What Is The Best Way To Clean Your Carpets?
Homeowners often don’t realize that shampooing isn’t necessarily the best method for cleaning carpets in their home and that they have more options for rug cleaning than ever before. Some carpet cleaning methods involve a light and affordable rug cleaning whereas other methods are a better choice for removing tough stains and ground in dirt and debris.
To ensure that you keep your home’s carpets and area rugs (as well as other flooring materials) in good condition and looking their best, note a few important differences between carpet cleaning methods as well as some tips for keeping floors as clean as possible. You can then discuss your choices with a carpet cleaning company near you when it’s time to have your carpeting and floors cleaned.
Different Carpet Cleaning Services
A reputable carpet cleaning company can clean carpets, rugs, upholstery, and other household textiles. Some can even go beyond this to clean tile, leather, or your air ducts. Each material presents unique problems, therefore each requires unique solutions. The five most common professional carpet cleaning techniques are:
- Hot Water Extraction (“Steam Cleaning”)
- Absorbent Compound (“Dry Cleaning”)
- Bonnet Cleaning
- Carpet Shampooing
- Encapsulation
Different Techniques To Clean Your Carpet
- Hot Water Extraction
Otherwise known as “steam cleaning,” this is easily the most common professional carpet cleaning technique. Steam cleaning uses hot water at high pressure to penetrate into carpet fibers, breaking down the dirt and bacteria stored deep within. The hot water is then extracted via vacuum. This is where the technical name “hot water extraction” comes from.
The cleaning process begins with the application agent onto the target area. The cleaning agent is then spread via brush to break up the dirt. The actual hot water extraction only comes into play once the cleaning agent is given time to do its work.
Steam cleaning can take an hour to clean an average home and twice that or more to dry. Offices and commercial properties can take much longer. Performing commercial cleaning jobs later in the day is a common practice. In some cases a few hours of damp carpets simply isn’t an option.
- Absorbent Compound
Absorbent compound cleaning is more commonly known as “dry carpet cleaning.” Dry cleaning uses an absorbent compound that binds to dirt and other substances in your carpet.
Most of the time, a mechanical brush is used to distribute absorbent compounds and disrupt dirty fibers. The compound is given time to separate dirt from the carpet fibers. Then, it is vacuumed up with a professional strength dry vacuum.
This is best for those who want a clean carpet but want to avoid wet carpets altogether.
However, the chemicals used can be somewhat pungent so proper ventilation is important and this method might not be a wise choice for those who have allergies.
- Bonnet Cleaning
Unlike the previous carpet cleaning methods, bonnet cleaning mainly focuses on the carpet’s surface. “Bonnet machines” are equipped with a spinning pad soaked in cleaning solution. They essentially polish the carpet’s surface removing dirt and grime. Bonnet cleaning is common in hotels and other commercial businesses in need of a spruce up. It is one of the fastest professional carpet cleaning techniques, but it can still make a noticeable difference in carpet appearance.
However, bonnet cleaning is more of a quick fix than a long-lasting solution. The dirt in the lower layers of the carpet eventually rises back to the surface. This means repeat treatment is usually necessary sooner rather than later for deep cleaning. Bonnet cleaning can also leave a chemical residue.
- Carpet Shampooing
Carpet shampooing is one of the oldest professional cleaning techniques still used today. It was the go-to method for heavy duty carpet cleaning for quite a long time. The process has evolved since its origins, but only in terms of the technology used.
Today, carpet shampooing involves a foaming substance that is applied and worked into the carpet with a brush machine. Wet vacuuming is then performed to remove the “shampoo” as well as the dirt attached to it.
Shampooing is effective for removing stubborn stains but requires thorough and proper extraction. If the extraction isn’t done well, sticky detergent residues left behind after shampooing will trap and lock more dust and dirt along the surface of carpeting so that rugs might look dirty very soon after shampooing.
- Encapsulation
The technique sounds fancy and in a sense it is. Encapsulation cleaning uses synthetic foam detergents that are worked into the carpet via a brush machine. The foam crystallizes into powder. As it does it encapsulates dirt present in the carpet. The powder is then vacuumed up with the dirt along with it.
Encapsulation is often favored over carpet shampooing because it leaves behind no residue, takes less time to dry, and uses less water. However, this process will not ensure deep carpet cleaning results unlike your hot water extraction and shampooing.
What Is the Best Carpet Cleaning Method?
Truth be told, each style and type of carpet requires certain cleaning treatments which a reputable, professional carpet cleaner knows because of the experience and training they have undergone.
Simple Tips to Keep Carpets Clean
Regular, professional carpet cleaning is the best option for keeping a home’s rugs clean and pristine, but there are some practical yet simple tips for ensuring your home’s floors are in the best condition in between professional cleaning.
* Ditch the Shoes
Make it a family habit to ditch the shoes as soon as you come in the door and encourage your visitors to do the same. Wearing shoes in the house increases the amount of dirt and mess you track in over your lovely, clean carpets. Shoes also have a harder tread than slippers (and certainly harder than bare feet or socks) and will wear down your carpet faster.
* Add Carpet Protection
Adding an attractive rug in an area of your home that gets a lot of foot traffic will help keep your carpets clean. Of course the rug will still need regular maintenance too, but taking up and deep cleaning a rug is a lot simpler than deep cleaning a whole carpet.
You can also add chair mats to save your carpets from chair legs or the wheels on desk chairs.
* Use Baking Soda Before You Vacuum
You just don’t want your carpet to be clean, you want it to smell clean too. Sprinkling baking soda on your carpet before you vacuum is a simple trick that will keep your carpet smelling fresher for longer.
* Vacuum Regularly and Well
Regular vacuuming is a simple way to keep your carpets cleaner for longer. You’ll see a difference in carpet cleanliness if you vacuum 2 to 3 times a week. Regular vacuuming picks up dirt and stops it from getting trodden in.
There’s a trick to effectively vacuum: go slowly! The higher the foot traffic in an area of your home, the slower you should vacuum, as a quick pass won’t necessarily pick up all the dirt
* Replace Filters and Bags Regularly
Whether your vacuum is upright or canister, filtered or traditional bag model, keeping it in good working order will help keep your carpets cleaner for longer
Make sure you change your filter bag regularly. If you don’t, your vacuum could lose suction and fail to effectively pick up dirt.
Change the Furnace and AC Filters
Change the filters at least every year, if not more often throughout the year, and have the home’s ductwork cleaned professionally as well. Dirt and dust settle into home ducts and then get blown onto your carpeting and an old filter won’t trap as much airborne dust and debris, also allowing it to settle into the floors.
* Invest in an Air Purifier
Invest in an air filter or air purifier for the entire home, or at least for the rooms you use most. An air purifier will trap and lock airborne dust so that debris cannot settle onto carpeting keeping your floors cleaner overall.
* Trim Your Pet’s Nails/Claws
Trim your pet’s nails or claws, not just to reduce the amount of dirt they might track over a carpet but to avoid pulling on carpet threads and fibers. Loosened threads allow for more trapped dirt and debris, so trimmed nails can result in cleaner interior carpeting.
* Deep Clean Twice a Year
Nothing beats a proper deep clean when it comes to protecting your carpet and keeping them as clean as can be. Instead of waiting until your carpet looks dirty, make a twice yearly note on your calendar to give your carpets a proper deep clean.
* Deal With Stains Right Away
The longer a stain is allowed to set, the harder it’ll be to get it out. Prevent set-in stains by dealing with any spills or stains as soon as they happen.
The best method of dealing with spills is to blot the spill with a rag saturated with white vinegar. Vinegar dissolves many types of food stains, pet stains and other debris. A thorough rinse with another wet rag should remove all traces of stains
