Any business that has to deal directly with clients such as the retail or hospitality sectors should recognize the importance of creating a great first impression. It isn’t solely about the way you meet and greet your customers or clients, but it’s about setting high standards. In other words, it’s how the whole package of your business comes across and that includes how clean your carpets are. For example, you could have a great business ethos coupled with super-efficient customer service, but if your office/hotel/retail space carpets are stained or dirty, then the customer might make an unfavorable judgement. For this reason, regular carpet cleaning maintenance should become part of your cleaning routine.
Isn’t Vacuuming Enough?
Vacuuming the carpet on a regular basis is a must. However, even the best vacuum cleaners can remove only part of the debris. Your carpet may look clean after cleaning it with vacuum. But bacteria, dust mites, and other deep-seated dirt will remain in the deeper layers of the carpet. These accumulate overtime. Vacuuming the carpet, even if done twice a day, is simply not enough to ensure its cleanliness.
Common Carpet Cleaning Techniques
There are many different ways to clean your carpet. Below, we listed down the most common methods to help you determine which carpet cleaning techniques are most suitable for you.
Dry Extraction Cleaning
How it works: This technique makes use of a powdered cleaning product mixed with water, cleaning detergent, and non-toxic solvent. The mixture acts as a magnet. It attracts soil and small debris from the carpet surface.
The technique uses a machine with rotating brushes that clumps the compound. The expert cleaner applies the mixture into the carpet fibers. After allowing it to set for couple of minutes, they will vacuum out these clumps. This leaves you with a cleaner carpet. It is mostly used as maintenance-cleaning for commercial grade carpets.
Advantages: This cleaning method is relatively cheaper. It also dries faster than other methods. After 10 to 20 minutes, you would be able to use the carpet again.
Disadvantages: Dry Powder cleaning only works on the dirt and soil on the surface of the carpet. This method does not remove debris and fluid deposits lodged in the deeper layers of the carpet. In addition to that, the clumps of powder could accumulate over time if the carpet is not vacuumed properly after cleaning.
Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning
How it works: After the carpet is vacuumed, the cleaner will use an encapsulating chemical or shampoo. The technique uses a special machine with rotating brushes to agitate the compound into the fibers of the carpet.
After the solution dries, it forms crystals or foam that traps the dirt and other soil deposits. This makes them easy to be vacuumed away. This is the best among the carpet cleaning techniques.
Advantages: The encapsulating solution that may remain on the carpet will continue to trap dirt. As such, it is effective even after the first cleaning. It also dries up fast and will have your carpet back in service in no time. Ideal for places of business, it is also less expensive and easy to apply.
Disadvantages: This method cannot extract soil thoroughly from the subsurface of the carpet. It is not recommended for places with heavy soil conditions.
Bonnet Cleaning
This technique uses a liquid cleaning chemical. The chemical is then sprayed or pumped onto the carpet. The solution stays on the carpet. It breaks down dirt and soil deposits.
A special rotary machine has a towel-like bonnet or absorbent pad instead of brushes. It is used to infuse the cleaning chemical into the carpet fibers and to absorb the soil deposits. This method can be used as a routine maintenance cleaning for commercial carpets.
Advantages: It is inexpensive and also has a fast-drying time. It is effective for mildly soiled carpets.
Disadvantages: This dry-cleaning method does not use a vacuum to remove the solution. Some dirt and chemical could accumulate at the bottom of the fibers. It is unable to clean deep-seated soil or urine deposits. Using the absorbent pad could also slightly damage delicate carpet fibers.
Steam Cleaning/Hot Water Extraction
How it works: From the name itself, this method makes use of extremely hot water.
First, the cleaner pre-conditions the carpet with a liquid cleaning agent. This agent breaks down unwanted debris and deposits. Pressurized heated water is used to rinse the chemical solution. The techniques utilize a strong wet vacuum to remove steam, soil and other oil-based deposits from the carpet fibers.
Advantages: The high pressure rinsing effectively removes deeply embedded soil and fluid deposits. The high temperature also helps kill bacteria and dust mites. It also sanitizes the fibers of the carpet from root to tip.
It is one of the most recommended carpet cleaning techniques by most carpet manufacturers and cleaning professionals.
Disadvantages: Compared to the other methods, drying could take a bit longer. Because of the expensive machines used, steam cleaning is also more expensive than the first three.