[cleanability]

Been carpet cleaning 8 years and have come across this carpet twice. Its got the appearance of an Axminster construction looking at the back. Each time,  the carpet has been plain beige in colour. Now I should have given them a burn test but the first occasion I wasn't in the know and the second time the carpet was only about 4ft square so didn't bother.
My reason for the post is that they shrunk alarmingly. The first occasion it ripped out all the grippers holding it down. When I was called back its one of those never to be forgotten nightmares. There were broken gripper and even lumps of concrete from the gripper being ripped out.
And no I didnt overwet them. They made Belgian Wiltons look like a dream to clean. I've cleaned plain wool Wiltons with no problem. Is there such thing as plain coloured and I mean absolutely plain with no pattern at all Belgian Wiltons about ?

Chris

[Glynn]

Sounds like an old acrylic.

[carpetclean]

someone did do a post on plain  b/Wilton's coming to this country and warned us of this. apparently patterns are going out and plain b/Wilton is taking its place but as luck would have it have not come across one

[angela carlton]

I believe there is plain Belgian Wilton.

angie

[calmore]

Jeez!

So...if I come across an off white carpet, with synthetic pile and natural backing how can I tell if it's Belgian Wilton, as there'll be no pattern to show through the backing?

Does the "Belgian Wilton" construction contribute to the shrinkage or is it purely down to the synthetic pile/natural backing? Would a synthetic/natural carpet of different contruction be as prone to shrinkage?

[*paul_moss]

Basically it is a double face loom which is produced in Belgian,hence Belgian Wilton.

The Wilton loom is quiet tightly woven with Hesian/Jute backing.
If the yarn is wool them it can absorb 3 to 4 times its own density in moisture when jeting takes place on extraction cleaning.
If the yarn is polyprop ( check by a burn test) because it is a synthetic (plastic) it does not hold the moisture and instead the water jetted into the carpet can wet/saturate the hessian backing as it can pass very quickly down the yarn bundle especially if the psi is high.

It is the backing that shrinks as it dries out.

Thats why you dont over wet B/W you use very low psi with quick spray patterns and lots of fast dry passes or use a L/M clean.

[*paul_moss]

I should also add that some of the hessian backings are alot thicker than others and this is where i believe the extra shrinkage takes place only on some carpets if over wet.

Any synthetic yarn woven onto a natural backing has a shrinkage risk. But there are other factors too.

Touch wood ive cleaned shed loads of them and not shrunk one yet.

[Derek]

Belgian Wiltons do come plain and have been on the market for a number of years...they are obviously now finding their way into the cleaning cycle
They can still be identified by checking the backing and opening your mind to their plain appearance

[Dave_Lee]

I have occasionaly come across plain beige twist pile woven carpets that can shrink dramatically. These have been around since before BW days. This particular type seems to have a synthetic rather than jute construction with cotton stringers running through. Obviously its the cotton that soaks up the moisture that will freely run down all the synthetics, thus badly shrinking. As for recognition, patterned BW are obvious, but all wovens should be treated with suspicion. Natural Backed wovens, the tighter the backing construction the better, beware the lesser dense ones.
Dave.

[carpetclean]

I have occasionally come across plain beige twist pile woven carpets that can shrink dramatically. These have been around since before BW days. This particular type seems to have a synthetic rather than jute construction with cotton stringers running through. Obviously its the cotton that soaks up the moisture that will freely run down all the synthetics, thus badly shrinking. As for recognition, patterned BW are obvious, but all wovens should be treated with suspicion. Natural Backed wovens, the tighter the backing construction the better, beware the lesser dense ones.
Dave.

oddly enough a fellow cc told me he saw one of these last week and has referred me to dry clean it