Whether or not to groom carpet has been an ongoing debate amongst cleaners for years. According to the IICRC S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings, most residential carpet should be finished (brushed, combed or groomed) at the completion of cleaning.
Reasons to Groom:
If you choose to groom, there are two common tools used to set the nap of carpet: A groomer and a brush.
A groomer is well suited for Saxony, shag, and frieze style carpet. A brush works well for plush. Unfortunately, carpet made with staple yarn (short filaments spun into a yarn) often shed loose filaments that accumulate on a brush. In contrast, the groomer does not tend to develop this problem. Cleaning carpet fuzz from the brush can waste a lot of time.
The goal of grooming is to leave a smooth look with the carpet yarns laying in the same direction. A carpet groomer has the potential to leave lines in the carpet caused by its tines. These lines are often referred to as “claw marks” and are not a desirable end result. A light touch goes a long way in preventing claw marks when grooming sensitive carpet. A slight overlapping stroke that creates a narrow “X” pattern also helps.
There are three surfaces on a groomer that can be used to set the nap:
If “like new” is the look you want to leave, then grooming is a vital step to include in your cleaning process!