Carpet cleaning methods vary greatly in terms of effectiveness, cost, and the environmental impact. Carpet cleaning is essential for homes and businesses alike. Even if your carpets appear clean, dirt can seep deep into the fibers and cause health problems. Budget is a major factor for many people when considering which cleaning method to use. But here are some things to keep in mind when deciding between them:
Hot water extraction
This is considered the best way of getting stains and dirt out of carpet fibers because it uses a combination of high water pressure and soap and brushes to break down soils and lift them away from carpet fibers. The system sucks the dirty water through the carpet and into a tank, where it’s filtered before being discharged safely back into the environment.
Steam cleaning
This system uses pressurized steam to clean carpets. It’s not as effective at removing certain types of soils as hot water extraction, particularly oily ones like pet stains. It can be used on all types of carpets, including berbers, but isn’t recommended for wool rugs or Oriental carpets that are highly valued for their intricate designs.
Difference: The basic difference between hot water extraction and steam cleaning is that steam cleaning uses very hot water (sometimes as hot as 300 degrees Fahrenheit) to dissolve dirt and grime, whereas hot water extraction uses only slightly heated water.
Truck-Mounted Cleaners
Truck-mounted cleaners, sometimes called mobile carpet cleaning, are large machines that ride in a truck or van. They’re capable of producing copious amounts of steam, hot water, and foam which are used to deeply clean carpets. These machines generally use some combination of hot water extraction (HWE) or wet extraction to clean carpets. Truck-mounted cleaners are commonly used by professional cleaners because they can penetrate deep into the carpet and remove stains and dirt that home machines can’t reach.
Benefits:
The main benefit of truck-mounted carpet cleaners is their ability to clean deeply and thoroughly. However, this benefit comes with a caveat: truck-mounted cleaners aren’t as good at cleaning carpets on short notice as home machines are.
Shampoo Carpet Cleaning:
This is the most common method that carpet cleaning use to clean your carpets. A shampoo solution is applied to the carpet then vacuumed up, leaving a fresh scent and clean fibers behind.
For those of you who want to do it by yourselves, here are some steps to follow:
- Vacuum the carpet first to remove any loose dirt or debris. You should vacuum at least once a week.
- Mix the solution in a bucket: one gallon of hot water, one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent and one cup of white vinegar. Stir it well with a non-metallic utensil and use a brush to apply the mixture on the carpet. Let it stand for about five minutes until the solution begins to bubble.
- Using a non-metallic scrubbing tool, scrub the soiled areas gently in small circles in both directions for about 30 seconds. Rinse with clear water and blot dry using a cloth towel or paper towel in small sections at time to avoid over wetting the carpet which can cause mildew growth later on.
- Repeat above step two times or more depending on how severe the stains are and let dry completely before moving furniture and walking on it again.In the end, it doesn’t matter what method or methods you choose, so long as you choose one. Whichever method is used, it will almost always offer benefits that help to make your carpet look cleaner and smell better, with far less effort from you.
