!8: Hoover Steam F5914 Get It Now!: December 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

What Every Carpet Cleaner Needs to Know About Soil

!±8± What Every Carpet Cleaner Needs to Know About Soil

In order to understand how to clean carpet, we need to know what soil is and the problems it presents. Soil in carpet is any substance that is foreign to the carpet's construction. Soil includes substances such as dirt, sand, food, oil, hair, dust, and anything else that finds its way onto carpet. Carpet not only traps soils that fall onto it, but it also acts as a filter for the environment. Dust, dander, soot, gases and odors are all trapped in carpet.

Most soil found in carpet is sand and dirt tracked in by foot traffic. This type of soil is abrasive to the carpet and is what causes the carpet to wear. The gritty matter actually cuts and scratches the fibers of the carpet, resulting in a dull, worn appearance. The rest of the soil found in the carpet is usually grease and oils. This type of soil is acidic, which is why most carpet cleaning chemicals are alkaline cleaners. Alkaline cleaners neutralize the acids in order to remove the grease and oils.

Soil and dirt are considered "soluble" whereas oil, grease and solids are considered "insoluble", which means they can't be dissolved in water or solvents. Because soil and dirt are soluble, they are more easily removed with vacuuming and extraction. However it's the insoluble matter that professional carpet cleaners are more concerned about.

One of the problems inexperienced carpet cleaners have is leaving residue in carpet. This is one of the main reasons they're often called back to the job -- residue causes rapid re-soiling, prompting phone calls from unhappy customers.

What about "apparent" soil? Apparent soil isn't actually soil at all. It's simply the worn appearance of the carpet that makes it seem like it's dirty. Busy hallways often have wear patterns and scratches in the fibers that simply can't be restored with cleaning. When carpet cleaning contractors see carpets with these conditions, it's best to explain it to the customer before work begins so they understand that you won't be able to repair the wear patterns.

Following are the steps needed to remove soil from carpet:

1. Remove the dry soil, sand and solids by vacuuming.

2. Suspend the soil. This means separating the soil from the carpet so it can be removed. There are 4 keys to soil suspension: temperature, agitation, chemical action, and time. If one of these four are missing or decreased, then you need to compensate for it by increasing one of the other three. For example, if you don't have enough heated water, then you can compensate with additional agitation.

3. Soil removal (extraction). This is accomplished by rinsing (steam cleaning or hot water extraction method), absorption (spin bonneting), or after-drying (dry powders that are vacuumed up).

4. Rake the carpet so that wand marks or swirl marks are removed.

5. The last step is drying the carpet. This needs to happen as quickly as possible in order to avoid problems such as re-soiling, mildew and odor. The fastest way to dry carpet is with fans or air movers. Understanding soil and what it takes to remove it properly from carpet is the first step to providing carpet cleaning services in your business. And when removed properly, results in satisfied customers.

What Every Carpet Cleaner Needs to Know About Soil

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Choices For Cleaning Wet Carpets & Water Damaged Carpets After Floods

!±8± Choices For Cleaning Wet Carpets & Water Damaged Carpets After Floods

What can you do with flood-damaged carpet if you don't have insurance from either home owner or renter or a policy that won't cover the damage? Depending on the extent and kind of damage that your carpet has suffered, future course of action can be decided.

Choices for Cleaning Wet Carpets & Water Damaged Carpets can be exercised only after a professional has examined the extent of damage that floods have caused in your carpet. Flood damage can vary from a little basement seepage or lawn runoff in half-basement apartments, to total submersion in sewage-contaminated flood water which has been lasting for days or worse still several weeks. If the latter is the case, it is quite possible that the carpet may have to be discarded.

If the damage flood has caused to your carpet is less severe, you can try to clean the carpet, but you may face a health risk since there is a possibility of germs and molds developing if carpets are somewhat damp or not completely dry - and you can't expect miracles when it comes to soaking wet carpets. And if the environment or atmosphere is humid, the chances are far less that your carpet will dry as easily as some cleaners might claim that it would.

Remember that even with best of efforts, the wet carpet may be difficult to clean and it will be a challenge to prevent mildew and odor problems from developing in future. Plus you also face a health risk. You can be sure that the flood water - and your carpet - has been contaminated with infectious organisms before the drying process even begins.

However some people feel that that it is worth taking a chance by first cleaning it before discarding it, which is also an option people like to choose and in such a here are some things you can do. Following are some tips for cleaning flood-damaged carpet, and it is recommended that one is wearing rubber gloves when handling sewage-contaminated carpet to play safe.

Get wet carpet off the floor and take it in garage or patio to clean it. Remove the spongy pad underneath. It will hold water and begin to stink. Carpet padding is cheaper to replace than carpet; it probably is not salvageable. Clean the carpet professionally. Consult a professional cleaner.

They are the best people to advise you if your carpet is worth saving. If so, they may be able to come to your home and pick up your carpet at no extra charge. Or you can take it to their service center. They may advise steam cleaning or hot-water extraction method to save your carpet. They will apply chemicals to help sanitize the carpet. These flooded carpet cleaners will return it to you dry, but make sure that your home is ready for it without any damp or water residue.