Carpet Cleaning Methods
There are several Carpet Cleaning Methods. The two main types are Hot Water Extraction and Very Low Moisture.
Hot Water Extraction
This has become the most popular type of carpet cleaning. It is also known as Steam cleaning.
The most common method of HWE (hot water extraction) is to prespray the carpet with a cleaning solution then agitate the solution into the carpet. If the carpet is not very dirty often the agitation step is skipped. The cleaning solution is often allowed to dwell (5 to 20 minutes) on the carpet. Then the carpet is rinsed with water or with a water and a neutralizing chemical. Carpet Pre spray is usually done with a powerful cleaner. It is mixed into a sprayer and then sprayed lightly in the cleaner areas and heavier on traffic lanes and dirty areas of the carpet.
VLM Definition
Very Low Moisture cleaning normally refers to cleaning a carpet with either a 175 rpm floor buffer, a Cimex, Counter Rotating Brush (CRB) or an OP (Oscillating Pad) machine.
Bonnet Cleaning
Bonnet Cleaning normally refers to using a 175rpm Floor machine. The Cotton pad that is often used with these is where Bonnet Cleaning gets it’s name.
There is a large national chain of carpet cleaners (Chem Dry) that has based their system on Bonnet cleaning with a 175 rpm machine.
OP Pad
The OP machine looks a lot like the 175 floor machine but has a totally different action. The base of the unit vibrates and rapidly rotates in little small circles and rotates in a large circle also. It is very deceptive as to how much work it is doing. It works very well on some carpets like Sculpted Berbers and Berbers in general.
Encapsulated Cleaning
There are new cleaning agents available that are called Encapsulating. What these chemicals do is break the dirt’s bond with the carpet and dry to a flake. This flake is then easy to separate from the carpet with normal vacuuming. These chemicals were developed for the VLM cleaners but usually work well with HWE also.
Pet Issues
Normally with small Pet Urine issues you can soak the area with the same amount of Urine cleaner, let soak for 20 to thirty minutes and then extract. If an area has been severely abused by a pet over and over the pad and sub floor will be contaminated. To solve this normally you will have to pull up the rug, replace the pad, paint over the sub floor with a special sealer. Sometimes you will have to replace the carpet also.
For smaller pet issues Steam Cleaning can get many of the stains and sometimes the odor out.
Wick Backs
Wick backs are a problem with most carpets, more so with carpets that are not installed over a pad. With HWE you can sometimes clean a carpet and the spot will be gone. As the carpet dries the spot will come back. What is happening is the dampness in the carpet is wicking up the carpet fiber and bringing the stain back up the fiber and into view.
Bonnet Cleaning and OP and Encapsulation methods have fewer wickback issues and are often used to fix wickbacks.