What is the best carpet cleaning solution for managers and homeowners
One question we receive often from business managers, property owners and homeowners is what is the ultimate carpet cleaning solution. Sometimes clients will ask by what type of equipment they should be using in between service or what type of carpet cleaning solutions they should be buying. These are the two main questions people ask us.
The basics of carpet cleaning can be broken down into four main variables. A professional service would refer to these principals as the four fundamentals of soil suspension. Soil suspension means that the cleaning solution loosens and then holds the dirt so it can quickly get flushed out with water then vacuumed away into a van-based extraction system or portable unit before settling back into the carpet.
Table of Contents
Four Main Solutions
The four main variables are:
- Cleaning Solution
- Temperature
- Agitation
- Time to sit
One variable can be increased more to make up for a reduction in another. Most managers and homeowners will not have access to a lot of heat during cleaning, this can be easily made up by allowing the cleaning solution to sit more or by agitating the area a little bit with a soft brush or blotting.
Some of this will depend on what type of carpeting you have. Wool carpet will require less heat, less detergent strength and limited is any agitation. So, you will have to make this up by taking longer to clean it. This results in higher prices when hiring a professional cleaner because of the increased labor cost.
Nylon is the cleaning solution; most manufacturers recommend a cleaner with a PH lower than 10.
Olefin is very chemically resistant but have to be careful of using too much heat, this generally isn’t a problem for property owners anyway.
When You Rent a Carpet Cleaner
Once in a while homeowners or managers of an office will rent a carpet cleaner from Home Depot or janitorial supplier. They generally will give you a standard package to use. The key to success in this situation will be vacuuming up the water.
Most of these systems don’t have heat, will have very generic cleaning ability to appeal to everyone and do not agitate. You will have to make it up by going over the area several times dry to pick up the most water as possible. Also applying the detergent and letting it sit, according to directions on the label.
