatments. For the same reason, don't use any old carpet cleaner, because many haven't a clue what they are doing, and may use inappropriate chemicals.

The SR treatments applied during manufacture have good durability, and don't readily come off, as they are heat cured. After market applied Teflon is air cured. It still has good performance when applied properly by a trained tech, although perhaps it may not last as long as a mill applied treatment. I will at times offer to apply a light top up application to a Stainmaster in traffic ways after it has been cleaned several times. It's not essential, but helps to provide optimum ongoing service.

Hope that answers your questions!

Ash.

Paula,

Keep up that good behaviour, and you're never gonna find yourself over my knee!

I imagine from all you've explained above that that's what occurred. So much for being 'reputable' . After so much time, we can only surmise.