Berber Carpets

Berber carpet derives its name from the tribal weavers of the Berber tribe of Northwestern Africa. The weavers of the Berber carpet live in the desert or the semi desert area where the nights are very cold. This carpet apart from being used as floor coverings is also used by these tribe as cloaks to protect themselves from the cold nights.

One thing should be kept in mind that Berber carpet is not the type of the carpet but infact it is the weave of the carpet. The fibers used for manufacturing this carpet can be of the following types- wool, nylon, polyester, Olefin (petro-plastic), or a blend of types of fibers.

Weave and the Color
Berber carpets are mostly of the off-white to light camel in color. It does not mean that Berber carpets are not made in dark shades but these incidences are few. The main materials for manufacturing Berber carpets are wool or even camel hair. However, nowadays nylon and olefin are also used for their construction. The weaves of Berber carpets have varying levels of loops and have less pile as compare to other carpets, but they are considerably denser than some carpets with higher loops and pile. These carpets have both large and small tufts of fabric, leading to a less consistent pattern than that produced when all the loops are of the same size.

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Features of Berber Carpets
Some of the important features of the Berber carpets are:

Stain resistant is moderate
Available in light colors
Can be vacuumed easily without harming the carpet
Knots and materials decide the price of the carpet. Most expensive of the Berber carpet consists of 200,000 knots in a square meter and are made of either wool or camel hair.
Durable carpet, constructed of rugged looped pile running in parallel lines
The short loop lengths don't show the foot marks and compressed traffic patterns and wear aren't a problem.

Berber Carpet Repair
Is your Berber carpet damaged? You don't need to panic. Just make few arrangements and go through these guidelines that might help you to repair your favorite possession.

For minor damage

At the carpet backing, where the carpet is connected, spread the glue
Now take the needle and force the disconnected loop into the carpet backing
After this just hold the connecting end of the loop for a short time and allow the glue to dry
Take special care to separate that portion of the loop which you don't want to end up glued down.

For larger damage
If there is large damage on your carpet you need to take extra effort and care to repair it. The equipment you need to repair the carpet are : Carpet knife, Carpet glue and Spare carpet swatch.

Remove the damage area of the carpet by cutting it. While cutting, always cut down to the bottom of the carpet, leaving the padding intact.
Cut the piece of the similar size from other incospicious area of the carpet that is least visible
Apply the sufficient amount of the glue on the non damaged piece of the carpet
Now adjust the new piece into the hole created by the damaged cutout. While adjusting, do maintain the pile direction and any color pattern.
To mask the cuts, brush the overlapping fibers between the old and new carpet
Leave the carpet as it and allow it to dry completely

Berber Carpet Cleaning

Berber carpet is looped weave which protects the carpet from the dirt like cut-pile or plush carpet. However it has the tendency to trap the dirt once it does get in there. This imply you don't need to regularly vacuum your carpet. The maintenance is easy and cheap. On the other hand, you should take the help of professional carpet cleaners especially when your carpet is made of synthetic fibers.

Liquid seepage can damage your carpet. If the liquid percolates in the Berber carpet it might led to the discoloration of your carpet. For this problem wet extractor is a perfect solution. However do not allow too much liquid into your carpet. If your Berber carpet has attracted stains, always pre-treat that area with special spot removers before you clean.