Carpet Cleaning Machines - Is It A Job For The Professionals?

When I was looking into carpet cleaning machines, I wondered what people were searching for this topic were actually looking for. The results seem to point to general carpet cleaning – but that’s a vacuum cleaner isn’t it. The next results were all for commercial cleaning machines. So I am going to tell you about the types of machines and let you decide for yourself what you wished to know.

What is a carpet cleaning machine? It is a device for deep cleaning the carpet, more like washing than just vacuuming the surface dirt away. A carpet cleaner allows you to wash the carpet either with detergent (wet or steam cleaning, sometimes called extraction cleaning) or with chemicals (dry cleaning). Generally this done by either pumping a detergent solution into the carpet and sucking it up again(wet) or by spreading a chemical on the carpet allowing it time to absorb oils and dirt and vacuuming it with a powerful suction to clean deep into the carpet (dry).

Often called hot water extraction cleaning or wet cleaning, is generally thought to give the best clean. It combines high temperature and pressure to penetrate deep into the carpet fibers to maximum cleaning. It is well known that heat helps to loosen dirt, and detergents can be mixed into the hot water can help to break down oils and stains making them easily removable. This method basically involves spraying with pressure the cleaning solution into the carpet, then using a high power vacuum to suck the dirty solution out of the carpet. This method of cleaning the carpet does mean it gets wet and needs time to dry. Drying time can be reduced with ventilation of the use of a fan.

Dry Carpet Cleaning

For dry cleaning a pre-conditioner to spread over the carpet to loosen the dirt, then the absorbent dry cleaning chemical is dusted onto the surface and using a dry carpet cleaning machine to work the chemical down into the fibers, using brushes. This machine will usually be used over the carpet in different directions to ensure complete coverage. The chemical is then allowed to dry for around an hour then vacuumed up with a high power vacuum to remove all the dirt. These types of cleaning are best used in commercial or industrial premises, and definitely not where children may be crawling around the floor. There is debate about whether this type of cleaning is as good as steam cleaning, but it certainly has the advantage of leaving the carpets dry and ready to be used more quickly than a wet method does.

Carpet cleaning machines fall into a 2 main categories

1. Commercial machines- usually on a truck, externally powered by large pumps and motors, able to cope with large spaces, heaters on board. Can be either wet cleaning or dry cleaning.

2. Household machines – small, on wheels, usually wet cleaning, smaller motors and pumps.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning Machines

The commercial machines are more- more of everything, more expensive, more powerful, and larger. Commercial machines came about first because of a need to clean shop floors and restaurants and other high traffic areas, where regular vacuuming doesn’t remove enough dirt to maintain good presentation over time. The floors need a thorough clean to make the carpets looks presentable. But due to the amount of dirt that commercial carpets get, they require a powerful clean. Commercial carpet cleaning machines are often powered by a generator on a truck as they require more power than a typical household can provide. The truck mount carpet cleaning machines also have hoses to allow the water to be pumped in and out of the cleaner allowing them to cover a larger area than household machines. A commercial cleaner will also have a heater to heat the water to a higher temperature. Household cleaner generally use hot tap water to clean. The commercial extraction cleaners can have extra agitators on the head, to penetrate further into the pile to loosen the dirt and aid deep cleaning. Extraction machines can be used for wet cleaning or dry cleaning. There is also a combination of wet and dry cleaning, where the chemical is laid over the carpet, then rinsed off and the dirty water removed by an extraction cleaner.
Commercial cleaning machines are best found at janitorial or carpet cleaning stores. You can find information out on line, but will need to go and test them before buying.

Households Cleaning Machines

These are often modified vacuum cleaners, with a water tank to allow water to be forced into the carpet and a pump to remove the water. The motors are usually too small to provide enough suction to properly remove the water from the carpet. This can be a problem as if a carpet gets too wet it can shrink or become stained and if it is wet for too long, can get mildew. A home carpet cleaning machine is good for small areas, with sufficient ventilation to allow the carpet to dry. It is convenient to have your own carpet steam cleaning machine for times when accidents do happen. Having your own machine also means you can clean one room at a time at your own pace. Some families have the need for their own carpet cleaning machine, due to pets or other factors that mean their carpet requires frequent cleaning should consider investing in one of the smaller commercial machines. These can cost as little as $600. It will provide a better clean, cost a bit more, but be more robust and last longer and remove more of the water from the carpet meaning less time is required to dry the carpet. When doing your own carpet cleaning care should be taken to only use the right products for your carpet. For instance a carpet with a built in stain treatment may require a special detergent, and wool carpets should only be cleaned using very gentle low Ph products.
Now if you are looking for a household machine then you may want to read reviews of the best carpet cleaning machines find some here.

Conclusion

SO it comes down to this. If you will need to regularly clean your carpet due to your situation then investing in a small commercial unit will give you best value for money. If you require a carpet cleaner to tackle small areas of carpet when accidents happen, then a portable household cleaning machine will suit you. If you periodically want a good deep clean for your carpets then the professional can come in, do a good job and be gone in a day.