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How
To Clean Your Carpets Properly
You know how your carpet got
dirty -- sloppy kids, slobbering pets and a revolving door
of spill-happy guests. Now you want to know how to get it clean.
If
your carpet is the size of a beach towel, you can simply
roll it up and throw it in the wash. But if it's a wall-to-wall
hash of cola and coffee spills, grease and gravy spots, and
mustard and mayonnaise stains, you will have to broaden your
knowledge of carpet-cleaning options. Fortunately, few trashed
carpets are beyond hope, say the experts.
The first step to restoring the color, pile and life of your
carpet, says Tyler and other industry professionals, is to identify
your carpet's composition. Nylon is the primary synthetic
fiber, making up about 75% of all carpet. Acrylic, polyester,
olefin and wool are also used.
The second step is to classify
the carpet to be cleaned by level of soiling or its appearance. This may take into account
past maintenance, excessive foot traffic, household pets and
even air pollution and smoke from heating systems, fireplaces
and incinerators. Typically, high-traffic areas such as entrance
ways and family rooms may require cleaning every six months
while seldom-used areas such as a spare bedroom may require
attention only once every 18 months.
The business of
removing that waste, based on the carpet's degree of soiling
(e.g., slight, moderate or heavy), is the
next task facing the carpet cleaner. While there is no single "miracle
cleaner," individual cleaning methods will produce a range
of results.
There are five major systems available:
1
- The
hot water extraction or "steam" cleaning method sprays a hot-water cleaning solution on the carpet,
then slurps it back up -- along with the dissolved soil --
with a wet vacuum. Extraction equipment can be portable or
truck mounted, the latter being more powerful in terms of spray
pressure, heating capabilities and power of vacuum pumps.
Because hot water extraction most closely simulates the detergent
and rinse cycle of a washing machine, it is a familiar and
popular option for many cleaners. Drying may require four hours.
2
- Bonnet
buffing, often referred to under the trademarked "Chem-Dry" system,
uses a rotary machine to buff the carpets clean. The detergent
or carbonated cleaner is applied directly to the carpet. As
the machine is operated, a round, double-faced shag pad or
bonnet rotates on the carpet and removes the soil by absorption.
3 - Foam
cleaning is usually applied by a mechanical unit that generates
foam from liquid concentrate, works it into
the carpet pile with cylindrical brushes and then removes the
foam, along with the trapped soil, using a vacuum.
4
- The dry-powder
system often associated with brands like
Host and Capture contain detergents and cleaning solvents that
are sprinkled on the carpet and worked into the pile by a machine
or a brush. After drying for about a half hour, the cellulose-based
compound that resembles moist sawdust can be vacuumed up.
(Despite their names, all dry-cleaning systems, including
bonnet-buffing, foam and dry-powder use minimal amounts of
water in the cleaning process.)
5
- Shampooing is usually done in conjunction with another
method such as steam cleaning. To simply shampoo in a detergent
without extracting it, however, may simply relocate the dirt. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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