Details on Hot Water Extraction

Preferred Carpet Care has offered our carpet cleaning expertise for over 50 years, and almost 30 of those in the Redding area. We are well-versed in most forms of carpet cleaning, and we choose the ones that work the best. We also keep tabs on common do-it-yourself claims to see if any of them turn out to be effective. Our experience shows that hot water extraction for carpet cleaning is the finest option for most residential and business carpets today. But what is hot water extraction? Isn’t it just steam cleaning under another name?

Boiling It Down

When people think of professionally cleaning their carpets, they tend to think of it as steam cleaning. This is a misnomer, mostly because of general advertising. Although both use heated water through specialized equipment to perform the action, there are significant differences between steam cleaning and hot water extraction.

Steam cleaning is a process that uses low-pressure steam to remove soluble materials from fabrics and other surfaces. The hot steam thins out contaminants like dirt, oil, and grease from the carpet or other surfaces. Steam cleaning is also very effective for sanitation, killing bacteria, germs, and other microorganisms. But steam cleaning falls short with the removal process. Typically, another sweep using removal equipment is required to finally get rid of the residue from the carpet. Because of its ability to sanitize surfaces, steam cleaning is often used on walls and other surfaces in preparation for paints and coatings.

Hot water extraction uses the power of hot water to kill microorganisms, dislodge contaminants, and flush the residue out of your carpet all in one process. The water is not hot enough to become steam (212 degrees Fahrenheit), but is hot enough to thin out dirt, oils, and grease while killing germs and bacteria (185 degrees or more). Industrial equipment sends the water through the carpet at high pressure, and at the same time retrieves it with high suction. The pressure of the water is much more effective and thorough than using steam alone. It also provides the opportunity to add gentle detergents and bolster the cleaning power – something that doesn’t work as effectively with steam.

Preferred Carpet Care not only wants to make sure your carpet is as clean as can be, but that you understand the process we use when cleaning it. When you’re ready to see us in action, feel free to schedule a carpet cleaning over the phone or using our online form to see firsthand the advantages of hot water extraction for carpet cleaning.