What is the best carpet cleaning method?
Don’t worry about trying to figure out the best carpet cleaning method for your commercial carpets. We’ve already done the homework for you. The founder of our company has played a key role in chairing the development and content of the most recent 2015 IICRC S100 International Carpet & Rug Cleaning Standard and Reference Guide. You can’t get our experience from anyone else.
Here are a few tips for choosing the best carpet cleaning method:
- Know Manufacturers Maintenance Guidelines
- Assess the level of grime and dirt that your carpet has.
- Hire a team that has both experience and training in cleaning the type of carpet
- Use eco-friendly cleaning solutions whenever possible
- always pre-vacuum carpet prior to any carpet cleaning
What is Strategic's recommended carpet cleaning method / system?
Strategic does not limit ourselves to 1 cleaning method or system. Depending on the cleaning objective we may use combinations of multiple methods customizing a cleaning system that best meets your needs. (see methods & systems described below) However….
In General
One Time
Heavily soiled commercial or residential carpet, or carpet that is cleaned less than 1 time per year, usually needs a restorative cleaning (pre-vacuum, spot & pre-treat traffic areas followed by a hot water extraction rinse). When cleaned by a professional, the use of a hot water extraction carpet cleaning system will remove soil, oils, food spills, most pet accidents*, air pollutants & most microbial activity. This system is eco friendly, healthy & safe on almost all carpet. Plus it is what the testing by The Carpet & Rug Institute concluded.
*Some pet accidents or microbial activity may require specialized cleaning solutions and treatments
Maintenance Program (Usually Commercial)
- Preventative Maintenance: Properly placed walk off mats inside and outside entrances and break rooms
- Routine Maintenance: Daily Vacuuming & Spot removal (see www.carpet-rug.org)
- Interim Maintenance: Monthly/Quarterly Encapsulation (Counter rotational brush), Dry Compound or Oscillating pad for appearance management.
- Restorative Cleaning: Once or twice a year/as needed hot water extraction (Rinse)
*Commercial cleaning frequencies using a combination of multiple cleaning methods and systems make up a customized carpet maintenance program.
Note: Professional cleaners can control residual moisture, drying is a part of cleaning. Hire a professional and your carpet should RARELY be wet for over 8 hrs (homes) 4 hrs (commercial) far below the time it takes to cause any microbial growth or moisture damage.
Below are the most popular carpet cleaning methods: 
- Hot water extraction cleaning (Restorative)
- Dry compound extraction cleaning (Interim)
- Low moisture cleaning(Interim)
- Rotary Shampoo cleaning(Interim)
* restorative cleaning is necessary when carpet looks dirty for a deep down cleaning *interim cleaning is for appearance and usually only cleans tips of fibers
Our Recommendation
Our carpet cleaning recommendation is:
Carpet cleaned one time per year or less should be restoratively cleaned using hot water extraction. This can be done by yourself if you follow rental equipment and solution instructions however often too much detergent is used or too much residual moisture is left in the carpet.
If you do not have the time to do it right, it makes sense to hire a professional experienced & certified company to protect your warranty and free your carpet from the unwanted contaminates that build up over time.
Strategic's eco-friendly cleaning solutions and powerful truck mounted machines will help remove unwanted soil, lint, food, spills and germs helping your carpet to last longer and look better. This is the gold standard of cleaning according to the Carpet & Rug Institute Seal of Approval testing.
The most effective way to clean a carpet will almost always require multiple techniques. Simply settling for the first cleaning method that you find will not ensure the highest quality cleaning. Depending on various factors (types of stains, workload, etc.), our experts can recommend an individually tailored program that will suit you, your commercial area, and - most importantly - your carpets.
Our main objectives are simple:
- Thoroughly clean your carpet
- Remove any possible contaminants (bacteria, grime, etc.)
- Use eco-friendly solutions
- Preserve the carpet’s warranty
Best cleaning method based on amount of grime:
- Low amount of grime and other contaminants - whenever you spill anything on your carpet you should immediately remove the contaminants as much as possible. Use vacuum cleaners for a more effective process.
- Moderate amount of grime and other contaminants - if you haven’t cleaned up your carpet in a while, you’re going to need a more aggressive approach. This is when dry cleaning compounds come in handy. Apply the compounds to the carpet, agitate them as much as possible, and remove them with a vacuum cleaner.
- Large amount of grime and other contaminants - in this final case, you will most likely need restorative cleaning as well as deep cleaning methods. A hot water extraction method should be used in this case, alongside with rinsing and deep cleaning methods.
Our professional team can control the whole cleaning process, from start to finish, including the drying process. When cleaning the carpet yourself, remember that if the carpet is wet for more than 12 hours, the risk of microbial growth is extremely high.
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