Choosing the right carpet cleaning method

What's the Best Carpet Cleaning Method?

The best method for cleaning your carpet will depend on:

• What your carpet is made of – the fibres
• Whether your carpet has been treated for stain resistance
• Where the carpet is
• The amount of traffic on the carpet
• Whether anyone in the home has allergies

All carpet cleaning methods have advantages. Professional cleaners should be able to advise you on the best method for your home or business.

Here are the most commonly used methods:

Hot Water Extraction or "Steam" Cleaning

A hot water cleaning solution is sprayed on the carpet using a high-pressure jet spray. A wet vacuum, which may be portable or truck-mounted (depending on the amount of power required) is used to suck up the solution, water and dirt. Steam cleaning is the most common method used by professionals. The best steam cleaning methods involve a number of stages, including prespraying with a cleaning solution, rotary cleaning, treating spots and stains, hot water extraction, carpet rinsing and deoderising.

Shampooing

A cleaning solution is shampooed onto the carpet using a circular brush. The rotary action of the brush creates a foam that traps the soil. This is then removed as the foam is vacuumed.

Bonnet Cleaning

Similar to shampooing, this method uses a rotary floor machine that has an absorbent pad attached to the bottom. The detergent is sprayed directly on the carpet, the absorbent pad rotates on the carpet removing the soil.

Foam Cleaning

The detergent used in this method is a foam. The machine generates the foam and uses brushes to agitate the foam on the carpet. An extraction vacuum is used to pick up the foam and the trapped soil.

Dry(Absorbent Compound) Cleaning

An absorbent dry cleaning agent is sprinkled on the carpet and worked into the pile by a machine. After a half an hour it is vacuumed off, removing the soil suspended by the compound.