Everyone wants a beautiful and healthy abode – well at least those of us with taste and class – and one of the most important and often overlooked areas that should receive regular and professional cleaning are the textile furnishing in our homes, namely the upholstery, rugs and carpets.
There are several methods that professional carpet cleaners use to remove the built-up grime, pollutants, and allergens that are regularly tracked into the family home, but the savvy householder needs to know: not all cleaning methods are equal.
Because there is such a variety in the types of fibres and fabrics used to manufacture carpets and other floor coverings, the most effective techniques of cleaning them should be used. This might involve shampooing floors, using a “dry cleaning” chemical process or using the method that is preferred in up to 90% of home and commercial applications – hot water extraction, also commonly know as “steam cleaning.”
No steam is used in the hot water extraction process, but as vapours resembling steam can rise during the process, the practice has been misnamed as such.
Just for the sake of full understanding, let’s briefly examine two “runner up” types of carpet cleaning, because there is a time and place when these are useful.
Carpet Shampooing
Shampooing carpets is a method of floor cleaning that is almost self-explanatory. A solution of strong detergent is dispensed with a machine with revolving brushes that scrubs the surface of your carpet. In addition to the obvious problems with this method (scrubbing the surface can loosen or damage fibres and doesn’t necessarily reach deeper into the nap of the flooring), shampooing a carpet can result in a left-over residue and command long drying times.
This method of cleaning was popular more than a generation ago, having yielded to more effective contemporary systems. But in fairness, one should note that shampooing could prove useful for some natural fibres which would react adversely to the high temperature or chemical composition of other cleaning methods.
Dry (Chemical) Cleaning
Having mentioned that the chemical process is not the right application for all carpet cleaning uses, let’s explore what this method involves and when it is the appropriate choice.
The method of choice for dry cleaning carpets requires the cleaning technician to apply a robust dusting of chemicals over your flooring and to use a machine to drive the chemicals into the fibres. The chemicals bind with the soil particles in the carpet and strip them away from the fibres in preparation for hovering. Little or no water is used in this process, so it is excellent with regard to drying time and availability for immediate
use.
However. It should be said again that no water is used during this process. Therefore, there is some limitation to how deeply and thoroughly the fibres can be cleaned.
If you suspect that piece of furniture of special rug may discolour or shrink if water is applied, then you absolutely should consider a dry cleaning application and you can talk to Magic Carpet Cleaning about your unique needs. Otherwise, the clearest choice is the method that we use in homes throughout all of London – and you’ve guessed by now that the method we recommend is hot water extraction.
Hot Water Extraction
This system of deeply cleaning carpets is almost as simple and straightforward as it sounds. Magic Carpet Cleaning will dispatch one of our qualified technicians to apply a high-pressure, high temperature, highly diluted, eco-friendly mixture of water and cleaning solution to your furniture and floorings. This high-pressure wash will break up and flush out the dirt and bacteria that has been ground into the fibres, penetrating to depths unreachable by other methods. The combination of water, grime, and allergens
are extracted from your floors using some of the industry’s most powerful suctioning vacuums.
The results: beautiful, clean and hygienic, furniture and carpeting that are rejuvenated with much of their original colour and lustre. And what’s more, regular professional cleaning of carpet and furnishings have been proven to extend their life and use, saving you money and time in the future.
You’ll be so pleased that you will want to tell your family and friends!