Couer d’Alene Carpet Cleaning Guaranteed uses a dual method of cleaning carpets. We use a VLM carpet cleaner to agitate and then we extract with very effective Steam Cleaning Equipment.
Different Carpet Cleaning Methods
There are several Carpet Cleaning Methods. The two main types are Hot Water Extraction and Very Low Moisture.
Hot Water Extraction
This has become the most popular type of carpet cleaning. It is also known as Steam cleaning.
The most common method of HWE (hot water extraction) is to prespray 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 skipped. The cleaning solution is often allowed to dwell (5 to 20 minutes) on the carpet. Then the carpet is rinsed with water or wspoith a water and a neutralizing chemical. Carpet Pre spray is usually done with a powerful cleaner. It is mixed into a sprayer and 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, Counter Rotating Brush (CRB) or an OP (Oscillating Pad) machine.
Spot Cleaning of Carpets.
Often something will be spilled on the a carpet that will cause a spot. Coffee, Coke, Mustard, Koolaid, and any food will usually create a spot.
Markers, Ink, paint, cosmetics, and Grease are a different type of spot that usually needs a different spotter to clean.
Red Stains are some of the toughest stains to get up. If the dye is hard set into an unprotected carpet you will probably not be able to get a red stain out.
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 has based their system on Bonnet cleaning with a 175 rpm machine.
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.
OPE Extraction
Some of the cleaners using Oscillating Pad machines call their process OPE extraction. The difference is they
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.
Wick Backs
Wick backs are a problem with most carpets, more so with carpets that are not installed over a pad. 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.
Bonnet Cleaning methods and OP methods have fewer wickback issues.
Couer d”Alene Carpet Dual Method
We use what we cal a dual method. We use an agitator that can be used for VLM carpet cleaning and then use an extractor to rinse the cleaning agents and dirt from the carpet. We feel in most cases this is the best method of cleaning carpets.
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. 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 cleaner your carpet will be.
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 working down into 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 the most important factor in getting your carpet clean is the Technician. A good clean attitude helps a lot.
What Dirt do you see on your carpet?
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.
What carpet cleaners are cleaning is the 20% of the sticky dirt that sticks to the fibers and changes the color of the carpet and the dry dirt still on the top of the carpet.
Coeur d’Alene Spellng
Coeur d’Alene is one of the hardest city names to spell. Many drop it to just CDA, or call it North Idaho but that normally means Post Falls, Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene and all the towns in between. I have seen it spelled Coeur d Alene, Coeur ‘d Alene, Coeur d’Alane, and more. Anyway we may not spell very well but we know how to clean carpets.