There are various ways to approach carpet and upholstery cleaning. The kind of material as well as the reason you are cleaning it will determine which specific method you will use Regardless of whether you are planning on using a professional carpet cleaning service or you feel energetic enough to do it yourself, here are some of the basics on cleaning upholstery, rugs and carpets
Types of Carpet Cleaning.
Other than the countless ‘housewives remedies’, there are generally five recognized methods of cleaning carpets. Steam (also known as hot water extraction), shampoo, bonnet or quick dry and dry absorbent compound cleaning.
Steam is the most well known of all the common methods but this is not always ideal because of the long drying time (sometimes over 12 hours depending on the material). By lightly wetting the carpet with a cleaning detergent, the steam cleaner then sucks out the debris with a high powered vacuum.
Any appliance store can offer you a wide variety of carpet cleaning machines. Many of these appliances are upright, free standing units with a solution tank for the cleaning fluid and two or three nylon brushes on the underside. The procedure is the automated version of somebody cleaning with a scrubbing brush in that the dirt is loosened by the brushes and then the dirt and dust is then vacuumed (normally with a separate vacuum cleaner) afterwards. As with steam cleaning, the carpet takes about 12 hours to dry.
The quick dry or bonnet method might seem to be the same as shampooing the carpet, in fact the machinery is very similar. Instead of the two or three nylon brushes, the machine has a couple of highly absorbent buffing pads. A special quick dry cleaning solution is firstly distributed over the carpet and the machine then buffs the carpet clean by absorbing the solution as well as the dirt. It only takes about an hour to dry so this method is a must for high traffic areas.
Dry Foam cleaning is a mixture between shampooing and hot water extraction. Foam is introduced to the carpet by a machine with rolling brushes and the carpet is then vacuumed to remove the dirt. The drying time, dependent on the carpet type of course, is between an hour or two.
A dry, absorbent compound which contains various solvents and detergents are spread lightly over the carpet. Either you, or the professional carpet cleaner you hire, will use a machine which works the powder into the carpet fibers after which you need to let some time go by while the powder absorbs the dirt and smells. After a short while (depending on the brand of powder you use), vacuum the carpet so that it removes the remainder of the powder. Since no water is ever used on the carpet there is no need for any drying time.
Upholstery Cleaning Options
The material to be cleaned is the deciding factor when choosing what method you will use to clean. Velvets and silks, for example, should only be dry cleaned and are therefore best left to a professional cleaning service. Some stronger materials, however, can be wet cleaned and this can be done using steam in the same manner that you would use with carpets and rugs. The only difference in the machine is the size of the nozzle which is small enough to be hand held. Most fabrics can also be shampooed but we recommend that you only use the foam of the solution not the liquid and then apply this with a damp sponge.
Identifying the upholstery material
Many people are unaware of the best method to choose when cleaning furniture. In many cases you should find a label (possibly on the underside of one of the cushions) which will state the manufactures instructions, suggestions and warning. The most important thing to look out for is the code, either right at the top or right at the bottom of the label with either a ‘S’, ‘W’ or ‘SW’. ‘S’ indicates that the fabric should be dry cleaned while wet cleaning is indicated with the ‘W’. Materials which can be both wet and dry cleaned are indicated by the ‘SW
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