Everything you need to know about carpet steam cleaning.
There are 2 types of steam cleaning machines.
- Portable carpet cleaning machines.
Portable machines which are taken inside your premises and plugged into your power point. These machines are necessary to use when access to your premises is above the first floor, inside a office building or when it is not practical to run hoses from a van to the work site. Portable machines are adequate to perform carpet cleaning processes as long as the machine is rated above 100psi and the carpet cleaner performs a 7 step cleaning process when cleaning your carpets. Most of the do it yourself cleaning portables that you can hire from the supermarket or hardware stores are rated only 50 – 100 psi and are not suitable for genuine deep carpet cleaning. A professional carpet cleaner will have a portable that is rated 100psi and above.
This is a example of a good quality portable machine
with plenty of vacuum and rated 100-500 psi.
- Truck mounted carpet cleaning machines
Truck mounted machines are mounted inside a van or truck, have their own power, heat the water and supply powerful vacuum and adjustable water pressure. The hoses are run from the truck mount to inside your premises. These machines are considered to do a more quality job than a portable but are restricted in their use for units, apartments and offices. If you live in a house or a premises with good access you should request a truck mount machine to clean your carpet and furnishings.
This is a example of a good quality truck mounted machine
with plenty of vacuum and rated 100 – 1500 psi.
Frequently asked questions about carpet steam cleaning
Q. Will Steam cleaning shrink my carpet?
Carpet steam cleaning machines were introduced into Australia in the 1970,s and back then there where a lot of problems with carpets shrinking due to carpets being left very wet due to inadequate vacuum. Today’s machine are more advanced and the over wetting problems have been eliminated. There were also no accredited training schools available back then. Steam cleaning does not damage carpets if used correctly - this is why you should make sure the carpet cleaner you choose has been properly trained and accredited.
Q. Will steam cleaning remove the natural lanolin from my wool carpet?
No, There are no natural oils left in the wool fibre when it is made into carpet. The fibre goes through a process known as scouring where all the natural oil (lanolin) is removed by strong chemicals. This is so the carpet can be dyed.
Q. Will my carpets become soiled and look dirty more quickly after I clean them?
This can happen if the carpet cleaner takes a shortcut and does not rinse the cleaning solution from your carpet. A professional carpet cleaner will avoid this problem by prespraying your carpet with the cleaning solution first then rinsing your carpet with hot water and a rinse cycle. Avoid carpet cleaners that do not prespray the solution onto the carpet. Some carpet cleaners add their solution to the steam or water and pump this through your carpet. This method promotes resoling. Always insist on the prespray method.
Q. How long will it take for my carpets to dry after steam cleaning?
This will depend on a lot of factors;
1. The carpet cleaners equipment.
2. The experience and training of the technician.
3. Will air movers be used to assist drying?
4. The Weather.
Generally it should take between 1 and 8 hours to dry.
A good carpet cleaner will only clean the carpet fibres. If your underlay and floorboards get wet in the cleaning process your carpet could take days to dry. Choose a carpet cleaner who will clean the fibres only and not wet the underlay or floorboards.
Choose a carpet cleaning company that uses the following steam cleaning process.
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Step 1. Carpet is pre vacuumed prior to cleaning commencing.
A commercial upright vacuum cleaner should be used. A pre vacuum of the carpet before cleaning is a must to remove dry soiling. Choose a carpet cleaner that uses industrial upright vacuum cleaners with hospital grade HEPA S-CLASS filtration. Cheap barrel type vacuum cleaners are a waste of time as they will not remove hair from the carpet.
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Step 2. Use a biodegradable prespray and apply the prespray directly onto your carpet using a sprayer.
(Avoid the method where the prespray is added to the steam cleaning machine and pumped through your carpet as this method promotes rapid resoiling).
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Carpet should be presprayed using a high quality biodegradable cleaning Solution. |
Carpet should be presprayed using a high quality biodegradable cleaning Solution. |
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Step 3. Carpet should be rotary agitated using a nylon brush or pad. This process ensures the prespray is agitated through the carpet fibres and ensures soil separation. This step is the most important procedure in the carpet cleaning process.
Heavily soiled areas near doorways, hallways and in front of lounge suites should always be rotary agitated.
A carpet cleaner may have the most expensive and largest steam cleaning machine but the carpet must be rotary agitated prior to steam cleaning commences. Do not use a carpet cleaner who is too lazy to rotary agitate your carpet prior to cleaning commences.
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Carpet should be agitated with a floor polisher and pad to ensure prespray is fully agitated throughout carpet fibres. |
Carpet should be agitated with a floor polisher and pad to ensure prespray is fully agitated throughout carpet fibres. |
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Step 4. Any spots and stains that require further treatment are treated prior to steam cleaning commences.
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Some spots and stains require extra treatments prior to steam cleaning commences. |
Choose a carpet cleaner who is trained in spot and stain removal procedures. |
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Steps 5 and 6. A good quality fibre rinse and deodouriser is added to the water / steam prior to steam cleaning.
This is the same as adding a fibre rinse product similar to Softly in your washing machine. Fibre rinse in your carpet leaves the carpet residue free and a soft feel in the carpet fibres. Fibre rinse also flushes the prespray solution out of the carpet used in step 1 and 2.
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Step 7. Carpet is steam cleaned using a portable or truck mounted machine. Either a truck mount or a portable machine can be used provided the carpet cleaner completed all the steps above especially step 3 (rotary agitation).
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| Steam cleaning with truckmount or portable machine. | Steam cleaning with truckmount or portable machine. |
What is the next Step?
Now that you are fully informed on what to expect from a carpet steam cleaner it is now a matter of choosing a company that will give you at least a 7 step process. There are companies that will skip steps 1 to 6 and just go straight to step 7 and give a very basic job. The problem being with just a 1 step process is your carpet will be full of chemical residue and will resoil quickly.
What to look for when choosing a carpet cleaning company.
- What training do their technicians have?
These are the major training organizations in Australia;
- IICRC
- ITI
- Jena Dyco
- Does the company belong to a carpet cleaning professional trade association.
Trade associations in Australia;
- Nucca
- Wool safe Australia
- Choose a company that does not use bait and switch tactics.
Very cheap prices over the phone normally $10.00 - $20.00 per room, then increase the price when they arrive at your premises. - Choose a company that offers both Dry and Steam cleaning methods.
- Choose a company that carries minimum $20 million dollars public liability insurance.
- Choose a company that offers a guarantee?
- Choose a company that is experienced in stain removal not just carpet cleaning.
A professional company should be using advanced stain removing methods such as heat transfer methods. Look for before and after photos on their website. - Choose a company that has a website with photographs of their work.
Can the consumer guide recommend a carpet cleaner to me?
Yes we can, we have done all the hard work. The carpet cleaners recommended on this site have been thoroughly checked and asked to produce documents for the following.
- Signed an agreement that they will not perform bait and switch marketing strategies.
- Have been in business a minimum of 5 years.
- Belong to a national professional trade association.
- Their technicians have been trained by a National training school, not just their own in-house training.
- The company offers more than 1 carpet cleaning method.
- The company performs advanced stain removing techniques.
- The company can give you a choice of using “green” cleaning solutions.