Protect your floors by keeping carpets clean
Various techniques for extracting dirt from the home
Flooring is a major investment, so maintain it properly. Cleaning carpets on regular basis can help prolong their life. Carpets act as a “filter” in your home, so if you don’t keep them clean, an unhealthy environment can be created in your home.
I am often asked how often carpets should be cleaned. The answer depends on a few elements, such as the amount of traffic and how often they are vacuumed. This is different for each household. Carpets should be steam cleaned every one to two years to remove hard soiling. If you vacuum regularly, this will help remove the majority of dry soiling.
The most common method for carpet cleaning is hot water extraction (also known as steam cleaning). First, the carpet is pre-treated with a cleaning solution, then, with a truck-mounted steam-cleaning unit, the solution is rinsed off using steam and suction at the same time. Then a couple of dry passes are made to remove the remaining moisture.
Another method is “encapsulation” cleaning. This method uses a cleaning solution that encapsulates the dirt in to microscopic crystals and vacuums it out of the carpet once it is dry.
In general, pet stains are removable. If the pet stain is more of a surface stain, the cleaner can do a urine decontamination to remove the stain and odour. One of the most difficult pet stains to remove is cat urine. Cats can spray urine on the walls and furniture, which can saturate an area. They are difficult to remove because often the urine makes its way through the carpet to the underlay and sometimes the subfloor. If the stain has deeply penetrated the subfloor and the odour is still present, you can paint the subfloor in order to seal the odour in the subfloor, before putting your underlay and carpet back in place.
Most cleaning companies use environmentally friendly products that are safe for pets. If you have pets or young children, make sure the cleaning company uses safe products.
Homeowners are usually responsible for moving breakables such as pictures and lamps; however, most cleaning companies will move bigger items such as sofas, end tables, and chairs. After these are removed, the cleaner should put them back using Styrofoam blocks under the furniture. Homeowners should remove them 24 hours later. Most cleaners will not move beds, china cabinets or electronic equipment.
Typically, a 2,500-square-foot home takes between three and four hours. When hiring a professional cleaning company, ask how long the process will take. If the cleaner says it will only take an hour, it would be wise to search for a company that will spend the time required to clean your carpets thoroughly.
Carpets take between four to eight hours to dry after they have been professionally cleaned. If possible, stay off carpets until they are dry.
Most carpet cleaning companies offer some form of carpet protection. Carpet protector can greatly improve the life of your carpets, while making your carpets less susceptible to staining. For example, if coffee is spilled, the protector helps keep the stain from penetrating into the fibres. I often recommend Pink Solution to clean stains in carpets; it is natural, non-toxic and biodegradable.
More to follow next week!