Whole House Carpet Cleaning

Engaging in whole house carpet cleaning is something that many homeowners have to do at some point. Understanding the basics of how the process works can help avoid any confusion. Here are the basics of whole house carpet cleaning and what the process entails.

The Best Method

There are many different ways that you could potentially clean your carpets. Some people like to use carpet shampooing while others use various chemicals to treat the carpet. However, steam cleaning is going to be the best method to use when cleaning your carpet. Steam cleaning is also referred to as hot water extraction in some cases. This is the cleaning method that every carpet mill recommends.

Steam cleaning provides you with several advantages over other types of cleaning methods. For example, steam cleaning does not use any soap or other chemicals when cleaning the carpet. When you use soap on the carpet, it is very difficult to get out. Therefore, a soapy residue is left on the fiber in the carpet. Soap will actually attract dirt to it. Therefore, when you have soap on the carpet, it will actually make the carpet dirty again very quickly.

Steam cleaning also helps the texture of the carpet as well. When carpet is manufactured, it is done under extreme heat. Carpet fibers are twisted together very tightly when they are constructed. When you walk on them repeatedly, the twists can come apart. This leads to carpet that is matted and looks very worn. When you steam clean the carpet, it heats the carpet back up to high temperatures. When this happens, the carpet fiber memory will actually cause it to twist back up. This will make the carpet look like it did when it was first installed. If you do not use steam cleaning, you will not get this unique benefit that comes with it.

Frequency

There are many differing opinions as to how often you should have your carpets cleaned. According to most carpet manufacturers, you should have your carpets steam cleaned every 18 to 24 months. This is typically required in order to maintain your warranties. However, you will want to gauge how dirty your carpet gets depending on the amount of traffic that you have. Some people should consider doing it every year for best results.

Promoting Long Life

Besides making the carpet look good again, cleaning can actually help it last longer as well. When carpet gets a lot of dirt and soil in the fiber, it can help break down the carpet. Dirt is very corrosive and it will rub up against the protective coatings on the carpet fibers when you walk on it. When this happens, it removes the stain protection on the outside of the carpet as well as any other protective coatings. Therefore, if you get the dirt out of the carpet fibers, you will be doing your part to help promote a long life for your carpet.