A clean carpet makes a room look brighter and more inviting. Carpets should be professionally cleaned every 3-6 months to extend their life and keep them looking great.
Prompt spot removal and regular vacuuming will help prevent permanent staining. To minimize stains, blot liquid spills with dry absorbent cloth or white paper towels (no prints or colors) to reduce the chance of color transfer.
How It Works
Carpets absorb and trap dirt, dust, bacteria, and other elements that can make rooms feel dirty even if they are clean. Unlike hardwood floors, which can be mopped to remove most of this material, carpets require regular professional cleaning to keep them looking and smelling their best.
Carpet manufacturers often recommend that you have your carpets cleaned every 3-6 months to maintain their appearance and extend their lifespan. If you have children or pets, you may need to have your carpets professionally cleaned more often, depending on how much they are used.
There are several methods that professional cleaners use to clean your carpets, including hot water extraction, bonnet cleaning, and encapsulation. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. It is important to understand how your carpets are being cleaned so you can ask questions and ensure that the results meet your expectations.
Hot water extraction is the most common method of professional carpet cleaning. This process involves injecting a pressurized solution into the carpet, which loosens soils and allows for their easy removal with a powerful vacuum system. Most carpet cleaning companies also offer a pre-treatment to break down oils, loosen soils, and remove spots. This treatment also helps to prolong the life of your carpets by reducing dry time and helping them resist re-staining.
Another way to keep your carpets clean is to have a no shoes policy in the house and to regularly shake out or wash doormats. This can help to reduce the amount of dirt that is tracked into your carpets, especially if you have hardwood or tile floors in the entryway. It is also a good idea to periodically rearrange your furniture to distribute wear evenly and prevent excessive traffic patterns that can cause certain areas of your carpets to become worn more quickly than others.
Preparation
Every day, dust, hair, skin cells and other elements from the environment collect in homes. Some of these elements are kicked up by foot traffic and others are pushed into the carpet fibers where they become trapped. A vacuum cleaner can only remove some of these particles from the surface of a carpet, but a deeper cleaning is needed to completely clean and freshen a home. A professional carpet cleaning company can help with this process.
One of the first steps is preconditioning the carpet. An alkaline solution (ammonia solution for synthetic carpets or dilute acetic acid for woolen carpets) is sprayed over the carpet and then agitated into the fibers. This loosens the dirt and makes it easier to extract from the carpet. After the carpet is sprayed with the preconditioner, a pressurized manual or automatic cleaning tool is run over it to rinse away all of the preconditioner, dirt, and particulates.
After the carpet is rinsed, it is left to dry. This can take several hours, but a professional cleaning service may use fans and/or heat to speed up the drying time. The homeowner can also help with the drying process by removing any furniture or rugs that are in the way of the blowers.
It is also recommended that people not walk on the cleaned carpet while it is wet. This can cause the carpet to become soiled again more quickly, and it is best to wait until the carpet is completely dry. It is a good idea to place signs on the door or in the room to let people know that the floor is wet and shouldn’t be walked on. Some people choose to sprinkle the carpet with baking soda to absorb any moisture and to prevent mold or mildew from forming in the future.
Cleaning
Carpeting in homes and businesses requires upkeep. Daily maintenance includes vacuuming to remove surface dirt, and spot stain treatments with commercially available products. More frequent maintenance includes professional cleaning using hot water extraction to remove embedded soils and maintain carpeting appearance and performance. This cleaning process is often recommended, or even required by carpet manufacturers to ensure results and warranty protection.
This method uses a special machine that injects hot water and cleaning solution into the carpet, then immediately extracts it and the dirty water. This allows the carpet to be dry within hours. This method is extremely effective at dislodging and lifting dirt that is deeply imbedded in the fibers, as well as removing odor-causing gases from pets and smokers. The hot water extraction cleaning process also sanitizes and disinfects the carpet, leaving it fresh and healthy.
Before the cleaning begins, the carpet is pre-treated to break down any remaining soil and stains. This may include an alkaline solution for synthetic carpets or a mild acidic solution such as dilute acetic acid for woolen carpets. During the cleaning process, the carpet is agitated to further loosen and break up the soil. Then, the carpet is rinsed to remove the cleaning solution and any residual dirt and stains. The carpet is then groomed to restore its appearance and texture.
Regular carpet cleaning maintains the appearance of your carpet and extends its life. It reduces allergy and asthma symptoms in those with respiratory sensitivities, and it reduces bacterial and allergen growth that can affect health. It also enhances the visual appeal of a home or business, and it improves morale in work environments by demonstrating to employees that their employer is concerned about the cleanliness and hygiene of the premises. In addition, the carpeting acts as a sound absorbent and adds to the acoustics of a space.