Keeping carpets clean can be a difficult task, especially if one has kids or pets in the house. There are several different types of carpet cleaning methods employed by professional cleaning services and this largely depends on the type of fabric or carpet fibers and also on specific needs of the homeowners. Steam and shampooing carpet cleaning are some of the effective methods of carpet cleaning that you should choose. However, in order to choose which method to use, you should know all their cleaning techniques and stages. Thus, the following explains the steam and shampoo carpet cleaning process.
Steam Carpet Cleaning
Most experts recommend steam carpet cleaning as the only method that not only cleans the carpet thoroughly but it also does not cause damage to the fibers of the carpet as it does not use any harsh chemicals like other carpet cleaning methods do. The frequency of how often you should get your carpet cleaned majorly depends on the business of your household but most experts say that one should get their carpets steam cleaned at least once a year. The entire carpet steaming process comprises of the following main steps:
High-Filtration Vacuuming
The first thing that should be done before anything else is done is picking up loose visible debris from the surface of the carpet. While you may have vacuumed the carpet using your household vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaners are of industrial strength and they rid the surface of the carpet of the tiniest dust particles using high filtration vacuuming.
Removal of Furniture
The process of steam carpet cleaning requires the room to be completely vacant. Most of the times the steam cleaning professionals that come in to do their job help the residents of the house in moving the furniture out of the room but it is advisable that you should always move the furniture out of the room before the technicians arrive to avoid any damages or breakages.
Stain Removal
The first step in the carpet steaming process is the removal of visible stains. It is possible that your carpet may have stains from spills etc. If that is the case, the professionals from the steam cleaning company will use professional cleaning products to rid the thing of those stains before they proceed with other procedures.
Pre-Spraying
Before the hot water extraction process, the professionals will apply a pre-spray to the surface of the carpet which will help in loosening and be removing all the grime and oils that might be stuck in the fibers. This step is crucial as, without it, the water extraction method will not be able to rid the carpet of all sorts of pollutants.
Extraction of Hot Water
The carpet cleaner will be using a professional hot water extraction machine to thoroughly clean the carpet using steam. The solutions used for cleaning are propelled into the fibers of the carpet that end up breaking down the dust particles after which a vacuum is used to extract it all.
Rinsing
The rinsing process is also carried out using the extraction machine in order to make sure that there is no residue and no cleaning solutions left behind.
Usage of Protective Tabs
Using Styrofoam blocks and foil tabs under the legs of the furniture, your cleaner will move them back to where they are supposed to be. This step is basically deemed necessary so that there is no color seepage from the furniture to the carpet when it is still wet. Once that completely dry, these protective tabs can be removed.
Raking
In the end, the steam cleaning technician will make sure that there are no tangles or its fibers lying in the wrong direction using a carpet rake.
Overshoes
The carpet cleaning technician will provide you with overshoes so that you can wear them if you need to walk over the carpet when it is wet.
Carpet shampooing carpet cleaning
One of the traditional yet versatile techniques employed by professionals is the carpet shampooing method. The principle behind the shampoo method is that the carpet or rug is thoroughly cleaned using a foamy chemical which is then allowed to dry completely. As it dries, this residue pulls out all the embedded dirt and dust which has to be vacuumed off the next day.
Since foaming is an important criterion of this technique, the reagent used for carpet shampooing must be able to generate high amounts of foam which will reduce the wetting of the carpet fibers. The ingredients present in the shampoo must also be able to generate stable foam and also dry out completely to a non-sticky residue. Professional cleaners also use a reagent which has high levels of lubricity so that the carpet fibers are not damaged while it is being brushed.
One of the most common ingredients that are found in all carpet shampoo is sodium lauryl sulfate or its many derivatives. Sodium lauryl sulfate has the property to generate high quantities of stable foam and hence is a regular ingredient in all kinds of shampoos and detergents. The only disadvantage of using cleaners with this chemical is that it leaves behind a sticky and soft residue which may cause resoiling of the carpet. To combat this problem, the cleaning reagent also contains an anti-soiling compound which acts like a resin and avoids resoiling of the fabric.
Optical brighteners are also added to carpet shampoos to make it appear brighter and cleaner. These compounds trap the invisible ultraviolet light converting it into visible light making it appear brighter. But this can sometimes leave back a yellow cast which can be quite stubborn to remove.
There are two different specialized equipment’s employed in the carpet shampoo process and these are rotary shampoo and cylindrical foam machines. The ordinary rotary floor equipment is used for spraying the shampoo and then brushing the carpet. This method can lead to over wetting which can damage your carpet fibers. The cylindrical foam machine is more suitable as an air compressor is used to generate dry foam and a cylindrical brush for gentle but thorough cleaning of the carpets.
Carpet Cleaning – Steam Or Shampoo? The above explains all the information on steam and shampoo carpet cleaning process.