The warmest, most comfortable rooms generally have high quality carpets on the floor. Over time, however, carpets will become soiled and stained and they will look tired and so will the room in which it sits. To fully restore the look and feel of your carpets, it is recommended to have them professionally cleaned every 12-18 months.
If you do decide to get your carpets cleaned you have to think carefully about whether you want to clean them yourself or you want to hire a professional to clean them. If your carpets are valuable and they need to be deep cleaned then it is not recommended to clean them yourself. You could do irreversible damage by applying incorrect cleaning solutions, using water at the wrong temperature and putting too much water into the carpet. You could also make stains worse by wetting them and increasing their size.
If you do decide to have your carpets cleaned it is good idea to look at all the options in regards to what is the best cleaning method, what actually needs to be cleaned and what equipment can be used.
Whatever you decide to do, you must remember that over the counter carpet cleaning machines are generally only good at cleaning small areas that only contain light to medium soiling.
There are different types of cleaning methods, such as encapsulation cleaning, dry cleaning and hot water extraction cleaning. The cleaning method selected will often depend on factors such as the carpet type, the size of the area to be cleaned and the level of dirt held within the carpet. Most people will go for hot water extraction. It is not surprising to hear debates raging on about which cleaning method is best.
Some may argue that all cleaning methods are equally effective as they each have their individual values – one method may be better for delicate carpet, one better for commercial cleaning and one better for domestic carpets. There are situations where the dry cleaning methods might fall short while the hot water extraction method thrives. For instance, when cleaning carpet tiles, hot water extraction will be more efficient over dry cleaning. If you are cleaning a large commercial carpet, then the encapsulation cleaning method may be best.
The dry carpet cleaning method gets rid of dirt through absorption or transference, thereby making it an ideal method for cleaning certain carpets. Also, it would be more than adequate for carrying out routine maintenance cleaning. However, it requires thoroughness on the part of the cleaning operative to make sure that they remove the stains from the carpet.
The hot water extraction carpet cleaning method involves treating the carpet with a special pre-cleaning solution. This helps to break down any soiling, spills or stains that might be on the carpet. Warm to hot water is then sprayed over the carpet and immediately extracted by a powerful vacuum system that brings out the moisture and dirt, leaving the carpet hygienically clean. This method removes stains and spills from the upholstery, eliminates harmful bacteria and allergens and results in the carpet drying faster. A professional carpet cleaning operative will keep cleaning until all the cleaning solutions have been removed from the carpet.
It is worth noting that the effectiveness of this cleaning method to a great extent depends on the power and quality of the cleaning machine, as well as the skill and ability of the cleaning operative. Good quality carpet manufacturers recommend the hot water extraction carpet cleaning method as the most effective for residential and commercial properties.
