Carpeting is a warm and soft flooring option, but it’s the toughest material to clean because it’s made of fibers that trap dirt and soils. Carpet manufacturers urge you clean carpets occasionally with a shampooer or steamer. The best way to use depends on the degree of clean you desire to achieve. For example, while both will create your rug brighter, shampooers sometimes leave dirt behind.
The Way Shampooers Clean
Shampooers use warm water combined with soap to make a solution the shampooer applies into the carpet. It then removes the dirty solution after it dries. Shampooers typically spray on a water and shampoo solution or a dry foam on the carpet. A revolving or rotary brush subsequently works the foam or shampoo to the fibers to loosen the dirt. Sometimes this procedure can overwet the carpet, which prolongs drying times, and the brush may harm delicate carpet fibers.
The Way Steamers Clean
Steamers use warm to hot water to loosen dirt in your carpet, and they then extract the dirt in the fibers with a strong vacuum and carry it into your holding tank. While the title “steamer” means that your carpet is being cleaned with steam, a steamer actually uses warm to hot water to clean the carpet. A spray of water is used to force the dirt in the carpet fibers, and a vacuum located in front of the spray instantly sucks it up. Carpet steamers are typically like layout, but also the temperature of the water used varies. Some machines use cold water that is heated to boiling water. With steamers that heat to exceptionally significant temperatures, there’s the chance of scalding when the water line breaks.
Degree of Cleaning
Shampooers are a surface cleanser, meaning they clean the upper portions of the carpet fibers but may not reach dirt and deposits that settle on the bottom. Steam cleaners provide deep cleaning, extracting with enough power to pull the dirt in the base of the rug fibers. Shampooers basically bury the dirt in foam and often have brighteners which produce your carpet look cleaner than it really is. Eventually this may lead to yellowing, which can’t be eliminated.
Cleaning Frequency and Timing
Carpets must be shampooed or steamed every 12 to 18 months. The frequency is based on the caliber of your carpet, how much traffic it receives and whether or not you have pets. For example, a rug in a guest room doesn’t require cleaning as often as one in a family room, and a rug in a house with pets may require more frequent cleaning than just one in a home with pets. Your timing is also important. It is best to steam or shampoo your carpet before it gets too cluttered. This is quite important when having a shampooer, nevertheless, because you don’t get a deep clean. This means in the event that you wait too long to shampoo the carpet, dirt and soils settle where they may remain even after shampooing.
