Steam and Dry Cleaning
For your convenience we offer both steam extraction and dry cleaning. There are pros and cons to both.
Why use steam?
Using deep steam extraction once or twice a year is recommended by the vast majority of carpet manufacturers because it can add years of life to your carpet. Why? Steam extraction has many advantages over dry cleaning but the most obvious is that it “extracts” everything out of the carpet including sand, dirt, grit and allergens which accumulate over time despite regular vacuuming. These particles are the real enemy of your carpet; they act like sand paper, wearing down your carpet over time, especially in high traffic areas causing fiber damage which cannot be reversed. Deep steam extraction forces hot water in between and through the nylon or olefin fibers of your carpet thoroughly dislodging and removing the “grit.” Then our truck-mounted equipment, which produces about 18 times the suction of even a commercial grade vacuum, effectively sucks out both the dirt and stains you can see as well as these tiny, gritty particles which you can’t see. This method of cleaning, done on a regular basis, can add years of life to your carpet by stopping the wear patterns caused from fiber damage.
Our Process:
We clean your carpet using low Ph, environmentally safe cleaning agents and water which has been super heated to over 200 degrees by our truck-mounted equipment. We use a rinse process which Ph balances your carpet, adds deodorizers and color brighteners and leaves your carpet clean, bright, soft, and fresh-smelling. Why is Ph so important? If soap residue is left in your carpet, or if the Ph is too high your carpet becomes a huge dirt magnet which will rapidly resoil. Imagine apple juice being spilled on your floor. At first it is clear and invisible, but after you step on it a few times it turns black as the dirt from your shoes and even dust in the atmosphere begins to stick to it. Soap residue left in your carpet does the same thing. Why is high heat so important? Heat increases the chemical bond allowing the cleaning agent to better bond with the dirt, grease and oil in your carpet. (It’s the same reason you wash your “whites” and dirtier clothes in hot water.) This makes it possible to remove them without harsh chemicals. Many other companies either use too much chemical or too much water to get the job done, leaving your carpet susceptible to rapid resoiling, extremely long drying time and wicking- a process where dirt and stains trapped in the backing and padding reappear on the surface as the carpet dries. We solve these annoying problems by doing the job right with:
- safe, non-toxic, totally green, low Ph cleaners
- high-powered, truck-mounted equipment which offers superior heat and suction
- rotary scrubbing, when needed, to get a better chemical bond
Should I Use Dry Cleaning?
There’s a lot of debate about what’s better: dry cleaning or steam cleaning. Since we provide both services we’re happy to give you all the facts so you can decide what’s best for you. First of all, what is dry cleaning? Instead of an extraction process which uses a “water rinse” dry cleaning utilizes a cotton bonnet pad which spins over the carpet creating friction, aided by a cleaning agent, to loosen dirt which is then absorbed into the bonnet pad. Dry cleaning is thus a method which uses no water so carpet dries almost immediately. Because of this convenience many people have come to prefer this method. This benefit cannot be overstated! Having your carpet dry quickly is wonderful and it answers the two biggest complaints of customers throughout the industry: it eliminates long drying times and prevents wicking up of stains from the backing and padding. However, as professionals we must recommend steam extraction for normal maintenance cleaning. Steam extraction offers many benefits over dry cleaning, (for these benefits and further information about steam cleaning, please see the section entitled, “Steam Cleaning?”) We do recommend dry cleaning in some situations such as when wet carpet cannot be tolerated for even 4 to 6 hours and the surface dirt in only mild to moderate. Also, dry cleaning can be a very effective follow-up to deep steam extraction when carpet is damaged with pet urines or other liquid spills, or extremely heavy traffic dirt which continues to wick up over time. Because dry cleaning is an absorption method and does not get the carpet very wet it minimizes the wicking action caused by moisture as it dries. Bonnet dry cleaning is also very effective in certain commercial applications, especially when carpet needs constant maintenance in high traffic areas.
For a more detailed list of pros and cons for wet and dry cleaning methods click here.