How Should I Clean My Carpets?

Carpet cleaning like cooking can be done using different recipes and getting satisfactory results. Lets look at some of the methods currently being used. A skilled carpet cleaner can get the job done using almost any machine or method. Hot water extraction commonly called steam cleaning uses the hottest water possible to get the soil out of a carpet. Pressurized hot water is sprayed onto the carpet and immediately vacuumed off. The pressurized water provides agitation. Water can be heated to as high as 300 degrees f in the carpet machine. After the water passes through hose and wand and hits the carpet it can be as hot as 120 to 250 degrees f. The more suction the carpet machine has the better. The dirty water is vacuumed into a tank for latter disposal. Pre-spraying the carpet and agitating heavily soiled areas with a carpet rake helps get the carpet cleaner. It is beneficial to rinse the carpet with an acidic rinse to return the carpet to a neutral state. Also air movers can speed drying.

During steam cleaning if the furniture is moved and the carpet is cleaned, the following should be done to protect the carpet when the furniture is put back into place on the damp carpet. Foam blocks or plastic squares can be put under the furniture legs to prevent varnish or rust stains from developing.

Bonnet cleaning or absorbent pad cleaning is used when a carpet is not too heavily soiled. For example between steam or restorative cleanings. This is referred to as maintenance cleaning. Some popular methods of bonnet cleaning mix club soda (carbon dioxide and water) with a bonnet cleaning solution and spray it onto the carpet as a mist. This is not technically dry cleaning but it is a lot drier than steam cleaning. A cotton pad is rotated on top of the carpet using a low speed floor machine at 175 rpm. The pad is lubricated by the cleaning solution and picks up soil. The pad is then soaked and rung out in a bucket of bonnet cleaning solution. The pad can be used again until it is filled with soil. At this point a new pad is put into service. The bonnet or absorbent pad can be use again after washing.

The bonnet cleaning method can be used in conjunction with steam cleaning to improve the overall cleaning. Soil which can wick back in heavily soiled areas can be pulled from the carpet fibers while helping the drying process.

The cleaning methods just described are just 2 of the more popular methods currently being used in 1 form or another. Shop around and experiment and find the one that pleases you. Happy cleaning!

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How Often Should A Carpet Be Cleaned?

Do you wait until the carpet starts to look dirty before calling a professional carpet cleaning company to perform 'restorative carpet cleaning?

Waiting for a carpet to look dirty before calling in the cleaners is what most people do but, is that leaving it too late?

When you leave a carpet so long that it looks dirty, lots of permanent damage has already occurred. You will have been walking on a carpet, with lots of trapped dirt, cutting away at the fibres, causing premature wear. This same dirt will have ground its way into the fibres and permanently changed the colour of the carpet.

Leaving the carpet to look dirty before cleaning means, your carpet has already worn down and permanently discoloured. How can you prevent this from happening?

Professional carpet cleaning is the only way to guarantee removal of deep down dirt, that causes wear and discolouration, but how often should you perform professional carpet cleaning?

If you leave carpet cleaning to once a year, you can expect the level of appearance to be as follows

(The values change depending on variables such as number of children, number of pets and frequency of vacuum maintenance.)

On average, you can expect a carpet to look 50% of what it did, when new, after just one year. By having professional carpet cleaners in, you can restore the appearance to 80% of what it was when new. Leave the carpet another year and, the carpet deteriorates to look 30% of what it looked like when new. Having your carpet professionally cleaned at the end of year 2 restores the look to 50% of what it looked like when new. At the end of year 3, the carpet falls to look 20% of what it did when new and professional cleaning of the carpet at the end of 3 years improves the look to 40% of what it did when new.

Have your carpet professionally cleaned once a year and, after 3 years you can expect it to look 40% of what it did when it was new!

Having carpet protection applied at the same time as professional carpet cleaning, improves the level of appearance significantly.

Can You Have Your Carpet Professionally Cleaned Every Month?

The level of appearance improves dramatically, if you can have your carpets professionally cleaned on a monthly basis. Have your carpet professionally cleaned once a Month and, after 3 years you can expect it to look 80% of what it did when it was new! In fact, the level of appearance only drops a small amount and, if the carpet also had carpet protector applied on a regular basis. The carpet would still look almost like new after 3 Years of use!

You now know that you should have your carpets cleaned as often as possible but, how often should your type of household have professional carpet cleaning?

Below, is a carpet cleaning maintenance plan, which is the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification) guide to carpet cleaning frequencies. "The Clean Trust S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning".

The IICRC (or The Clean Trust as they are now known) is one of the world's foremost authority and examining board for professional carpet cleaners.

When looking at the following carpet cleaning frequency guide, please consider factors such as:-

Amount of trafficSoil levelsVacuuming schedulesSpot cleaning methodsProfessional periodic cleaning frequencyRestorative professional carpet cleaning

Please note: Follow the carpet manufacturers cleaning schedule to maintain your warranty.

Carpet Cleaning Maintenance Plan

Should your household have...

Light Soiling

Vacuum once a weekSpot clean as and when requiredProfessionally clean 'tracking areas' every 12-18 MonthsRestore - Professionally clean all areas every 2 Years or as manufacturer's warranty

Normal Soiling (families with children or elderly staying at home)

Vacuum twice per weekSpot clean as and when requiredProfessionally clean 'tracking areas' every 6-12 MonthsRestore - Professionally clean all areas annually

Heavy Soil (families with pets or smokers)

Vacuum 2 - 4 times per weekSpot clean as soon as spots appearProfessionally clean tracking areas every 3 - 6 MonthsRestore - Professionally clean all areas twice a year

Extreme Conditions (large families, multiple pets etc.)

Vacuum dailySpot clean immediately spots appearProfessionally clean tracking areas every 2 - 3 MonthsRestore - Professionally clean all areas quarterly every 3 - 4 Months)

I hope this information has helped you understand the necessity for regular carpet cleaning, so that you can keep your carpet looking good for many more years to come, compared to not having carpet professionally cleaned.

Do not let your carpet look dirty before calling a professional carpet cleaner. But, do have your carpet cleaned as often as possible.Have carpet protector applied often, to extend the time your carpet keeps looking good.

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