The actual Scotchgard product has been around long before it started being used on carpeting and furniture. The original use of scotchgard on carpet fibers took place in the early nineteen eighties. Carpet manufacturers realized they had an ongoing problem with carpeting soiling too quickly and came to the conclusion something needed to be done. Fourth generation nylon was born. Presently, certain carpet manufacturers are producing carpeting with built in fabric protection such as Mohawk Smart Strand. I highly recommend this if you are buying carpeting now. Smart strand has the fabric protector all through the fiber. This has only become available in recent years. The protector on other carpeting is a topical treatment applied in the mill. This treatment wears off the carpet from foot traffic. It also can come off if improper cleaning agents are used, such as high pH cleaning solutions. This is usually done by an inexperienced technician that is not certified that cleans your carpet. I became a certified stain resist technician in 1993.

 

What needs to be understood is Scotchgard is not some exotic service that your carpet cleaning professional is trying to sell you. It is a protective coating that was once there and has worn off. When it does, the damage to your carpet begins.

 

 

 

Benefits of Scotchgard

 

Scotchgard puts a protective barrier on carpet. This protective coating keeps soil on the surface where it can be vacuumed away instead of just absorbing into carpet fibers. Therefore, it keeps carpet clean much longer. In addition, it helps keep damaging soils from cutting away at carpet fibers causing premature wear.


Scotchgard keeps spills on the surface where they can be absorbed into a towel or vacuumed up with a wet vacuum. Even if spills go unnoticed and you see black spots days later (clear spills that start attracting soil) most of these can be removed with a good spot remover and towel or the wet vacuum method.

 

The biggest benefit of Scotchgard is it keeps carpets looking new for longer by helping to prevent a condition called “ugly out” from occurring. “Ugly out” is a carpet cleaning industry expression for a carpet that is ruined by permanent stains and imbedded soils and color loss. Most carpets are prematurely replaced because of “ugly out”. Don’t let yours be. Scotchgard your carpets.