Carpet And Upholstery Cleaning.
March 10, 2010 by Steve Adams
Filed under Business
There are numerous approaches you can take when cleaning carpets and upholstery. The purpose of the cleaning (is it a general clean or are there specific stains which you want to remove) as well as the type of material you are working with will dictate the best cleaning method to use. If you are the housekeeping type you might be considering doing it yourself but people such as me (I’m lazy) prefer to use a professional service. Here are some basic tips to follow when cleaning carpets, rugs and upholstery.
Carpet and rug cleaning methods
In a nutshell there are five general methods of cleaning: hot water extraction (steam cleaning), shampooing, quick dry (bonnet), dry foam and dry absorbent compound cleaning.
Steam cleaning (a.k.a hot water extraction) is probably the most popular of all the different methods but not always the best since the drying time, depending on the material, can be as long as 12 hours. A high-powered pump sprays a cleaning fluid into the carpet which is then sucked out immediately by a strong vacuum.
You can get various different types of shampoo cleaning machines. Many look like an upright vacuum cleaner except that they have two nylon bristle brushes as attachments underneath and a tank which contains the cleaning fluid. The process is similar to that of somebody sitting on their knees with a brush as the carpet is scrubbed with the nylon brushes which loosens the dirt which is then vacuumed when the carpet is dry which, the same as the hot water extraction or steam method, is about 12 hours.
Cleaning using the quick dry method may actually seem to be the same as carpet shampooing but the machine is slightly different in that, instead of brushes, it uses a couple of absorbent pads. A quick dry cleaning detergent is first spread over the carpet and then the machine buffs the carpet clean by absorbing the detergent as well as the dirt. The process is similar to buffing your tiled floors. It takes about an hour to dry so this method is ideal for high traffic areas.
If you are looking for a method that is between steam cleaning and shampooing then dry foam cleaning is the answer. Foam is distributed over the carpet using a machine which has rolling brushes after which the carpet is sucked clean using the standard carpet vacuum cleaner. It only takes an hour or two to dry.
Dry absorbent compound is a powder which contains solvents and detergents, which are spread lightly on the carpet. You, or the professional you hire, uses a machine which scrubs the mixture into the carpet fibers and the carpet is left to stand for a bit. After a little wait, the vacuum cleaner is then used to suck up the compound (which has by now absorbed all the dirt) as a result the carpet stays as dry as it was when you started. This is probably the best method to use if you have thick carpets which can go moldy underneath if they stay wet for too long.
How to clean upholstery
The determining factor when choosing the best method to clean upholstery is the type of material to be cleaned. Some, for example, can only be dry cleaned (velvets and silks) and the cleaning is best left to a professional while other stronger materials can be wet cleaned. The steam method or hot extraction method is the same as what you would use on your carpets. The only difference is that the nozzle is a smaller, hand held version. You can also hand shampoo most fabrics but it is advisable to shake the cleaning solution and only apply the foam using a damp sponge.
Recognising Upholstery
Most people don?t know what the best method is for cleaning their fabric furniture. If you are lucky you will probably find a manufacturers label underneath one of the cushions which will contain the cleaning instructions and various suggestions and warnings. Mostly you are looking for a code at the top or bottom of the label with a ‘S’, ‘W’ or ‘SW’. The ‘S’ means that the material must be dry cleaned while the ‘W’ means wet cleaning is allowed thus allowing for shampoo or steam cleaning methods. The ‘SW’ indicates that both wet and dry cleaning methods are acceptable for the material.
Other cleaning companies can only dream about getting the standard of their upholstery cleaning to the benchmark set by Crystal Clean Solutions. (www.crystalcleansolutions.co.uk) This and other unique content ‘business to business’ articles are available with free reprint rights.