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As beautiful as it looks, carpets are exposed to many things, such as dirt, dust, moisture, and liquid. Therefore, this should be one of the things homeowners should include in their cleaning list. One of the very common carpet cleaning methods that most people use is shampooing, yet, this is the least effective among the methods.
Whether you opt to hire professionals to clean your dirty carpets or do it yourself, let us help you compare the different methods of carpet cleaning and discuss the carpet cleaning methods’ pros and cons.
Encapsulation Cleaning
One of the most popular dry carpet cleaning methods is encapsulation which is sometimes known as foam cleaning carpeting. This method is often used for filthy carpets.
First, the carpet is vacuumed, and then an encapsulating chemical that acts as a polymer will be applied. A machine is placed on the carpet that allows the chemicals to be absorbed and will then isolate the dirt on the carpet. Lastly, the carpet is then vacuumed for deep cleansing.
Pros
This is a fast cleaning process with less downtime as it uses a low-moisture system. Encapsulation cleaning is a very great carpet cleaning method for commercial use as you can put back your carpet into use promptly.
Cons
If your carpet is heavily soiled, this isn’t a good method to use since it is not equipped to clean heavy soiling carpets.
Dry Powder Carpet Cleaning
This dry cleaning method uses a technique called “the host system”. Typically, this carpet cleaning method is used by businesses (like hotels) since it’s fast and quick to dry. There are no long hours to wait for the carpet to dry up since you’ll only use a dry powder for absorbing all dirt and grime on your carpets.
Here’s how it goes for dry powder carpet cleaning:
- First, a mixture of a small amount of water, detergent, and a safe-to-use solvent is sprinkled onto the carpet using a counter-rotating brush.
- This creates lumps that resemble sawdust which act as micro-sponges that dissolve and absorb dirt.
- Leave the mixture for about 15 minutes (recommended for all environments except high-humidity levels).
- Lastly, you can vacuum these sawdust-like lumps off your carpet.
Pros
This is a beneficial cleaning technique for commercial use as this is by far the quickest method of cleaning a carpet.
Cons
Without proper ventilation, this carpet cleaning method is a bad choice for those who have breathing difficulties or for those who have allergies.
Bonnet Cleaning
This involves a low moisture process where the surface of the carpet is treated and dried in 30 minutes. Bonnet Cleaning also called “Dry Cleaning” by some companies is best used for most thin carpets.
This method uses self-neutralizing detergent that is sprayed onto the carpet. The cleaning solution that is used contains bleach which helps to brighten the carpet. It is spread out using rotary floor machines or a spinning pad which is a dry cotton bonnet pad.
Pros
This is commonly used as a maintenance cleaning technique for commercial use as it is quick and the drying time is very short which minimizes downtime. This is also great for removing oil stains and will help enhance the look of your carpet.
Cons
Since the process is quick, it is not excellent for deeply soiled carpets as the presiding dirt under the carpet’s surface won’t be removed. The residue from the process will resurface and the carpet will get soiled again.
Hot Water Extraction Carpet Cleaning
Hot Water Extraction is also known as steam carpet cleaning. This method is beneficial for both commercial and domestic carpet cleaning. This cleaning technique uses pressurized high-temperature water combined with natural cleaning agents. The use of high pressure is important as it dissolves or loosens soil, stains, and debris caught up in your carpet’s fibers.
This is one of the proven professional carpet cleaning methods in the industry today. We have used that process for many of our clients who have heavily soiled carpets. The power of pressurized steam is incredible at deeply cleaning carpet fibers.
Pros
This carpet cleaning method is considered to be very effective, and the most popular. This is highly recommended when you need a thorough cleaning for your carpet that is heavily soiled through any kind of spills or pet problems.
Cons
The drawback of using this method is that it takes a longer time to dry as it requires a huge amount of water. Further, this carpet cleaning method can take about 4 to 5 hours for any average-sized carpet. As long as you don’t overdo it and you do it right, hot carpet cleaning is still the best choice.
Dry Foam Carpet Cleaning
This carpet cleaning method is a mixture of dry cleaning and shampoo method. This is also considered very low moisture cleaning procedure. In Dry Foam Carpet Cleaning, a pressure tank with a mixture of water and shampoo is used.
The compressor of the tank converts the dry solution into foam and scatters it onto the carpet. Through the help of brush bubbles of the same size, foam cleans each fiber. After, it will be thoroughly vacuumed to remove the dirt that might have been left behind.
Pros
Dry foam is the best option when you have older and more soiled carpets. The procedure of dry foam cleaning will cover quite of your carpet’s surface area in a short amount of time.
Cons
The disadvantage of using dry foam cleaning is when the machine you are using has a poor extraction capability. This will produce excessive residue and soil build-up.
Carpet Cleaning Methods, Which Is Better?
So now, can you compare carpet cleaning methods and determine which one suits you? That practically depends on your needs, whether you want it fast with less water, or you want it deep cleaned.
We hope you had a great time reading through our carpet cleaning methods comparison. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. You can call us at 703-995-5099, or get a free quote here .
