There are four basic methods for cleaning carpet:
The theory in the shampoo method is to generate a lot of foam in the
carpet, allow this foam to dry, have the resulting residue attract the
soil, and vacuum up the residue and soil the next day.
Carpet shampoo products must have the following characteristics which
dictate their ingredients:
- Very high foam levels to reduce wetting.
- Very stable foam.
- High lubricity to reduce damage to the carpet fibers from the
brushes.
- Dry to a non-sticky residue.
Therefore, a carpet shampoo must contain a very foamy chemical. The
most common ingredient is sodium lauryl sulfate or one of its relatives.
Sometime when you're taking a shower or bath, look at the ingredient
statement on your hair shampoo bottle. It will say "Contains sodium
lauryl sulfate" or some similar wording. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and
its relatives exhibit a very high and very stable foam and are only fair
detergents. The problem is that they dry to a soft, sticky residue which
will cause resoiling.
Because of the resoiling problem, carpet shampoos will frequently also
have an anti-resoiling additive such as a resin to reduce this resoiling
tendency.
Because shampoos are actually very poor detergents and basically simply
bury the dirt, they frequently also contain high levels of optical
brighteners which take invisible ultraviolet light and convert it to
visible light, thus making the carpet appear cleaner and brighter than it
really is, for a while. It will eventually give the carpet a yellow cast
and the yellow cannot be removed.
Carpet manufacturers STRONGLY discourage the use of optical brighteners
in carpet cleaners because of the resultant irreversible yellowing.
Two primary types of machines are used for this process:
- Cylindrical Foam
- Rotary Shampoo
The Cylindrical Foam Shampoo machine uses an air compressor to create
dry foam before the foam is applied to the carpet and the carpet is then
agitated with a revolving cylindrical brush which combs the foam through
carpet pile. This method will leave dirt trapped in the carpet pile.
Carpet must be thoroughly vacuumed before and after cleaning.
The Rotary Shampoo method uses an ordinary rotary floor machine (the
same kind used for stripping wax), sprays shampoo onto the carpet from a
dispensing tank, and a rotary brush whips the detergent to a foam. Most
carpet mills and carpet fiber producers discourage the use of rotary
brushes on carpet because of the potential damage that can occur.
Overwetting is common with this method which can cause jute straining,
shrinkage, and odor.
Shampoo methods are inferior due to poor cleaning plus resoiling
problems. The Rotary Shampoo method can damage the carpet, especially cut
pile (which is what most residential carpet is).
top
This method is often called "dry cleaning" since virtually no
water is used.
In this method, dry absorbent compound (containing small amounts of
water, detergent, and solvent,) is sprinkled over carpet or worked into
the carpet with a machine. This purpose of this cleaner is to attract and
absorb soil. Mechanical agitation from a brush works the cleaner through
the carpet.
These products usually contain an absorbent carrier, water, detergent,
and solvent. The theory is that the liquids dissolve the soil and this
soil/detergent/solvent mixture is absorbed into the carrier and is then
vacuumed up. They are often used with a detergent pre-spray in heavily
soiled areas.
The absorbent cleaner most commonly is organic (CORN
COB), but may also be
polymers. The compound is supposed to absorb the dislodged soil and is
then vacuumed away. Carpet must be thoroughly vacuumed before and after
cleaning.
Very thorough vacuuming should be used to ensure that most of the
carrier comes out of the carpet. With the extremely fine powder types,
indoor air quality can be reduced. If a white powder starts appearing on
shoes and cuffs of pants, too much was used and it was not thoroughly
vacuumed up.
This cleaning method has the advantage of no drying time for interim
maintenance, since little water is used. However,
this method tends to leave a residue.
top
Bonnet Method, "Carbonated Cleaning", or Dry-Chem
This method is sometimes called "dry cleaning", which is a
misnomer, since water is used.
Bonnet Shampooing is simply an adaptation of hard floor spray buffing
to carpets.
This method for carpet maintenance consists of the use of a rotary or
oscillating brush adapted with a stiff brush or drive block designed to
drive wet, damp or dry pads. The carpet can be sprayed with the cleaning
solution and/or the pads can be soaked in the cleaning solution and
squeezed lightly before placing the pad under the driving brush.
The maintenance brochure published by the world's largest carpet
manufacturer, Shaw Industries, suggests NOT using this method,
especially on cut pile, due to pile distortion and fiber damage. This
method has very limited capability for soil removal and leaves much of the
detergent in the pile since it employs no real extraction. As a result,
rapid re-soiling often occurs. Another disadvantage is that the spinning
bonnet may distort the fibers of cut pile carpet, fuzzing the pile and
leaving distinct swirl marks.
Sometimes, carbonated water is used to (in theory) give better soil
suspension and bring down the pH. Companies using this method frequently
use "scare" tactics to convince consumers that extraction
cleaning or steam cleaning will destroy the carpet.
Check with your carpet manufacturer because many leading carpet mills
recommend against this method of cleaning.
top
"Steam
Cleaning"
This method is often called "Warm Water Extraction", "Hot
Water Extraction" or "Steam Cleaning" and is the cleaning
method nearly all carpet manufacturers and carpet fiber producers
recommend. The term "Steam" is a misnomer since the
temperature to required to generate steam is never achieved (240° F) and
would actually delaminate the carpet fibers from the backing. The
recommended temperature is 180 ° to 190° F, and most truck mounted equipment manufactures are able to maintain this
standard.
This is the only cleaning method classified as "deep
cleaning". All the others are considered "light surface
cleaning" because they are incapable of removing soil deep in the
pile. Also, all other methods leave large amounts of cleaning agent in the
carpet after cleaning.
The maintenance brochure published by the world's largest carpet
manufacturer, Shaw Industries, recommends this method, because its
own research indicates that it provides the best capability for cleaning.
This process consists of spraying a solution of
water and detergent into the carpet pile and recovering the water and soil
with a powerful vacuum into a holding tank. This can be done from a
truck-mounted unit outside the home with only the hose and floor tool
brought inside, or by a portable, system brought into the home or office.
From a health standpoint, the truck-mounted system is preferred because
the dirty air and humidity are exhausted outside rather than re-circulated
around the house. Additionally, truck-mounted systems usually are more
powerful than portable units and do a much better cleaning job and get the
carpet dry more quickly.
With some truck-mounted systems (called PTO's), the vehicle itself must
run in neutral during the cleaning and in many others a separate engine
(sometimes with a propane or oil-fired heater) is used to power the unit
and heat the water. In both cases, the van should be parked well away from
the house and positioned so that exhaust fumes do not enter the house.
top
General Comments
The choice of the proper cleaning system is extremely important. Some
systems leave residues which promote re-soiling and defeat the whole
purpose of cleaning. Some methods actually damage the carpet fibers and
shorten the life of the carpet. Check with the carpet manufacturer for
recommendations.
Cleaning Frequency:
If carpet is cleaned before it becomes too unsightly, the cleaning
chore will be easier and more successful. Allowing the carpet to become
overly soiled may result in irreversible damage. It is a common myth that
cleaning the carpet before it is absolutely necessary will cause it to get
dirty faster. This goes back to the days when the shampoo methods were the
most common.
Carpet in a typical household should be professionally cleaned every 12
to 18 months depending upon the number of residents, amount and type of
activity, and whether the carpet is light or dark color.
Professional Cleaning versus "Do-It-Yourself" Cleaning:
The maintenance brochure published by the world's largest carpet
manufacturer, Shaw Industries, recommends professional cleaning over
"Do-It-Yourself" because of the potential problems that can
occur from using rental equipment - such as yellowing, over-wetting, fiber
tip damage, severe re-soiling, overuse of detergents, etc.
Most rental units available do not adequately clean and may actually
damage the carpet.
Call The Carpet Connoisseurs at 1-800-256-4207 for assistance
top |