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Guaranteed San Jose Carpet Cleaning uses a dual method of cleaning carpets. We use a VLM carpet cleaner to agitate our carpet pre spray and then we extract with very effective Steam Cleaning Equipment. We can give you the option of just cleaning with the VLM method.
Different Carpet Cleaning Methods
There are many Carpet Cleaning Methods. The two main methods are Hot Water Extraction (HWE) and Very Low Moisture(VLM).
Hot Water Extraction
HWE (Hot Water Extraction) is also known as Steam cleaning. This refers to the hot or very hot water used to rinse and clean the carpets.
One method of HWE is the Prespray and rinse method.
- First pre spray the carpet with a cleaning solution.
- Then agitate the solution into the carpet. If the carpet is not very dirty often the agitation step is sometimes skipped.
- Then the cleaning solution is often allowed to dwell (5 to 20 minutes) on the carpet.
- Then the carpet is rinsed with water or with a water and a neutralizing chemical.
Carpet Pre spraying uses a small amount of a powerful cleaner. It is diluted with water and placed into a sprayer. The diluted cleaning agent is then sprayed lightly in the cleaner areas and heavier on traffic lanes and dirty areas of the carpet.
VLM Definition
Very Low Moisture cleaning normally refers to cleaning a carpet with either a 175 rpm floor buffer, a Cimex, or an OP (Oscillating Pad) machine.
Why does Guaranteed San Jose Carpet Cleaning use Dual Method Cleaning?
We use a dual method because we like the results. We feel the best results we can get are from using a VLM agitation method and then following that up with rinsing the dirt and agents from your carpet with Steam Cleaning.
How long does it take to dry?
Bonnet Cleaning
Bonnet Cleaning normally refers to using a 175rpm Floor machine. The Cotton pad that is often used with these is where Bonnet Cleaning gets it’s name.
There is a large national chain of carpet cleaners (Chem Dry) that had based their system on Bonnet cleaning with a 175 rpm machine. This method was very popular in the early 90s.
Cimex
The Cimex is a unique twist on the rotating head cleaner. It has three small heads that counter rotate to the direction of the main disk. It appears to be a regular floor buffer but the action on the carpet is totally different. This unit is very popular in commercial cleaning.
OP Pad
The OP machine looks a lot like the 175 floor machine but has a totally different action. The base of the unit vibrates and rapidly rotates in little small circles and rotates in a large circle also. It is very deceptive as to how much work it is doing. It works very well on some carpets like Sculpted Berbers and Berbers in general.
Wick Backs
Wick backs are a problem with most carpets, more so with carpets that are not installed over a pad. Especially with HWE you can sometimes clean a carpet and the spot will be gone. As the carpet dries the spot will come back. What is happening is the dampness in the carpet is wicking up the carpet fiber and bringing the stain back up the fiber and into view. Both Bonnet Cleaning methods and OP methods have very few wickback issues.
Pet Issues
Normally with small Pet Urine issues you can soak the area with the same amount of Urine cleaner, let soak for 20 to thirty minutes and then extract. If an area has been severely abused by a pet over and over the pad and sub floor will be contaminated. To solve this normally you will have to pull up the rug, replace the pad, paint over the sub floor with a special sealer. Sometimes you will have to replace the carpet also.
Encapsulated Cleaning
There are new cleaning agents available that are called Encapsulating. What these chemicals do is break the dirt’s bond with the carpet and dry to a flake. This flake is then easy to separate from the carpet with normal vacuuming. These chemicals were developed for the VLM cleaners but usually work well with HWE also.
Rental Carpet Cleaning Machines
Most rental machines have very little vacuum power compared to most commercial units. Another problem is the operator does not understand how to use them. The Rug Doctor is one of the most popular rental systems. The Rug Doctor method has a couple of major flaws for dirty carpet. [Not enough Dwell time and not enough Agitation|The way they instruct you to use them does not allow for any cleaning agent dwell time on the carpet. The agitation offered by this method is minimal]. Also the cleaning solution is never rinsed out of the carpet. The Rug Doctor in experienced hands could do an OK job. You would want to prespray and agitate your carpet before using the Rug Doctor. Then the solution in the Rug Doctor would only be Hot water and used to rinse the carpet. Most Rug Doctor users put down way too much water and detergent on the dirty areas and do not get enough of it back up. The more water/chemical/dirty solution you get out of the carpet the better.
Vacuum More Often.
Carpet is a great air filter. Dust and dirt will naturally be caught in the fibers of carpet. Regular vacuuming will remove a lot of this dirt. A lot of this dirt will fall through the carpet and not come back up. Have you ever noticed how you do not get the Dust bunnies floating around on a carpeted floor but you will get dust bunnies forming after just a day or two if you have hard surface floors. The carpet absorbs dust and if you do not vacuum regularly it will end up in the carpet.
What is most important factor in your Carpet Cleaning?
5 parts of cleaning a carpet. Chemicals, dwell time, agitation, heat, The Technician. In my opinion if the equipment if functioning properly and the technician is knowledgeable on how to work his equipment the most important factor in getting your carpet clean is the Technician.
20% of dirt is Sticky
Several studies have shown that around 20% of the dirt in most carpets is sticky and will attach to the carpet making it look dirty. The other 80% is dry and will easily come up by vacuuming if it is still on top of the carpet. If the dry dirt has dropped to the bottom of the carpet you will not get it out of the carpet without removing the carpet and using a Rug Badger or similar tool. You cannot get enough airflow and suck to get dirt from the bottom of the carpet back up through the top layer. What carpet cleaners are cleaning is the 20% of the sticky dirt that sticks to the fibers and changes the color of the carpet.