Steam Carpet Cleaning
Steam Carpet Cleaning
Steam cleaning is a process in which hot water is fed to a wand or spray extraction tool that is connected to a pump vacuum power unit. Water nozzles deeply inject the cleaning solution into the carpet using water pressure, forcing it all the way to the bottom and into the backing. Your carpet will end up cleaner than it has ever been after this process removes oil and grease deposits, and embedded soil and other debris that a vacuum alone cannot touch.
All steam cleaners work the same, and there is quite a variety of them, ranging from the most powerful units that are mounted on trucks to the small portables that are often available for rental at hardware stores. The truck mounted variety are made in a way that the wand and house are the only parts taken to the area that needs to be cleaned. They are mounted on a truck for a reason; they are extremely powerful and use motors that run on gasoline, propane, or diesel fuel. Depending on the design of the truck and the vacuum unit, it may even be powered by the truck’s own motor. This type of power is needed for the high vacuum and fast, high pressure hot water delivery that is provided.
Most everyone in the carpeting industry endorses this extremely efficient process for removing soil, including professional cleaners, carpet manufacturers; even the fiber producers themselves. We are infinitely capable of high production and cleaning of carpet with today’s state of the art technology and equipment.
The only disadvantages in steam carpet cleaning involve problems that come from longer drying times and over wetting. A skilled operator who uses well maintained equipment in good operating condition can easily eliminate this problem.
There are currently two different steam carpet cleaning methods. The first involves spraying a traffic lane cleaner onto high traffic areas, then agitating it into the carpet’s fibers. A hot water extractor, which utilizes a wand that injects cleaning solution deep into the fibers is then used to clean the entire area. The other method does not concentrate on high traffic areas, using a free rinse emulsifying pre-spray that is sprayed over the entirety of the carpet before being agitated down into the fibers.
Steam cleaning begins with preparing the equipment and supplies. The free rinsing pre-spray must be mixed and put into a power sprayer or pump. The rinsing agent will go in the extractor’s solution tank. Furniture will need to be cleared as much as possible; it may help to develop a floor plan if there is a lot of furniture. The carpet should be thoroughly vacuumed. A pile brush may be useful is loosening any soils to make it easier for the vacuum to pick up. Once the carpet is vacuumed, pre-spray should be applied liberally and agitated deeply into the fibers, where it should remain for 10 – 15 minutes, though care must be taken to not allow it to dry. After the pre-spray has soaked , the area should be extracted with either an automatic, portable, or truck mounted carpet cleaner.
Once all of the pre-spray has been extracted, the cleaned area can be groomed, the furniture replaced, and the equipment cleaned and put away. That’s all it takes to get nice, clean carpet.
