Carpet Scotch Guarding and Its Important Tips

Starting with a clean carpet is the ideal way to apply Scotch Gard, a patented stain and liquid repellent for furniture, upholstery, and carpets. You can seal stains in by applying Scotch Guard to a filthy carpet. Check your documentation if your carpet is new, since many new carpets come with the protectant already applied. Vacuum filthy carpets thoroughly to remove deep-seated dirt and debris. Then, using a rented machine, steam-clean them, following the directions for combining the detergent with water in the bottle.

Tips

When you use too much detergent — in this case, less is more — it produces a residue on the carpet that attracts dirt and stains instead of repelling them. Make sure to use the steam cleaner to extract any remaining water from the carpet by going back over the cleansed area with the machine to lift the filthy water. Apply a paper towel to the carpet and push it into the fibers to test the moisture content. The carpet is suitable for Scotch Guard if the paper towel does not take up any moisture. To ensure that the Scotch Guard treatment won't fade or affect the carpet's color, test it inside a closet.

Scotchguard application

While spray-can versions of Carpet Scotch Guarding are available for treating area rugs, the liquid concentrate is more cost-effective for treating wall-to-wall carpeting.

When Scotch Guard concentrate is combined with water, it gives varying levels of protection depending on the type of carpet you have. On the following, you receive the most coverage — 53 square feet per slightly over a quarter-gallon of mixed liquid:

• Carpets with a pile height of 5/16 inch or less.
• Short naps no more than 3/8 inch tall on plush carpets.
• Pile weights per square yard of carpet range from 22 to 36 ounces.

The covering of thick and tall pile carpets is roughly half that of short-pile carpets.

Type of Sprayer

Spraying a small area, such as an area rug, may just require the spray cans containing the protectant, but bigger sections or wall-to-wall carpeting will necessitate the use of a pressurized lawn and garden tank sprayer. Tank sprayers are often equipped with 1- to 2-gallon tanks, a spray wand attachment, and a manual hand pump to pressurize the tank. To ensure safety, get a new lawn and garden sprayer designed for herbicides and fertilizers from your local hardware or home improvement store and commit it just to the application of carpet protector inside your house.

What You Will Require

1. Sprayer with storage tank
2. A bath in warm water
3. Cup with a large capacity
4. A big bucket
5. Scotch Guard Concentrate
6. Funnel
7. Measurement tape
8. Rake for carpets

In a big container, mix 1 part liquid concentrate with 4 parts warm water, depending on the tank capacity of the sprayer. Pour 25.6 ounces of concentrate and 102.4 ounces of water into a gallon sprayer to produce 1 gallon (128 ounces) of Scotch Guard, for example.

After removing the cover from the sprayer tank, place the funnel inside. Fill the funnel with the mixture until the tank is full.

Measure a portion of carpeting that corresponds to the volume of the tank. For low-pile or commercial carpets, 1 gallon of diluted Scotch Guard will cover around 200 square feet, whereas a plush or shag carpet with a steep pile will cover about 100 square feet.

Hold the wand of the sprayer 12 inches above the carpet. Working in rows the width of the spray pattern, spray the measured area, overlapping the preceding row by half the width of the spray to achieve uniform coverage. Working from one side to the other, apply the liquid in even, overlapping motions.

After applying the protectant, rake plush or shag carpets to work the protectant into the fibers.

Allow six to twelve hours for the carpet to dry before rearranging furniture or stepping on it. It may take up to four days for the Scotch Guard chemicals to form a strong connection with the carpet, allowing for optimum protection.