The Different Phases Of Carpet CleaningThe Different Phases Of Carpet Cleaning

Carpets are very important things in a home which make your house elegant and nice.

living room

They are also a very good flooring option since they are warm and soft.

To show your appreciation and to make them durable, it is very important to clean them on a regular basis. Carpets will always attract dirt even if you try to make sure they are always clean.

If a carpet looks dirty, it will negatively affect the appearance of the whole room and make it look untidy. This is one of the major reasons why you have to make sure you clean your carpet. Whether residential or commercial, you can do carpet cleaning on your own or you can hire out the carpet cleaning services to a local company.

A vacuum cleaner is one of the most effective carpet cleaning equipment. They suck out dirt trapped within the fibers of the carpet leaving your carpet stain free. This is a very good equipment to use when you want to remove, allergens, solid particles, and dust.

There are very many cleaning chemicals in the market to help you clean your carpets. Some of these, include deep steam, carpet shampoo, carpet powders, carbonated water and protectors. The products can help remove stains and soils accumulated in the carpet.

When cleaning a carpet, there are 3 phases you need to follow. The carpet is a very delicate thing and should be cleaned properly. If you do not follow these phases, you may need up worsening the condition of your carpet. Here are the three phases you need to follow

Pre-treatment

This is the first phase of carpet cleaning. It is very important and should not be skipped as it prepares and conditions your carpet so that it will be very easy to clean the carpet. During this phase, the carpet is sprinkled or sprayed with a particular solution which helps in cleaning carpeting.

It will let the soils, solid particles and dust trapped inside the carpets resurface to the surface. This will make the cleaning process easy since all you have to do is wash away the stains.

Cleaning process

This is where the removal of the resurfaced dirt is done. There are different ways of cleaning a carpet including hot water and/or dry extraction, and extraction using cold water. These methods are used depending on various carpet types. This is because of the fact that different types of carpets have different carpet fibers.

Make sure you research first about the different methods and the type of carpet they can be used on. This will make the cleaning process effective since the right method of cleaning will leave no dirt behind.

Neutralization

This is the last phase of carpet cleaning. It involves the process of neutralizing the carpet leaving the carpet as clean as it should be. This process is very important since carpet cleaning methods usually leave some cleaning materials on the carpet.

If this process is not carried out, the carpet will look dirtier and unattractive. Neutralization will even make the carpet feel as soft and as new as it should be.

It is very important to never underestimate the amount of accumulated dirt, dust, microorganism and bacteria in your carpet.

Regular carpet vacuuming should be carried out for general carpeting housekeeping and maintaining good indoor air quality in your home.

Here’s a video of a cleaning procedure on carpeting. It makes you wonder how they let this carpeting get this dirty in the first place. As you can see, steam cleaning alone can make a huge difference …

These are some of the things you need to consider when cleaning your carpet. Carpets are very precious and we should never fail to clean them. Use the most effective cleaning methods and materials and the carpet will make the room tidy and beautiful.

Top Five Carpet StainsTop Five Carpet Stains

Sooner or later, it is something that happens to even the best of us.

You take all the precautions that you possibly can to protect your carpet and hope that no carpet stains or accidents will ever happen and comprise your carpeting’s beautiful appearance, and then suddenly a mishap strikes when your pet cannot hold it anymore, a drop of blood, or a sippy cup full of Kool-Aid.

There are numerous ways that carpet stains can be removed, but it is advantageous for you to be well-informed and be armed with some proven methods and techniques for removing the top five carpet stains that may present you with a big challenge if you don’t treat them properly when they arise. So take a big deep breath, keep reading, and the stain will be eliminated before you know it. Here are a few tips you can try before resorting to calling your local San Francisco Carpet Cleaners.

Eliminating Kool-Aid Stains From Your Carpets

glass tipping over

Kool-Aid may be the enemy that creates terrible carpet stains all types of carpet, however, with the proper treatment, Kool-Aid carpet stains can be removed even from white carpet. Simply take the following steps to get rid of tough carpet stains that a coloured beverage has caused:

First of all, you should always use a dry white towel to gently blot the stain. Never rub a stain since that will make it harder to entirely eliminate the carpet stain and may saturate the carpet pad as well.

You can try using a mixture of water, Dawn dish soap, and white vinegar inside of a spray bottle. Use 1 tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing soap, a 1/4 cup of white vinegar, and fill the bottle with water. Liberally spray the area and let it soak in for 5-10 minutes and blot using a dry and clean towel until the stain is completely removed.

Certain carpet stain removal products can be quite beneficial to combat numerous kinds of carpet stains. They include OxiClean, Resolve Carpet Cleaners, and Bissel Carpet Cleaning Formulas for stained carpets. For stubborn stains, use the product according to the directions, and then repeat using the vinegar spritz method until the stubborn stain is completely eliminated. (Make sure to test a small part of the carpet in order to ensure there won’t be a negative impact or reaction from using any of the substances.)

How To Remove Pet Stains From Your Carpet

puppy on carpet

Numerous pet owners have to face the challenging problem of cleaning up big messes from their pets. That can definitely be frustrating. However, there are substances and methods that can eliminate the odor associated with these kinds of accident, and entirely remove carpet stains. The following are some tips to help you eliminate pet stains out of your carpet:

First of all, clean the initial mess up. If there is any debris on the carpet, put on gloves and pick it up and then dispose of it. If the debris is wet, use the blotting method to soak the moisture up without rubbing or smearing. Repeatedly blot until the carpet is nearly dry to the touch and the carpet stain has been removed.

If the stain has dried on carpet fibers already, then moistening it is the best way to treat this kind of carpet stain. Then use a carpet stain cleaning product that is formulated specifically for pet stains.

In order to neutralize the spot and odor, you might need to try out several different techniques. Try to use white vinegar (you also might substitute white vinegar instead of white wine) for this. Mix one quart of water and 1/4 cup of vinegar and then spritz the mixture onto the stain. Wait for a couple of minutes for the vinegar to soak in and then use the blot technique until the spot is dry and the stain is removed.

Another method that may effectively eliminate pet stains from carpet is to mix together a stain-fighting laundry detergent with a quart of water into a spray bottle and then spray the spot with the mixture. Allow it to soak in for a couple of minutes, and then blot the spot, rinse it with warm water, and if necessary, repeat the process.

Eliminating Coffee Stains Out Of carpet

coffee spill stain

Coffee stains on a carpet can make the carpet look dirty and grimy if it isn’t treated correctly. The very noticeable brown-yellowish tone may be easily be mistaken as a pet mess that was ignored. Follow these basic suggestions to eliminate coffee stains from your carpet:

Use a dry white towel to blot the spot dry. If there is a great deal of spillage, be sure you don’t spread the stain further. Change the cloth as it becomes saturated with the liquid.

Try a mixture of a non-bleach, gentle detergent, water, and vinegar and use the spritzer method, rinse, and then repeat the process.

There are a number of different products that are sold at stores like Walgreens, Target, and Wal-Mart, and other stores that sell cleaners specifically for this kind of carpet stain. Always conduct a patch test to make sure the chemicals will not damage the carpet. Use as directed and know that some chemicals can be harmful to your skin. Therefore, as a precaution, wear gloves when using a stain removing product.

There are certain kinds of carpets like Polypropylene that safely respond to a carpet stain treatment made up of bleach and water. A mixture of 1 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of bleach can be prepared inside a spray bottle. Then use the mixture to soak the area with the stain, blot it, and then rinse using warm water, and repeat the process until the stain is eliminated.

Getting Rid Of Blood Stains Out Of Carpet

blood stain

There is a great deal of anxiety surrounding blood stains on carpets and clothes, but this highly dreaded occurrence isn’t as bad as it might seem. When it comes to removing blood stains, the stain needs to be treated as quickly as possible. Like with any kind of stain, the faster you are able to act, the more effective your effort at removing the carpet stain will be. There are numerous ways to remove blood stains from a carpet. Rest assured that you can definitely know after performing the following tips, that the spot will be eliminated to the greatest extent. The following are some methods for removing blood carpet stains:

When blood spots are treated on carpets, cold water should always be used instead of hot or warm water. That is important since blood coagulates with heat, and when cold water is used it will prevent the blood from soaking into carpet fibers.

Fill up a spritzer bottle with cold water and 2 teaspoons of a liquid, grease-fighting dishwashing detergent like Dawn, then spray the mixture on the stain. Moisten it liberally to entirely soak the carpet stain. The use a dry white cloth or paper towel and blot the spot so the blood transfers to your cloth. Use cold water to rinse the spot, and if necessary, repeat the process.

OxiClean is free of bleach and its ability to oxygenate a majority of carpet stains is perfect to use on bloodstains. Warm water is needed by OxiClean to dilute it, cold water can be used to mix it as well as you can. Use a bottle to apply on your bloodstained carpet or drop some of it on the spot. Blot it until dry, rinse, and if necessary, repeat the process.

Keep in mind that it might take a combination of all of the steps above and a lot of persistence to remove blood stains. After several attempts, your carpet should look brand new once again.

Eliminating Ink Stains From Your Carpet

It is well-known that ink stains can wreak a lot of havoc on carpets and fabric, and can even destroy the material. However, with a lot of trial and error and technology, there are better methods for removing ink carpet stains. With a couple of useful household products and some quick reflexes, that stubborn ink stain can be eliminated from your carpet. The following are effective ways to get rid of ink carpet stains:

ink stain

Take isopropyl alcohol (a higher percentage of its active ingredient will work the best) to damped a white clean cloth. Dab your damp cloth to your ink-stained carpet. Don’t scrub or rub it! That can spread the ink spot around. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes and then vacuum to get rid of the excess moisture.

You might need to repeat the process by treating the carpet stain again with alcohol. Some hairsprays nail polish removers also work, as well as other products containing a high level of alcohol (even vinegar or white wine can be used).

When any of those chemicals are used, rinse with water, and then vacuum or blot dry.

Make sure to always conduct a test on a part of the carpet that is inconspicuous to ensure the cleaning solution will not cause further damage to certain kinds of carpets.

Most of these procedures and techniques use household supplies, cleaners, and chemicals for removing carpet stains. There are many carpet cleaning solutions that are available that are specially formulated for a specific kind of carpet stain.

Carpet Cleaning – Rent, Hire, or Buy?Carpet Cleaning – Rent, Hire, or Buy?

Comparing the Costs of Carpet Cleaning

On the fence about which option is the most viable: buying a carpet cleaner, renting one, or hiring a professional carpet cleaning service? Well, it all depends on your budget and your schedule. To give a better perspective on the costs, we evaluated the options for a house in Kansas City, Mo., with 1,600 square feet of carpeting in a living room, four bedrooms, two hallways, and an office.

Why Carpet Cleaning

cat on a carpet

Carpet cleaning is intended to get rid of ground-in dirt and debris in your carpet fibers. Consider adding a carpet cleaner to your cleaning equipment as it goes a long way, especially if your house experiences a lot of traffic and has many carpets. It quickly deals with embedded dirt and tough stains which can be impossible to achieve even with the best vacuums.

Renting

Rug Doctor allows you to rent a machine from partner outlet, for example, Home Depot or Walmart, for about $30 a day. The cost of 48 ounces of cleaning solution is around $17 and for the 1,600 square feet of carpet, you’ll need three bottles. The pretreating solution goes for around $6 each.

Total: $87 per cleaning

Hiring

Hiring a carpet cleaning service that takes care of everything – as well as moving your furniture – charges by room. The minimum cost is $99, however, this amount can vary depending on where you reside.

Total: $257 per cleaning

Buying

The cost of the carpet cleaners we utilized in our tests ranges from $100 to almost $500. However, getting a spotless carpet doesn’t have to cost an arm and leg. Our second-choice carpet cleaner, the Hoover Dual Max Pet, goes for $150. The detergent required to clean 1,600 sq ft of carpeting in our house goes for around $60.

Total: $150 + $60 per cleaning

Even though the initial cost of buying a carpet cleaner is higher, you will have incurred approximately the same cost when renting around the fifth cleaning session. Hence, at the sixth cleaning, it will be cheaper to own. In comparison, buying will always be cheaper than hiring.

The Rudiments of Carpet Cleaning FibersThe Rudiments of Carpet Cleaning Fibers

Carpets can be made of a variety of different types of fibers and each one will have its own set of qualities.

This makes cleaning different types of carpets a different subject depending on which type of fibers they are using. So, a rudimentary guide to carpet cleaning should include a look at the different types of carpet fibers.

Carpet will contain any of the following materials which you see presented here in order of popularity on the markets today; polyester, nylon, olefin and wool. We see most nylon carpets in our line of work but many carpets will include a blend.

There are two important benefits to knowing the type of fibers in your carpet.

The first is that you will now how cleanable your carpet is and the second is that you will have a better idea of what types of cleaning agents will work best with your type of carpet.

Light It Up

While playing with fire is never a good idea around your carpets, or anywhere, they best way to determine the fabrics of your carpets is to remove a small piece and light it up.

match flame

Choose a place where the missing fibers will not be too noticeable and pull your fiber from there. Hold a single strand without pulling it too hard and then snip it with a small pair of scissors. Once you have the fiber in hand you can then move to a safe location and prepare to set it ablaze.

Hold the piece of fiber with your tweezers and use an ordinary butane lighter to set it on fire. You will want to observe the odor, action and appearance of the strand as it burns.

If the strand aches away from the heat of the flame, you know it is synthetic fiber, but if it doesn’t move, it is probably a natural fiber. You can wait for it to cool off after the fire is extinguished and you will see that a synthetic fiber will leave a tar like residue while a natural fiber will leave no residue at all, just ash.

Fiber Predictions

Each of the different fabrics will have some important qualities to look for when they are burning. Once again you will want to observe the burning of the fiber very closely.

Nylon

nylon carpet fiber

If the fiber burns with a blue base and an orange flame with no smoke until the fire has gone out is a carpet fiber made of nylon. After the flame has sputtered out, you will notice a unique smell like celery or wax as it burns and leaves behind a small brown or grey bead.

Nylon can be cleaned very easily and is pretty resistant to staining as well, but it can be damaged by certain carpet cleaners. It is more susceptible to staining than the other synthetic fiber so it would be a good idea to use a fabric protector if possible.

Polyester

polyester carpet fibers

If the flame is all orange and produces a black smoke and a drippy residue, you are burning a polyester fiber. This fiber will release a kind of sweet odor and will leave a hard shiny bead.

Olefin

olefin carpet fiber

Like the nylon fiber, an olefin fiber will burn blue at the base with an orange flame and not release smoke. So the way the flame acts and the smell is an important distinguishing factor between the two. Unlike the sputtering nylon strand, olefin will burn clean and even. The smell will be like tar or asphalt and leave behind a hard round bead that can be brown or tan.
Olefin is a good option because it is so stain resistant. It is also hydrophobic and provides a wicking action that can reveal darker colors when the carpet dries.

Wool

red wool carpet fibers

If the flame is orange and sputters with only a small amount of smoke or none at all, this is a wool fiber. As you may imagine, this will smell like burnt hair when it is burnt and will leave a soft black ash when extinguished.

Wool will not react well if treated with harsh chemicals and will dissolve completely in chlorine bleach. It can be difficult to treat wool and remove stains but it can be easy to clean.

While there is a lot of information to keep track of nowadays, knowing a little more about your carpets fibers will lead to a longer lasting beautiful carpet. This information will allow you to choose the best cleaning agents and approaches to keeping your carpet clean and this means a cleaner brighter atmosphere as well

Carpet Cleaning Methods Commercial Cleaning Companies UseCarpet Cleaning Methods Commercial Cleaning Companies Use

Top Four Carpet Cleaning Methods Commercial Cleaners Use

If you aren’t sure of which carpet cleaning technique would best suit your carpets, then this article is for you. In this piece, we’ll be weighing the pros and cons of each so you can have an easier time deciding which option is right for you.

Professional commercial cleaning companies employ several carpet cleaning techniques to clean different types of carpets. Each method used has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. With that being said, how does one choose between the options available? This list of pros and cons should help you decide which cleaning method would best suit your carpet(s).

Carpet cleaning methods can be categorized in one of two cleaning techniques: dry or wet cleaning. The latter involves hot water extraction and may include cleaning with absorbent pads. Dry carpet cleaning, on the other hand, involves the application of chemical foams or powders by special cleaning machines with counter-rotating cylinders, brushes, or pads.

demo of man brushing carpet

1. Wet Cleaning

How It Works

Also known as steam cleaning or hot water extraction, this technique involves pre-conditioning the carpet with a chemical reagent that dissolves oil-based substances and soils present in the fibers of the carpet. The water inside the cleaning machine is heated to a point near its boiling point before being pressurized and getting injected into the rug or carpet. After about ten to fifteen minutes, the solution is extracted from the carpet using a vacuum.

Pros
– Eliminates dirt and stains that sit deep in the carpet
– Allows the use of chemical concentrates, high temperatures, and high pressure
– Allows for cleaning solvents to sit for an extended period so they can react with soils, particles, and other stains inside the carpet
– Chemical reactivity is facilitated by agitation using an extraction wand or grooming tool.
– Most commonly used carpet cleaning technique
– Recommended carpet cleaning method by industry cleaning professionals/experts and carpet manufacturers

Cons
– Requires the use of expensive equipment for maximum efficiency
– Relatively-long drying periods (however, this can be reduced by powerful drying equipment operated by competent cleaning technicians)
– Relatively-high cost factors

2. Cleaning with Absorbent Pads

How It Works

This cleaning technique is also known as bonnet cleaning and is generally used for light, routine maintenance. However, it can still be used as a regular carpet cleaning method. The process involves vacuuming the carpet first before spraying a chemical solution on to it using either an electric sprayer or a hand-held pump. The solution is then left to sit on the carpet for some time, so it reacts with the dirt, grime, and stains inside the carpet.

The bonnet or absorbent pad, which looks like a regular towel, is then placed on a rotary floor machine’s drive block and spun over the surface of the carpet at 100 to 300 rounds per minute. This action impregnates the carpet’s fibers with the cleaning agent before picking it up with the soils and grime.

Pros
– Excellent results with lightly-soiled carpets
– Simple, fast, and inexpensive

Cons
– Only cleans the carpet’s top one-third – it cannot reach any deeper
– Leaves chemicals and dirt on the carpet causing them to accumulate at the bottom

3. Dry Cleaning with Absorbent Compounds

How It Works

A powder that’s been mixed with special cleaning agents and solvents is spread over the surface of the carpet before being worked deep into the carpet’s fibers using a carpet scrubbing machine fitted with counter-rotating cleaning brushes. The unique powder, which is left to sit in the carpet for about ten to fifteen minutes, absorbs all the dirt and particles trapped inside the carpet before it is vacuumed up.

Pros
– A simple cleaning system that requires no specialized technical training
– Faster drying times. The carpet should be ready for use within about 20 minutes

Cons
– Can cause dust build up inside your home
– The absorbent powder could end up getting trapped inside your carpet, building up over time if not taken care of properly
– This technique is not suitable for deep cleaning a carpet

4. Rotary Shampoo/Dry Foam Cleaning

How It Works

A cleaning agent that helps suspend dirt and dust particles is first applied to the carpet before it is whipped up into a soapy froth and worked into the fibers by the rotating brushes of a unique cleaning machine. The foam is left to sit in the carpet for a while before it’s extracted using a vacuum.

Pros
– Rotating brushes agitate dirt and particles very well
– Fast and simple to apply
– The carpet dries much quicker as it is exposed to minimal amounts of moisture
– It is inexpensive

Cons
– This technique cannot achieve thorough soil and particle extraction below the carpet’s surface
– High temperatures are often not achieved
– High chances of excessive wetting i.e., should the equipment malfunction

The Different Phases of Carpet Cleaning may also interest you

HQ Advanced Carpet CleaningHQ Advanced Carpet Cleaning

HQ Advanced Carpet Cleaning

How Do We Test Different Carpet Cleaners?

Running just one carpet cleaner completely through our set of tests measuring cleaning performance takes three full days.

Our engineers start off the process by taking off-white nylon carpet and soiling large areas of it using red Georgia clay. The second thing they do is run a carpet cleaner across the pieces. They do this for four wet cycles, as well as four dry cycles. This simulates the conditions of consumer cleaning on an especially dirty spot in a high-traffic area. Our engineers then repeat this test on at least two more swatches.

During the test, our team uses a colorimeter to get 60 different readings on each piece of carpet for each test.

A colorimter is a device which measures how light wavelengths are absorbed.

We do 20 measurements of the carpet in its ‘virgin’ state, before doing 20 more after the carpet was soiled, followed by the final 20 after cleaning. Sixty readings across three carpet samples means a grand total of 180 cumulative readings for each model.