Comparison of Carpet and Rug Cleaning Methods

A good number of carpet manufacturers suggest home cleaning services opposed to “Do-It-Yourself” for various reasons. Your personal, or rental, gear might not be correctly cleaned or adjusted and could cause issues for instance the wrong amount of cleaners or detergents, which can leave remains and lead to re-soiling, over wetting, yellowing, harm to rug fibers, etc.  Several hire units do not clean effectively and might in fact harm your carpet.  The agreement of manufacturers and commercial rug carpet cleaning is that DIY techniques work finest like temporary treatments for spill or high traffic areas between specialized cleanings. Normally, there are four basic techniques for cleaning carpets:

• Carpet Shampooing
• Foam or Dry Chemical
• Bonnet or Adsorbent Pad
• Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction

Which method you pick depends on aspects for instance the carpet fabric, kind of pile, tear, wear, and the level of soiling.  Several methods leave deposits, which encourage re-soiling and defeat the entire reason for cleaning. A number of methods can in fact harm the carpet fibers and cut down the life of the rug. Consult the carpet manufacturer for suggestions.

Shampoo
Detergent/wet shampoo solution is rubbed onto the rug through holes in a rotating brush, whose spinning changes the solution into froth and works it into the rug.  When dry, most residues having loose, encapsulated dirt is vacuumed to eliminate it (even though often dirt attracting deposit remains). Chemicals might be included to the shampoo solution to decrease smells, hold back soiling, brighten up colors and/or accelerate drying which might as well leave a deposit. At times, this technique is merged with Hot Water Extraction with water instead of a detergent solution to get rid of shampoo.  Even if more costly, this technique is particularly efficient for cleaning very soiled rugs, with heavy soil/oil build-up. 

Dry Methods

Dry techniques employ dry foams or dry chemicals and are normally best for high traffic or public parts where a more careful damping could be an issue and they are normally used with sporadic deep cleanings. “Dry” is regularly a misnomer because quite some wetness might be involved. The method is simple because it does not get as deeply into the rug fibers like a wet technique. You may think about hiring a commercial rug carpet cleaning vacuum if yours is not extremely powerful (not just to pre-clean, but as well to remove soil and the dried foam). If the rug is deeply soiled, you might need to employ a pre-conditioner to assist clean it.  After that, the chemicals are dusted and worked in through brushing several times in diverse directions by means of a brushing machine.  After it dries, usually after an hour, the floor surface and whole rug are vacuumed. 

Adsorbent Pad or Bonnet Method

The Absorbent Pad technique of cleaning is like the Shampoo technique. It makes use of an absorbent pad ('bonnet') fastened to the base of a rotating machine.  A detergent mixture is scattered on the carpet and the rotating pad is applied to stir up and take out the soil suspended in the mixture from the rug. Once one part of the pad is soiled, it can be overturned. And once both parts are dirty, the pad can be changed and later on cleaned. Often, his technique is employed in standard maintenance of commercial structures.

Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction

As with other home cleaning services, you will get the finest results if the rug is pre-treated and carefully vacuumed before cleaning. In current years, the most efficient steam cleaning technique seems to be van-mounted units. One explanation truck mounted units work more efficiently than moveable units, is that they are motorized by the van's engine and not your home electric supply.  Other explanations are that they offer advanced spray pressures and solution temperatures in addition to additional vacuum power for complete extraction. This technique wets the carpet and you have to wait on it to dry totally before regular use.

Author Bio

Candice Hubbard has been in the carpet cleaning business for some time now and she has been specializing in home carpet cleaning services and commercial rug carpet cleaning. She has gained all the experience needed to explain in detail all the carpet and rug cleaning methods that are ideal for any home or business.