The Carpet Cleaning Process

Effective Process of Carpet Cleaning

Carpet cleaning has been around for many years now, and these days there are all sorts of carpet cleaning techniques.

What you need to know, as a customer, is which carpet cleaning process is best for you. Steam cleaning is the most common cleaning process around today, and this method is used for all types of carpets. It is the only way of cleaning if you are moving from a rental property, as steam cleaning is the method preferred by all rental agents. This is because using steam kills most bacteria and germs within the carpet fibres.

Truck Mounted Steam Cleaning Machine

 

A carpet cleaner doesn’t just use steam to clean carpets; he will also mix cleaning products with the steam in order to release the dirt and stains from the carpet fibres. The cleaning products used depend on the type of carpet you have fitted in your home. Some types of fibre do not react well to solvent-based cleaning products, so the cleaning company would use a water-based product. Over the last few years, water-based products have come a long way in their ability to bring carpets up to a very high standard.
When cleaning your carpets, a number of different spot-removing products can be used to help remove stubborn stains such as blue tack, ink, oil, colour food stains, urine, watermarks and blood. These types of stain will generally not come out with a standard pre spray detergent, so it is essential that your carpet cleaner has a full understanding of the various available products. Because if the wrong type of stain remover is used, it can lock in the stain or make it worst.

The Process – Steam

First up is a thorough pre-vacuum to remove all the loose particulates and dust from the carpet before applying any cleaning products.
This also helps the steam cleaning machine to clean more effectively, as the machine is not designed to pick up particulates, but to lift moisture or water from your carpet.
Next, the appropriate cleaning product is applied to the carpet and is left to dwell for a time, to help release the in ground dirt from within the carpet fibres. During this time the technician may agitate the fibres with a rake or an electric spinning tool.
Once the technician is satisfied with the dwell time the cleaning process starts. The cleaning process is the application of the cleaning solution to the carpet and the removal of the soiled residue from the carpet, with steam or hot water. Our truck mounted machines deliver a high air-flow, and a high vacuum for extraction. This provides an excellent clean and a drying time of between 30 minutes and three hours.
Our technicians will start at the room furthest away from the front door; so that after each room is cleaned the technician does not walk on the cleaned area. The technician will move furniture around as he cleans, and put it back in position using plastic pads under the feet until the carpet has dried. We do not move all furniture for you. Items such as televisions and computers would have to be moved by you, as these items can be easily damaged.

The Process – Encap

Another cleaning process is called encapsulation (Encap) cleaning. This is fast becoming popular with carpet cleaners and customers, as it is fast and efficient. Encap will never replace the steam cleaning techniques, but it is very effective on commercial and residential carpets.
Encapsulation Cleaning Machine

 

The process is much the same as steam cleaning, so the process starts out with a thorough pre-vacuum, and then the spraying of a special detergent over to the whole carpet, which is left to dwell for the appropriate time.
Once the technician is satisfied with the dwell time the cleaning process starts. The cleaning tool shown is an orbital cleaning machine. It has a soft brush pad that sits on the carpet and spins around at between 200-400 rpm. The cleaning product is agitated with the spinning tool, and it encapsulates the dirt within the carpet. That is, it turns the dirt into a fine, residual-free product that can be easily vacuumed up.
Once the carpet is dry, it is once again thoroughly vacuumed to complete the cleaning process.