Techniques In Cleaning Carpets

You want to hire a professional company in cleaning your carpets. You know that when you hire one, it will be more expensive. But that’s because carpet cleaning specialists do not just clean your carpets the way you would do at home. You pay for the experience, equipment, and service.

It would be interesting to know what a professional company does in cleaning carpets. We will take you through some of the techniques used.

Professional Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is the most commonly-used process by professionals. This cleaning technique uses water with a temperature above 100 to 150 degrees Celsius.  It uses a superior steam machine or equipment to thoroughly clean the carpet.

Why is it that hot? Well, for every 10 degrees Celsius above 60 degrees means 100% more cleaning power!  For example, 150 degrees indicates 500% more cleaning power! Awesome, right?  That is why professional steam cleaning is deemed to be the most effective technique.

Hot water at high pressure penetrates the carpet fibers. This breaks down the dirt and bacteria found inside the carpet.

Carpet Shampooing

This is one of the oldest techniques used. This was a cleaning method used before encapsulation became more popular. We will discuss in the next subsection why cleaners now prefer encapsulation more.

The disadvantage of carpet shampooing is that it takes a longer time to dry. It becomes more sticky after drying. The reason for this is because the carpet is not rinsed after shampooing. Hence this method is not so popular anymore.

Encapsulation Cleaning

Encapsulation cleaning is a technique used in maintaining carpets for commercial use. This method uses synthetic detergents. These crystallize into power form after drying.

How is this done? In this process, the cleaner vacuums the carpet first before applying encapsulating chemicals. After this, the cleaner places the carpet in a rotary agitation machine. This allows encapsulating chemicals to separate the dirt. After this, the vacuum can now suction the dirt. Every day, this process is repeated.

As mentioned earlier, foam encapsulation is now used more versus carpet shampooing. This is due to the use of less water and shorter drying time. Another reason is that the encapsulation method is also more environment-friendly. This is largely because there is a less chemical residue left behind after cleaning.

The only limitation of encapsulation is that it may not thoroughly clean heavily-soiled carpets. 

Dry or “Bonnet” Cleaning

Dry or "bonnet" cleaning is like encapsulation cleaning. It is also used for commercial purposes. But the difference is that it uses self-neutralizing detergent instead of an encapsulation chemical. Dry cleaning entails pad-drying, allowing dirt absorption. This process is used instead of vacuuming the dirt out after using the agitation machine.

This technique is very common in high-traffic areas like hotels. This is because heavy traffic areas need carpets to be cleaned fast. The method does not use much moisture. Hence, carpets dry quicker. For areas like hotels, this means there is not much downtime or inconvenience for guests.

The disadvantage though of dry cleaning is that it is not deep cleaning. The dirt beneath the carpet can still resurface back.

Bonnet cleaning may also cause the accumulation of chemical residues. All these mean you need more frequent dry cleaning.

Hot or Warm Water Extraction

This technique uses water with temperature up to a maximum of 100 degrees Celsius. This technique is like steam cleaning. But steam cleaning is better than hot or warm water extraction.

Because hot or warm water extraction uses hot temperature, it can kill bacteria and germs. But if used with lower water temperature, it makes it less efficient compared to professional steam cleaning.

Dry Powder Cleaning

This cleaning technique uses a ‘host system'. This method uses an absorbent compound. This may be sprinkled over the carpet or applied using a machine. This cleaning technique uses a small amount of water, an absorbent carrier, and a solvent.

Allow us to explain this further.  This process entails combining natural cleaning products with water, detergent, and a safe-to-use solvent. The mixture is carefully sprinkled on the carpet. This creates clumps of sawdust-looking particles. These serve as a sponge which dissolves and absorbs the dirt. After this, the vacuum removes the clumps. You can then see a cleaner carpet.

The advantage of this method is that you can already walk on the carpet right after cleaning! Not much water is used so this means there is less risk of damaging carpet. This is the reason why this method is commonly used for carpets in bars, offices, and other commercial areas.

This technique is used for commercial purposes as a way of maintaining carpets.  Note, however, that dry powder cleaning is not also deep-cleaning. It is difficult to remove residues. It is also hard to deal with heavily-soiled carpets and stubborn stains.  Dry powder cleaning only removes the dirt from the carpet.

In Summary

Each type of cleaning technique discussed above has its advantages and disadvantages. Professional steam cleaning is the most common technique. It is also considered to be the most effective as cleaning penetrates deep into the carpet. It can remove deep-seated dirt, germs, and bacteria. 

Get a reliable professional carpet cleaning company.  In dealing with your Ellenbrook carpet cleaning specialists, discuss with them the appropriate cleaning technique for your carpet.  Then weigh the best option for your cleaning your carpet. Remember, not all carpets are the same. So care and caution should be greatly exercised!