How To Clean Carpets
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by Jason Neale
Different Methods of Carpet Cleaning
Homes require regular cleaning and the same goes for carpets, so how to clean carpets effectively without damaging the fibres, this is best left to an expert carpet cleaner with the right cleaning techniques and products.
There are so many different carpet types these days and some may respond better to different cleaning techniques, such as steam cleaning, dry cleaning, low moisture cleaning or hot water extraction method these are 4 different types of cleaning processes and each one uses a different type of cleaning product.
Steam Cleaning
A steam clean is pretty universal and can be used on most carpet types, and it is especially good if the areas to be cleaned are heavily soiled or haven’t been cleaned in some time. Steam cleaning is the most widely use cleaning process in the world, the thing that sets this method apart from the others is that the machine used to do a steam clean with is called a truck mounted machine, these are bolted into the back of the van and then long hoses are taken into the house, there is a solution hose that carries the steam and a vacuum hose that sucks the dirty water out of the carpet during the cleaning process. A truck mounted machine generates its own steam hence the name steam clean.
Dry Cleaning
A dry clean is very different to that of a steam clean this method uses a cleaning solution that is applied to the surface of the carpet and then a machine that rotates or spins at about 250rpm is moved over the carpet, this action creates the cleaning solution to absorb the dirt and bacteria within the carpet, and the pad that sits on the bottom of the rotary machine is designed to absorb the cleaning solution and dirt therefore it is removed from the carpet.
Hot Water Extraction Cleaning
Hot water extraction carpet cleaning is similar to a steam clean but without the extreme heat, this machine is a portable cleaning machine and is taken into the house along with the hoses, the machine has two chambers a clean water tank and a dirty water tank, the actual cleaning process once the machine has been set up is exactly the same as using a truck mounted machine. The main difference is between the truck mount and the portable is that the truck mount doesn’t need electricity as it has its own engine whereas the portable needs electricity to run the vacuum motors and pump.
Both the truck mounted and the portable machine have their good and bad points the truck mount has loads of heat and lots of suction but can’t get into high rise buildings, and the portable doesn’t have the heat or as much suction but can get to any cleaning situation especially useful in high rise apartments.
Low Moisture Cleaning
The low moisture clean is similar to the carpet dry cleaning process except this is using chemistry to clean the carpets, a cleaning solution is sprayed on to the carpet in the same way as a dry clean, but with this process the cleaning solution encapsulates the dirt and bacteria and turns it into a crystal powder that is then vacuumed up and removed from the carpet, this method is a very fast drying process almost walk on dry after the cleaning, a similar machine to that of dry cleaning is used expect this machine oscillates as well as spins giving a more thorough clean of the carpet fibres.
All of the above carpet cleaning methods has their place in today’s world of cleaning but it is important to understand each cleaning method and have a sound understanding of how to clean carpets properly using the correct cleaning solutions and knowing which situation to use these processes in for a successful outcome.
