Carpet Cleaner

Hiring a carpet cleaner is something that most homeowners do about once a year to have their carpets deep cleaned. The majority of carpet manufacturers recommend that you have your carpets cleaned every 12 to 18 months to keep them in top shape. Daily vacuuming is your best defense against dirt buildup and stains as most soiling is loose, but even with regular vacuuming most carpets still need to have the deep-set dirt cleaned out to avoid damage.

There are a few methods for deep cleaning a carpet and choosing the right carpet cleaner that specializes in the method you want done is your first step. Many professional cleaners will typically favor either the wet extraction method or the dry extraction method and you should decide which one you want before searching for a carpet cleaner. Both methods are similar in principle but vary in what they use for a cleaning agent. Both of them are about as effective in the general cleaning of a carpet and do a great job of stain removal. The choice between them is really a matter of which one your particular carpet manufacturer recommends and your preference. If you don’t have the paperwork that came with your carpet when it was installed, you can always visit the carpet manufacturer’s website to see the details of their warranty.

The hot water extraction method has been used for quite a while and is the most popular type of commercial carpet cleaning. It relies on specialized equipment that is used by the carpet cleaner and can either be a self-contained appliance or can just be the nozzle wand assembly that is connected by a set of hoses to a van outside the house that holds the truck mounted machine equipment. The carpet cleaner will typically pre-treat areas of the carpet that are particularly dirty with a topical pre-spray treatment before starting to clean a room to help remove any high-traffic dirt or stains. The carpet cleaner will then use the hot water extraction machine to clean and dry the carpet. The process involves a cleaning solution being dispensed deep into the carpet. This solution is typically heated and will instantly dissolve the adhesive bond that holds most dirt and grease to the carpet fibers. Right after this solution is injected into the carpet, it is extracted by a very powerful vacuum from the carpet to avoid leaving the water in the fibers too long. Even still, the carpet will need 4 to 6 hours of drying time before you can use the room again. These hot water extraction cleaners are also available in most home improvement stores for rent, and allow the average homeowner to clean their carpets themselves. Just be careful that if you do decide to use one of these cleaners that you don’t get the carpet too wet. Make sure you extract as much of the water as possible so you avoid any problems with mold or mildew forming. If you have any concerns about using the cleaner correctly, leave this type of deep-carpet cleaning to a professional carpet cleaner.

The dry cleaning method is similar to the wet extraction method, but is done with a dry agent. This process is relatively new and relies on a chemical property called encapsulation. This property involves a dry cleaning agent that can bind to dirt and grease and dissolve their adhesive bonds, making their removal easy. There are really three different methods that are routinely referred to as dry cleaning and two of them actually use a very small amount of liquid to clean the carpet and are referred to as very low moisture (VLM) systems. This first method uses a dry compound to work and requires no liquid at all. This process involves spreading a dry cleaning powder over the carpet and working it into the fibers with a brush. This dry compound will lock onto the dirt and grease and break the adhesive bonds that hold them to the carpet fibers. Once this material has had a chance to work, it can be vacuumed up and will carry all of the grease and dirt from the carpeting with it.

The last two methods involved spreading a chemical agent on the carpet and either working it into the fibers with a rotating brush or a device called a bonnet that resembles a floor-waxing machine. Once this cleaning compound has had a chance to work, it is vacuumed up and the carpet is ready for use. Both of these methods work well and are actually VLM systems but leave the carpet dry and ready to use.

Whichever method you choose, there will be a Metro Carpet Cleaner in your area that can help you with the process. Any of these cleaning methods will leave your carpet looking great and extend its life as well.