Details on the Carpet Cleaning Process

There’s a lot more to keeping your home clean than simply vacuuming the carpets. In fact, there’s more to keeping your carpets clean than mere vacuuming. Many of our customers find it interesting how much goes into the process of professional carpet cleaning. Here’s a quick rundown of what goes into – and what comes out of – getting your carpets professionally cleaned by Preferred Carpet Care.

Evaluate the Carpet

Whether nylon, polyester, olefin, wool, or another material, it’s important to know what kind of fiber is in the carpet. We also determine the type and degree of the soil. For instance, is it dirt from outside, tar from a construction site, or sand from the beach? What caused that red stain in the corner, the one your bookcase is trying to hide? Different sources require different cleaning methods.

Also, the carpet itself might have limitations according to its warranty. If you have a warranty on your carpet, it’s vital to ensure we use products approved by the manufacturer. Thankfully, Preferred Carpet Care has a great amount of experience identifying fiber types, degrees of soiling and its sources, and warranty limitations.

A Quick Lesson in Chemistry

Don’t worry, you won’t need your high school textbooks. However, to do the best job cleaning your carpets, having a knowledge in the pH scale is very important. The pH scale identifies relative acidity or alkalinity of a water-based solution. Acids have a pH of 0-6, with 0 being the most acidic. 7 is a neutral reading, neither acidic or alkaline. Readings from 8-14 indicate increasing alkaline, with 14 being the highest alkalinity.

Knowing where the soil reads on the pH scale determines what solution will get rid of it the best. The most common type of soils found in carpet are more acidic, so cleaning with a higher alkaline detergent would be the most effective. However, every situation has a different combination of carpet fiber, degree of soil and the source involved.

Preparing the Carpet

Of course, this step includes making sure any furniture or fixtures are properly protected. Ideally, any loose furniture or delicate items are already transferred to another room (see our article on preparation).  Nevertheless, we also pre-spray your carpet. The pre-spray typically has a pH reading of 9 but can be adjusted if necessary. The pre-spray helps emulsify the soil, so it loses grip on your carpet and allows the main cleaning to remove it more thoroughly.

The Main Event

Considering the type of fiber, the kind of soil and the “degree of dirty”, we determine just the right detergent at the perfect pH level. We also add surfactants to the detergent. Surfactants lower the liquid surface tension, which increases its spreading and wetting properties. This allows the detergent to mix even better with the soils and stains, pulling them away from your carpet fibers. If oil or grease is involved, we add certain enzymes to break it up.

Please keep in mind that all detergents and cleaning agents used by Preferred Carpet Care are industry approved, and specifically designed for carpet cleaning use. The IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) has recommendations and guidelines dealing with detergents and cleaning agents used on carpets. Preferred Carpet Care is also certified by IICRC.

Using a steady, methodical process, we move our equipment across your carpet. Depending on the type of carpet, the soil involved, and the cleaning solutions used, we have various equipment to do the job. Some of our equipment cleans and extracts with one device. Carpets with heavier soil might take more specialized equipment. It’s important to use the right tools for the job. Rest assured we do not cut corners when cleaning your carpets.

Finishing Touches

Finally, we use a rinse conditioner to pull out any residual cleaning solution, using the same steady, methodical process. At that point, we can apply carpet protection to keep your carpet fresh and clean until our next visit. Most carpet cleaning professionals recommend getting your carpets cleaned twice a year to keep them from wearing out and to maintain the cleanliness of your home.

With extensive training, qualified certification, high-end equipment and years of experience, Preferred Carpet Care is willing and able to take on the daunting task of removing the soil and grime from your carpets. This way, you don’t have to deal with it – or deal with getting rid of it. Feel free to give us a call or schedule a consultation online.