Carpet Cleaning Methods

Introduction to Methods of Cleaning

There is no one single method of cleaning which suits every carpet construction and every furniture covering. It is essential that the method your professional cleaner selects for your soft furnishings is the most effective method required to achieve the best results without damaging the item he or she is cleaning.

From experience we know that if our hands are very oily, dirty and stained, we would need to place them under running water for longer, use warmer water, more soap and more rubbing action to clean them than if they were just lightly soiled. The same is true of dirty clothing we put in a washing machine and, as a rule of thumb, the same is true of carpet and upholstery cleaning. If you have heavily soiled carpets, they will require a hotter, wetter, lengthier and more aggressive cleaning procedure than if they were lightly soiled. If your carpets are moisture sensitive, it is better to have them cleaned more often than those which are less moisture sensitive. This is even more important for upholstery fabrics which are typically more delicate than carpet fabrics. This is why there is a variety of cleaning systems and methods.

» Click here for Upholstery Cleaning Methods

Fact not Fiction

Firstly let us begin by dispelling a myth. All carpet cleaning methods are wet. There is no such thing as “dry” cleaning of carpets in the same way as we refer to “dry” cleaning for items we take to the local dry cleaning high street store. All carpet cleaning methods use water, from the wettest method to the driest method hence they are all “wet” methods.

Secondly, there are only FIVE methods of cleaning carpets. There are a myriad of machines of different shapes and sizes and chemical solutions supplied by a variety of manufacturers. However, all these systems and solutions can be categorised into just the FIVE methods.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, there is not one method that is suitable for all carpet types. A professional carpet cleaner should have two or more methods to offer consumers to meet the demands of all the various types of carpets in the market place.

Valetek, as members of the NCCA, actively support and promote the internationally accepted IICRC S100 Standard for Carpet Cleaning. This standard sets out the correct practices and procedures consumers should expect from a professional carpet cleaner and for each method of cleaning.

The five methods of cleaning are:

A. Hot Water Extraction (sometimes inaccurately referred to as “Steam Cleaning”).
B. Absorbent Pad or Absorbent Bonnet Method
C. Absorbent Compound Method
D. Shampoo Method
E. Dry Foam Method

A. Hot Water Extraction

This method of cleaning is also referred to as Steam Cleaning. The use of the word "Steam" was initiated as a marketing approach to selling this particular method. The use of live steam at 100 Centigrade (boiling) is never accomplished. For this reason the description is more accurately, hot water extraction.

Hot water extraction has evolved over the past few years, now using better equipment, techniques, and chemicals than in the early years.

While there has been progress, the basic system remains the same ranging in size from small suitcase size machines to huge petrol driven compressor machines permanently built in to a large van. HWE extraction equipment is designed to inject clean hot water based solutions at pressure and extract out the resulting dirty water into a separate waste tank or waste point.

From the largest systems to small portable ones . . .
Hot Water Extraction (all the same method).

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B. Absorbent Pad Method

Also referred to as bonnet cleaning or dry cleaning, this system is used throughout the carpet cleaning industry. Bonnet cleaning is most commonly used as an interim maintenance system.

The equipment used consists of a rotary floor machine with a driving block. The machines used for this process will usually turn at between 150 to 300 RPM. Placed on the driving block is a round absorbent pad or towel, called a bonnet.

After the carpet is vacuumed and prepared, the cleaning will begin with the spray of a special chemical solution onto the carpet. The chemical is usually a water-based formula.

An alternative to spraying the carpet with the solution is to dip the pad in a bucket of chemical solution, then set it on the carpet, attach to the machine, and clean from that point, allowing the solution in the pad to impart the chemical to the carpet and then pick it up again.

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C. Absorbent Compound Method

This system uses an absorbent particulate product that is impregnated with cleaning agents and solvents.

The powder is spread on the carpet either by hand or special spreading machines, then worked into the carpet by counter rotating cylinder brushes.

The powder will release the chemical cleaner onto the soil, which is then emulsified and suspended, and then some of the soil is absorbed back into the powder product. The powder is left to sit for 15 to 30 minutes and then vacuumed up.

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D. Shampoo Method

The shampoo method has been around for many years. It is still widely used as the first step in a two step process (extraction being the second), and with the advent of non re-soiling synthetic detergents, can now clean without the re-soiling problems previously associated with this method.

The chemical used is a foaming surfactant base that offers good lubrication and soil suspension.

The shampoo method is based on a rotary floor machine, fitted with a shower feed brush and a solution tank mounted on the handle. The chemical solution is fed through the top plate of the machine and down through the shower feed brush. At this point the chemical is whipped into a foam and worked into the carpet with the rotating brush.

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E. Dry Foam Method

The Dry Foam system uses similar chemicals to the shampoo system but rather than a large brush sitting directly on the carpet, it has a cylinder brush to work the foam and agitate the carpet.

The foam is produced before hitting the carpet, worked in with the brush, and then (with most models) extracted with a vacuum system.

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Although technicians are trained in all methods, Valetek has a preference for only 3 of the above 5 methods of cleaning carpets. These are as follows:

• Hot Water Extraction Method
• Absorbent Pad/Bonnet Method
• Absorbent Compound Method.