What YOU need to look for when hiring a carpet cleaner.

Homeowners and business owners usually inquire about Carpet cleaning, for many different reasons. The first and foremost is appearance, and then for removal of stains, dirt, and allergens. Clean carpeting is recognized by all major manufacturers as being more visually pleasing, potentially longer-lasting, and probably healthier than poorly maintained carpets.

Many consumers make the mistake of referring to carpet cleaning as “steam cleaning“, when in fact it is actually, hot water extraction cleaning. The hot water extraction cleaning method aka. truckmount carpet cleaning uses highly sophisticated equipment that sprays very hot water on the carpet fibers. Simultaneously, the water is vacuumed up, along with any dislodged and dissolved dirt, rinsed to remove alkaline and carried out to the van through long hoses . Many carpet manufacturers recommend professional hot water extraction as the most effective carpet cleaning method.

These manufacturers STRONGLY recommend having hot water steam extraction performed once every 6 months. This systematic process of  preconditioning with a mild Alkaline agent such as Flex by bridgepoint for nylon fiber or synthetic carpets, or slightly acidic solution for wool carpeting. The technician pre-sprays this solution into the carpet. Next, he or she will use a pressurized  cleaning tool called a wand and makes several passes over the fiber surface to rinse out all residue, dirt, allergens and particulates. If an alkaline detergent is used on  wool fiber carpeting, use of a neutralizing solution will restore neutral fiber pH. The acid rinse, also known as a neutral pH rinse neutralizes the alkaline residues and leaves carpeting soft, fluffy and less likely to get re-soiled.