There are various ways to approach carpet and upholstery cleaning. The kind of material as well as the reason you are cleaning it will determine which specific method you will use Regardless of whether you are planning on using a professional carpet cleaning service or you feel energetic enough to do it yourself, here are some of the basics on cleaning upholstery, rugs and carpets
Carpet and rug cleaning methods
Other than the countless ‘housewives remedies’, there are generally five recognized methods of cleaning carpets. Steam (also known as hot water extraction), shampoo, bonnet or quick dry and dry absorbent compound cleaning.
Steam cleaning (a.k.a hot water extraction) is probably the most popular of all the different methods but not always the best since the drying time, depending on the material, can be as long as 12 hours. A high-powered pump sprays a cleaning fluid into the carpet which is then sucked out immediately by a strong vacuum.
You can get various different types of shampoo cleaning machines. Many look like an upright vacuum cleaner except that they have two nylon bristle brushes as attachments underneath and a tank which contains the cleaning fluid. The process is similar to that of somebody sitting on their knees with a brush as the carpet is scrubbed with the nylon brushes which loosens the dirt which is then vacuumed when the carpet is dry which, the same as the hot water extraction or steam method, is about 12 hours.
Quick dry cleaning uses the same equipment as normal shampooing and actually the two methods are identical in many ways. The only different is that quick dry cleaning, instead of using nylon brushes to scrub the carpet, uses a flat, absorbent pad which looks similar to a small round mop. The carpet is first sprayed with the quick dry cleaning solution before the machine buffs the carpet (think of buffing as being the same as trying to make your kitchen floor shine). The bonnet (the pad) absorbs the cleaning fluid and collects the dirt at the same time. Drying time is about an hour which is a lot more practical for high traffic areas.
If you are looking for a method that is between steam cleaning and shampooing then dry foam cleaning is the answer. Foam is distributed over the carpet using a machine which has rolling brushes after which the carpet is sucked clean using the standard carpet vacuum cleaner. It only takes an hour or two to dry.
Dry absorbent compound is a powder which contains solvents and detergents, which are spread lightly on the carpet. You, or the professional you hire, uses a machine which scrubs the mixture into the carpet fibers and the carpet is left to stand for a bit. After a little wait, the vacuum cleaner is then used to suck up the compound (which has by now absorbed all the dirt) as a result the carpet stays as dry as it was when you started. This is probably the best method to use if you have thick carpets which can go moldy underneath if they stay wet for too long.
Options for cleaning upholstery
The upholstery fabric is what normally determines what kind of cleaning method will be used. Velvets and silks, for example, can only be dry cleaned and, unless you really know what you are doing, is best left to an upholstery cleaning professional. Other more durable fabrics can be steam cleaned similar to carpets as they do not suffer any side effects from getting wet. The hot extraction method (steam cleaning) is identical to that which is used for carpets except that the nozzle is a small, hand held version. Hand shampooing can also be used but instead of using a machine the cleaning fluid is agitated into a foam and this foam is then applied to the fabric using a sponge.
Identifying the upholstery material
Most people don?t know what the best method is for cleaning their fabric furniture. If you are lucky you will probably find a manufacturers label underneath one of the cushions which will contain the cleaning instructions and various suggestions and warnings. Mostly you are looking for a code at the top or bottom of the label with a ‘S’, ‘W’ or ‘SW’. The ‘S’ means that the material must be dry cleaned while the ‘W’ means wet cleaning is allowed thus allowing for shampoo or steam cleaning methods. The ‘SW’ indicates that both wet and dry cleaning methods are acceptable for the material.
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