4 Best Way To Clean Carpet

There are various ways to clean your carpets and most of them work perfectly for different types of carpets. Choosing the right carpet cleaning method can be hard. Professional carpet cleaners utilize different carpet cleaning methods to effectively clean various carpets. Furthermore, each and every carpet cleaning method has its benefits and problems. Therefore, when choosing a cleaning method, you should start by considering its benefits and drawbacks.

Basically, carpet cleaning ways fall in two major categories which are; wet cleaning and dry cleaning. The wet cleaning methods include hot water extraction while the other one is cleaning with absorbent pads. Dry cleaning on the other hand involves cleaning with chemical foams and powders. These chemical substances are applied using special machines with counter-rotating brushes, cylinders or even pads. The following are the top 4 ways to clean your carpets.

1. Wet cleaning: how it works
This is also known as steam or hot water extraction cleaning. To use this method, you must precondition the carpet first with a chemical re-agent which liquefies the soils and also oil based substances inside the carpet fibers. Then the water is heated to a point very close to the boiling point, it is pressurized and injected into the carpets. After around 10-15 minutes, the carpet cleaner will need to use a vacuum to extract the liquid.

This method is effective in getting out the deepest soiling in your carpets and provides the use of pressures, high temperatures and chemical concentrates. Moreover, this method allows for extended dwell times to allow cleaning solvent reactions. Agitation with an extraction ward or grooming tool will facilitate chemical reaction. It is the most popular cleaning method and most carpet manufacturing companies and industry cleaning professionals and experts also recommend it.

The wet cleaning method is the only carpet cleaning way classified as a deep cleaning method. All the other methods are categorized under the light surface cleaning since they are not capable of removing the soils in the pile. In addition, other methods leave larger amounts of cleaning agents on your carpet after the cleaning process is over.

However, this method also has some drawbacks. After using the method, your carpets will take a longer time to dry. To minimize the time your carpets will need to dry, you will need powerful equipments and you will need services of competent technicians. For effective results you will need more expensive equipments.


2. Cleaning using an absorbent pad
This cleaning method is also among the most effective methods. It is also commonly referred to as bonnet cleaning method and people mostly use it for maintenance light cleaning. The method requires you to first vacuum the carpet after which you should spray a chemical solution to it using an electric sprayer or a hand pump. After the spraying, you should allow the chemical to remain on your carpet for a reaction time or a good dwell. A bonnet or an absorbent pad which is more similar to a towel that is normally placed inside the drive block of the rotary door machine.

The bonnet spun over the surface of your carpet at 100-300 revolutions per minute. The action impregnates your carpet fibers with more chemical solution, which helps take and lifts the soils afterwards. The carpet cleaning method is simple, fast and also inexpensive. With this method you will realize excellent results with the slightly soiled carpets. However, this method cleans only the top third of carpet fibers and it is not capable of reaching the deeper down. The method also leaves chemicals and dirt to accumulate right at the bottom layer of your carpet fibers. Another major drawback associated with this method is that spinning bonnet may distort fibers of cut pile carpet therefore resulting to distinct swirl marks.

3. Dry cleaning with absorbent compounds
This method involves cleaning with a powder which is mixed with cleaning agents and special solvents which are spread over the carpets and then worked inside the carpet fibers using a machine that has counter-rotating brushes. The powder works to absorb all the soils in your carpet fibers. After the powder is allowed to settle on the carpet fibers for around 1-15 minutes, the cleaner vacuums it up.

The cleaning method is very effective and does not require any special technical training. The carpets will also dry faster and they will generally take 20 minutes before they are back in service. However, the powder may sometimes be trapped in the plush-pile carpets, which build up the over time. It can lead to excessive dust build up in your home. Moreover, this method does not clean deep inside the carpet.


4. Rotary shampoo method or dry foam method
This cleaning method will require you to apply a cleaning agent on your carpet to assist in suspending the debris and dirt in your carpet. The dirt and debris are then whipped into foam which is then worked into the carpet fibers using a special machine rotating brushes.

This method is simple, fast and also cheaper to apply. Its rotating brushes offer excellent agitation. A small moisture amount allows faster carpet drying. But with this method you will not be able to get thorough soil extraction right below your carpet surface. Higher temperatures are not usually achieved and an equipment malfunction may lead to excessive wetting which is undesirable in most cases.

Considerations to make before you start cleaning your carpets
Choosing the best cleaning method is important. There are systems which will leave residues on your carpets and will promote re-soiling and therefore defeat the entire cleaning purpose. There are other methods which will damage your carpet fibres and as a result short the carpet’s life. Before choosing a method, you should check with the carpet manufacturer for recommendations.

The carpet cleaning frequency is also important. You should clean your carpets before they become too unsightly to make the cleaning work easier and more successful. Letting your carpets to become more soiled will cause irreversible damages. There are people who believe that cleaning their carpets before it is necessary may make them to get dirtier faster but this is only a myth. Cleaning the carpets after they are completely dirty was only necessary when the shampoo cleaning methods were common.

Generally, in any house the carpets should be cleaned in a professional way after every 12 to 18 months. This will highly depend on the number of residents, the type of activity, and the cleaning cost. It will also depend on whether the carpets are light or dark colored.