The Steam Method of Cleaning Carpets.
When your carpet is steam cleaned, hot water is fed to a spray extractor or
wand that is attached to a vacuum pump. The cleaning solution is forced by jet
nozzles deep into the carpet, as far down as the backing. Embedded soil, oil or
grease are loosened and eventually removed, rendering the carpet clean.
Steam carpet cleaners are available in various models, and can be as simple as a
portable affair or as large and powerful as a truck-mounted unit. In the latter
case, only the wand and the hose need to be brought into the area to be cleaned.
The system may be powered by gas, diesel fuel, propane or even by the truck’s
motor.
Many carpet and textile manufacturers and professional cleaners recommend the
steam cleaning procedure, citing its efficiency in the removal of soil from
carpets. The only real drawbacks of this carpet cleaning method are the danger
of excessive wetting and the longer periods required for drying. Still these
problems can be eliminated or at least minimized if the person operating the
equipment is highly skilled, and if the system is in good operating condition.
There are actually two ways to steam clean carpets. The first method entails the
use of a hot water extractor or wand, a cleaning solution, and jet nozzles, as
described earlier. The solution is jet-sprayed onto so-called traffic lanes and
agitated into the fibers. In the second technique, a free rinse emulsifying
pre-spray solution is applied to the entire carpet and agitated into the yarns.
The steps involved in the steam cleaning procedure are outlined as follows.
1. Prepare equipment by mixing free rinsing pre-spray in a pump or power
sprayer, or by mixing the rinsing agent in the solution tank of the extractor.
2. Draw up a floor plan indicating where the furniture are positioned if there
is a lot of them to move.
3. Temporarily remove as much of the furniture as possible.
4. Do some intensive vacuum cleaning of the carpet. Brush crushed or matted pile
to loosen soils and facilitate dirt suction.
5. Pre-spray in generous amounts upon the spot to be cleaned.
6. With a grooming tool, agitate the pre-spray into the carpet fibers. Allow to
sit for 10 to15 minutes without drying out.
7. Extract particles, soils and other impurities with a portable, truck-mounted,
or automatic carpet cleaner.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until the spot is thoroughly cleaned.
9. Wrap up the process by grooming the cleaned area, replacing furniture that
had been moved, and cleaning and storing the implements used. |
