Home Improvement Articles and Remodeling Ideas

Professional Carpet Cleaning Done Right

Thinking about cleaning that carpet on your own? Find out why it's best to leave carpet cleaning to the professionals

By Staff Writer:Garry on October 24, 2005
Category: Cleaning Carpet

Carpeting does not require the same type of cleaning that other types of flooring require, however they still require cleaning. Even if you think your carpet is clean and you vacuum regularly, you should have your carpet cleaned professionally once every 12 to 18 months. Having your carpet cleaned professionally benefits your carpet by extending the life of the carpet and improving the air quality. This cleaning benefits you by reducing allergies and illnesses that can result from a dirty carpet.

Do-It-Yourself Carpet-Cleaning Damage
To ensure the best quality of your carpet, it should be cleaned by professionals. Many homeowners take cleaning their carpet into their own hands instead to save money. Cleaning your carpet manually is a lot less expensive, but at the same time it is time-consuming and it takes a lot of hard work. Even with hard work, do-it-yourself cleaning is never as effective as professionally cleaning. Even worse, taking the wrong actions in cleaning can easily damage your carpet. If you are planning on cleaning your carpet on your own, pay attention to these common mistakes that can damage your carpet:
• Over-shampooing your carpet
• Over-wetting your carpet
• Furniture staining wet carpet

Over shampooing
This can be the result of either using too much shampoo on your carpet or not properly rinsing your carpet after shampooing. These mistakes are easy to make especially without the help of a professional. Even the most experience do-it-yourself homeowners can use the assistance of a professional. The mistake of shampooing can cause the build-up of soapy residue that can remain in your carpet, becoming a dirt magnet.

Over-wetting
Over-wetting happens when too much water is applied to a carpet and the water soaks into the bottom of the carpet. Depending on what type of carpet you have, this mistake can cause discoloring or even shrinking of your carpet. When the backing of your carpet becomes wet they are difficult to clean and this can lead to mildew problems.

Furniture Stains
In the process of cleaning your carpet, it is important to keep furniture from coming In contact with your carpet. Due to the dyes that wood furniture releases, wet carpet can easily be stained on contact. On the other hand, furniture that is partially metal can leave rust stains on your carpet. Professionals are more reliable in cleaning carpets because they have access to foam blocks and foil-backed cardboard squares that keep furniture off the wet carpet.

Professional Carpet-Cleaning

One process used by professional carpet-cleaners is a “moisture-controlled” process called dry extraction. In the method, a ‘controlled’ amount of moisture is used to clean the carpet and at the same time leave it dry. This method is more complex than do-it-yourself methods because larger more efficient equipment is involved. In dry extraction, the same cleaning solutions a do-it-yourselfer would use are used but in different amounts. The cleaning chemicals are worked into the carpet’s material with the help of a machine with revolving brushes. After enough liquid is applied to dissolve the dirt, the machine absorbs the soil and liquid from the carpet, leaving the carpet clean and dry. Another method of professional carpet cleaning with minimal wetness is spraying a carbonate cleaning solution. The carbonated solution does not have oil or detergents that could leave dirt-attracting residue. Any dirt missed in this method is removed with a machine with soft cotton pads that rub the carpet.

Though often people criticize drier methods for not cleaning as good as wet methods, dry methods actually clean the fibers and base of your carpet. Drier methods are a better choice because there is no risk of over-wetting the carpet or carpet mildew. Drier methods are also a better choice for cleaning your carpet faster, since the carpet is usually dry in about an hour.

When professionals do use methods similar to do-it-yourself methods, they are experienced enough to realize the hazards of any cleaning system that they use. The equipment and cleaning supplies, which professionals have access to, are usually much more powerful and helpful than any equipment that do-it-yourselfers have access to. Professional are knowledgeable and experienced enough to use the extra power that these machines hold in a way that takes full advantage of their power without making the easy mistakes that we make.

One example of the advantages in machinery that professionals have is types of equipment that perform multiple tasks with one action. There are vacuums that can clean the carpet with a power shampoo system and also use a system of hot water extraction. These types of equipment are usually very powerful and have to be mounted on a truck outside of your home to be operated.
Professionals are also used to maneuvering furniture around prior to cleaning and are knowledgeable in situations that involve getting rid of challenging heavily soiled spots in your carpet.

Extra Carpet-Cleaning

• Removal of Carpet stains: While some companies include the price of removal in the base price, others may include extra charges for especially highly soiled areas or individual stains. You should ask the company about this prior to the cleaning.
• Pre-treating of Carpet: With wet-cleaning methods, your results are often intensified if the carpet is pretreated a few minutes prior to cleaning. This can be done by simply spraying the proper cleaning agent on the carpet, with chemicals that loosen up or dissolve greases and oils. This treatment will ensure that when the cleaning takes place, more dirt will be extracted from the carpet. You should ask your cleaner whether they charge extra for this process. For most firms, pre-treating is standard procedure and is included in the base price.
• Soil retardants: As a part of the manufacturing process, carpets are often treated with a specific kind of coating that helps the carpet shed water and spills, as long as the spills are cleaned quickly. After about five years or so, the coating begins to wear off in high traffic areas and may need to be reapplied.
The best way to determine if this needs to take place is by wetting your carpet with a few drops of water on the high traffic areas and observing whether or not the water beads up. If the water absorbs into the carpet, it is obvious that your carpet should be retreated. The best, most recommended chemicals for retreatment of your carpet are fluorochemical based. Fluorochemicals are in both Scotchgard and Dupont’s Teflon treatments. This treatment should follow the cleaning of your carpet. The treatment used should be brushed gently into your damp carpet.
• Deodorizing your Carpet/ Treating your Carpet for pet odor: Deodorizing your carpet usually can be accomplished through cleaning your carpet. Most odors that are in carpet are the effects of mold, mildew, or pet urine that has reached the backing and padding at the bottom of your carpet. If the odor of your carpet cannot be eliminated through regular cleaning, there is no way to eliminate it without doing damage to your carpet by over-wetting.
The alternative to damaging your carpet is to slow the return of mildew and mold after cleaning your carpet, using an anti-microbial agent. Deodorizing your carpet does not eliminate the odor of your carpet; it only masks your carpet with a better smell. Deodorizing sprays and carpet perfumes have only a temporary impression on your carpet’s smell and in some cases can make your carpet’s smell worse
• Anti-microbial treatment: Anti microbial agents kill most but not all of the mold, mildew, and other microbes of your carpet. It is not possible to kill all the microbes of your carpet but the treatment makes it difficult for the microbes to reproduce and spread throughout your carpet. This will help control the odor and allergen problems in your carpet and potentially extend the life of your carpet.
• Anti-static treatment: The static electricity reactions often become more prevalent in the winter, when air in your home is dried out. Many carpet companies have improved their carpets to prevent static by developing carpets with static-preventing fibers. The best way to decrease static in your carpet is to increase humidity in your home with the humidifier. The static problem of your carpet will usually disappear after the humidity reaches about 40 percent. Other static-reducing treatments often are soil-attracting and increase the rate at which you must have your carpet cleaned.

Write a Reply