The Pros and Cons of Carpet Cleaning Methods
Professional carpet cleaning companies use several carpet cleaning methods. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Carpet cleaning methods fall into two categories. – dry cleaning and wet cleaning. Hot water extraction with carpet cleaning NYC services is used in wet cleaning. It can include using an absorbent pad. Powders and foams are applied with the use of special machines that have counter-rotating cylinders, pads, or brushes when cleaning carpets with a dry method.
Wet Cleaning
This method is referred to as steam cleaning or hot water extraction. A reagent pre-condition the carpet by liquifying oil-based substances and soils that may be in the carpet fibers. Water that us nearly boiling is pressurized and injected into the carpet.
It is allowed to sit for ten to 15 minutes. The solution is then extracted with a vacuum. The advantages include:
- Getting soil from deep in the carpet
- Using high-cleaning concentrates, pressure, and temperatures
- Allows extended dwell time for cleaning solution reaction
- Most widely used method
- Industry cleaning professionals, experts, and carpet manufacturers recommend the method
Disadvantages include: Extended drying time that can be reduced by using powerful equipment by competent professionals
- Equipment requires maximum efficiency
- A higher cost factor
Absorbent Pad Cleaning
The method is known as bonnet cleaning. It is used for light, routine maintenance. It may be a method of regular carpet cleaning also. First, technicians vacuum the carpet. A solution is sprayed on the carpet with either an electric sprayer or hand pump.
The solution stays on the carpet for the needed reaction or dwell time. The bonnet or pad resembles a towel. The pad is placed on the drive block of a rotary machine and spun over the carpet surface at a speed of 100 to 300 RPM.
The action impregnates the fibers of the carpet with a cleaning solution that is picked up with the soil afterward. Advantages include:
- Inexpensive, simple, and fast
- Lightly soiled carpets see excellent results
The disadvantages are:
- Only the top third of the fibers are cleaned
- It is not capable of reaching deeper
- Cleaning solutions and dirt accumulate at the bottom portion of the carpet fibers
Using an Absorbent Compound to Dry Clean
Special cleaning solutions and agents are mixed with a powder and spread over the carpet. It is worked into the fibers with a counter-rotating brush-fitted machine. The powder absorbs soils. After setting for ten to 15 minutes, it is vacuumed. Advantages include:
- No technical training required for a simple system
- Dries fast
- The carpet is back in service in 20 minutes
- Disadvantages are:
- Powders get trapped in carpets with a plush pile and build up over time
- Excessive dust can occur in the home
- Cannot be cleaned deep in the carpet
Rotary Shampoo or Dry Foam Method
A cleaning solution is applied to suspend debris and dirt in the carpet. It is whipped into a foam and worked into the fibers of the carpet with a special machine that has rotating brushes. Short dwell time is required before extracting the foam with a vacuum. The advantages are:
- Inexpensive, simple to apply, and fast
- Excellent agitation provided by rotating brushes
- Due to the small moisture amount, carpet dries fast
Disadvantages include:
- Thorough soil extraction from below the carpet surface is not possible
- High temperatures cannot be achieved
- Equipment malfunction can cause excessive wetting