Carpet Cleaning El Dorado Hills CA remove dirt, stains, and allergens that can cause breathing difficulties. It also prolongs the life of your carpet and improves indoor air quality.
Lynch recommends choosing a stain treatment that’s certified safe for your carpet fibers and testing it on a small area first. You’ll want to move any furniture or other items that could get bumped during the process and allow time for your carpeting to dry.
Keeping up with your cleaning routine removes stains, dirt, and allergens from your carpet. It also helps prevent mildew and fungus growth in your home, which can be an issue for those who have family members or guests with sensitivities to chemicals or fragrances. A good deep carpet cleaning also eliminates dust mites and other microbes that can cause respiratory problems for people with allergies or asthma.
A professional can help you choose the best method for your home based on the type of carpet and level of dirt and stains present. Some of the most popular methods are listed below:
Steam cleaning (sometimes referred to as “hot water extraction”)
This method uses high-pressured hot water to loosen dirt and grime from your carpet fibers. It is the most effective way to remove ingrained dirt, and it works well for eliminating smelly stains. This is the preferred method for most carpet manufacturers.
Bonnet cleaning (sometimes referred to as “rotary”) uses a motorized machine that places a pad on the floor and then brushes it against the carpet. The pad is soaked in cleaning solution, and the brushing motion agitates the cleaning product into the carpet. This method produces good surface cleaning results and requires less time than other options.
Encapsulation Cleaning
This cleaning method uses a solvent chemical to saturate the carpet fibers, then encapsulates and isolates dirt particles. It is often used in commercial and high-traffic areas because of its low moisture content and short drying times. This cleaning method is usually followed by thorough hot water extraction every few cleanings for a better result.
Shampooing is similar to washing your hair, where a foaming cleaning product is applied with a motorized rotating brush. Then, the shampoo is rinsed and extracted, leaving your carpet with no residual chemicals or odors. This method does a good job on surface dirt, but it isn’t very effective on heavy-duty stains like grease or oil.
Steam Cleaning
Probably the most common of all carpet cleaning methods, steam cleaning uses hot water and a carpet cleaner to lift dirt embedded deep within your carpet fibers. This method also helps with removing stubborn carpet stains, though it’s best to treat these first with a pretreatment formula. Before using a steam cleaner, make sure to clear the room of all furniture and other objects. You may want to use aluminum foil under the legs of heavy furniture to prevent moisture damage. Work on one section of the room at a time.
A professional-grade steam cleaner is the best choice for this method, as it has a high-powered heating system that can reach temperatures up to 250 °F. Before using the machine, follow your manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you are using the correct amount of hot water and carpet cleaner. Also, be sure to empty the tank completely after each application. Residual detergents can trap and lock dirt against carpet fibers, so it’s important to remove all of the cleaning solution.
When you choose this method, you’ll get a deep, restorative clean that eliminates allergens and bacteria like mildew and fungi. This is a great option if anyone in your home has allergies, and it also helps prevent staining. However, this type of cleaning can lead to longer drying times and the risk of carpet wicking.
If you hire a professional to steam clean your carpet, be sure they are using a commercial-grade steamer, as these machines have higher power levels and more powerful pumps and vacuum motors. They can often tackle more difficult jobs than homeowner-grade steamers, including sanitizing the carpet’s backing. Also, look for a company that offers post-cleaning advice. This will help you avoid any mistakes and keep your carpets looking their best for longer.
Bonneting
Bonnet cleaning is a low-moisture carpet care method. It uses a rotary floor machine with a motorized spinning pad covered in cleaning solution to absorb dirt on the face of carpet fibers. It’s a fast process, with drying times usually under an hour.
This is a great option for high-traffic areas where carpet needs to be cleaned quickly and there is limited downtime. It’s also a great choice for treating spots or maintaining the appearance of wall-to-wall carpeting in homes with children and pets between extraction cleanings. This method works well with carpet made of wool or conventional synthetic fibers.
A pre-mixed cleaning solution is poured into a bucket, and a scrubbing pad is then drenched in the cleaner using the pump-up chemical sprayer. After scrubbing the carpet for 5–10 minutes, the soaked pad is wrung out and set aside to be laundered for reuse. The scrubbing pad will then be re-soaked with fresh cleaning solution and placed under the floor machine to continue the process of absorbing dirt from the carpet face fibers.
The biggest drawback to this method is that it leaves a lot of residue behind and doesn’t deep-clean carpet fibers. It only gets rid of the dirt on the surface, pushing bacteria deeper into the carpet and making it more difficult to remove. It is also not very effective at removing pet urine or odors.
A professional carpet cleaner is able to use the right amount of chemical, water temperature, and water pressure to get maximum effectiveness from your carpets. They can also make sure that the carpet is properly sanitized and dries completely. It is recommended that you have your carpets professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months.
Dry Cleaning
This is a relatively new process that works by spreading a dry powder containing special cleaning agents over your carpet. The agent’s powder particles act like tiny sponges and absorb dirt, which is then vacuumed away, leaving your carpet clean and dry. This method is particularly suitable for offices or areas that need to remain open 24 hours a day, as the cleaning takes place without causing any disruption to staff or interrupting business operations. It is also the only acceptable method of cleaning for jute, coir, and seagrass carpets, which are prone to fiber damage and color loss if they are subjected to liquid saturation.
The powder is applied to the carpet using a machine outfitted with rotating brushes. It is agitated into the fibers, and then an industrial vacuum is used to remove the dry compound along with all of the dissolved dirt. This process is typically much quicker than shampooing and does a good job of maintaining carpets that are not heavily soiled. However, it does not do a good job of removing the heavier soils that are lodged in the base of carpet fibers and cannot be removed by other methods.
Encapsulation is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than other methods of carpet cleaning, and it uses less water as well. It is not as effective for removing heavy-duty stains or odors and can take a while to dry. However, keeping your home dust-free between professional cleans by changing the furnace filter regularly and having the ductwork cleaned will help speed up the drying time as well.
Foam Cleaning
Foam cleaning can be an ideal solution for many different types of surfaces. Unlike steam or bonnets, it can reach into the tight spaces where dirt likes to hide. It also has the ability to reach deeper into fibers, making it perfect for carpets and upholstery. Foam also offers efficiency, as it can be applied to the surface and left to do its job while you work on other tasks.
A foam cleaner is made up of small bubbles that are created by a combination of air, water, and detergents. The bubbles provide the surface with contact time and allow the wetting agents, detergents, and degreasers to penetrate the dirt particles on a molecular level. After the dirt has been broken down, it can be rinsed away with clean water.
During the testing process, this cleaner was able to get rid of some stains (like the mud and sauce) quite well. However, it struggled with the wine stain and was only able to remove the color from the carpet, not the stain itself. It did, however, leave a very faint fragrance, which is good for those who are sensitive to strong chemical smells.
This cleaner comes with a scrubbing brush attachment, which helps you scrub the carpet fibers more deeply. It was more effective against the mud and sauce stains, but it didn’t come close to getting rid of the wine stain. It did leave a residue behind, which can attract new dirt particles and cause accelerated re-soiling. It does dry very quickly, though, which is a big benefit for businesses looking to save time on the floor care process. It’s also a good option for those who are concerned about the environmental impact of using too much water for floor cleaning.