Tag Archive for: carpet cleaning methods

Which is Better – Wet or Dry Carpet Cleaning?

The two primary ways that professional carpet cleaners will remove dirt and stains from carpets are through wet and dry carpet cleaning techniques. These both have similar outcomes and objectives, but they are accomplished in very different ways. We’re going to look at these two methods here and compare them. Then we’ll let you know which is the best one, so you can make the right choice for your carpets.

Wet Carpet Cleaning

This method is sometimes called steam cleaning, because of the steam that comes off the carpet during the cleaning process. For this cleaning measure, hot water is pumped onto the carpet with a powerful hose. This forces the water and the cleaning agents that are put into the water down into the carpet fibres. As the water rushes through the carpet, it pushes out the dirt and particles trapped in there. The cleaning agents are able to break up the stains and make them easy to remove.

Once the carpet has been completely hosed down, the hot water is extracted the same way it came out. The carpet then needs some time to dry out completely before it can be used.

Dry Carpet Cleaning

Not as common, but similarly effective is dry carpet cleaning. This involves using dry chemicals that are applied to the carpet and sprayed with some water to help them react on the carpet. So in a sense it is not truly dry, but once the process is complete, the carpet is usable right away since it will be dry by that point.

After the chemicals are applied, they are then vacuumed up and pile lifted. This removes all the chemicals from the carpet and gets rid of the dirt that was loosed by the cleaning process.

Which Method is Best?

Now you’ve seen how these two methods work, lets compare and contrast them. The hot water extraction carpet cleaning process tends to provide a more thorough cleaning. It is able to get down deep in the carpet where the dry method cannot. But on the downside, it can take much longer for the carpet to be useable, sometimes as long as several days.

The dry cleaning method is very effective, and it may actually be better at getting rid of certain stains, but it can also cause damage to the carpet and the environment. The chemicals that it uses to clean with are often very harsh and can be unsafe to be in close proximity to.

The wet cleaning method is preferred by most professional carpet cleaning companies. They know it is better for the environment and the carpet. While it can cause some temporary inconvenience, it is certainly better over the long term. Find how much carpet cleaning services cost.

carpet cleaning agitation machine

Top 3 Carpet Cleaning Methods – Which is Best?

There are various methods that are used to clean carpets and each of them have a varying degree of success. It is therefore important that a home owner compares these methods as this is the only way to tell the best one to settle for. With this in mind, this article will mention and discuss the four best types of carpet cleaning in the market:

Shampoo Clean

This is a very popular method and as the name suggests, it utilizes the use of carpet shampoo. The shampoo to be used must have a very high foam production rate as this prevents the carpet from getting wet. The foam must be very stable and must also have a high level of lubricity to prevent damaging the carpet fibers. The foam is applied on the carpet in generous quantities and left to dry. As it dries, it attracts the carpet dirt and a vacuum cleaner is used to pick up the mixture of foam and dirt the following day.

Absorbent Cleaning

This is a very unique method of carpet cleaning in that it does not use water. It is also known as DRY CARPET CLEANING. A carpet absorbent compound that contains a solvent, detergent and a small water quantity is applied on the carpet. A brush is then used to force the absorbent into the carpet fibers and as this is done. The absorbent attracts and binds the soil particles that are embedded on the carpet. After this, the carpet is then vacuumed very thoroughly to ensure that the absorbent-dirt mixture is completely removed from the carpet. This is the tedious part of the using this method and the reason why most people avoid it.

Hot Water Extraction (HWE)

This is the most effective method of cleaning carpets and almost every manufacturer recommends it. HWE Hot water extraction is also known as steam cleaning. The process involve

s the spraying of hot steam at a very high pressure and the steam is normally a mixture of water and a carpet cleaning detergent.

 The high pressure forces the steam deep into the carpet fibers and as compared to the other methods ofcarpet cleaning; this is the method that gives deep cleaning. As the steam penetrates the fibers, it forces soil and dirt out and then a powerful vacuum cleaner is used to remove the dislodged dirt and store it in the vacuum cleaners holding tank.
dirty carpet cleaning water

What makes hot water extraction the best carpet cleaning method?

To start with, it goes without saying that this method does not need to use a high quantity of carpet cleaning detergent. The fact that the steam is released at a high pressure means that it helps a lot in dislodging dirt embedded deep within the carpet and this reduces the need to use a lot of detergent. It is therefore cheaper. Secondly, the other methods only clean and remove dirt that is on the surface of the carpet.

When compared to other methods of carpet cleaning, hot water extraction emerges tops due to the fact that it cleans the carpet from the inside out. The hot steam also kills any insects or pests that may be in the carpet leaving it super clean. These are some of the reasons why this method is the best.