As professional carpet cleaners, we’re always hearing the terms ‘steam cleaning’ and ‘hot water extraction’ being used interchangeably as if they were one and the same thing. The truth is that they are two entirely different processes. Here at Carpet Cleaning Kings, we use the method of hot water extraction to clean carpets and get them super clean. But how does it work?
What is hot water extraction?
Hot water extraction to clean carpets is a method that’s not only very popular but also easy to understand. To begin with, a powerful machine heats cold water in the cleaning truck. Our highly trained professional cleaners then use a hot water extraction machine to propel a diluted cleaning solution into your carpet. This gets deep down into the fibers and loosens all the dirt and debris. This is then extracted using the same machine and the carpet is left to dry. Although you can see the hot water is steaming, it is the actual water that is put on the carpet that does the cleaning and not the steam.
How does hot water extraction differ from steam cleaning?
In order to generate steam, water has to be boiled and then it evaporates into steam, so it is, therefore, hotter than hot water. However, the downside to using steam as a cleaning method is that it can actually set the stain. In addition, if steam is being used in conjunction with a cleaning agent, then it can’t rinse this out as thoroughly as hot water. By using hot water, it gives the carpet a light ‘scrub’ to remove the dirt.
Can’t I just rent a steam machine and do it myself?
Well, you could but you’d be very disappointed with the results. You see, the most important part of professional carpet cleaning isn’t the hot water extraction, instead, it’s the act of vacuuming your carpet before the extraction process takes place. It’s essential to carry out a thorough vacuum of the carpet to remove as much dirt as possible before cleaning it with water. The vacuum cleaners we use are mounted on the cleaning truck and are extremely powerful and able to remove far more dirt and dust from your carpet than your domestic vacuum cleaner.
The cleaning machines that you can rent just aren’t as powerful or effective as our truck mounted machines and one glaring difference is when it comes to drying the carpet. It’s really important that the carpet is dried as quickly as possible after wet cleaning to prevent stains, mold, and damage occurs. With a professional carpet cleaner, your carpets may feel slightly damp for one or even 2 days whereas if you use a rented steam machine that’s likely to be much longer. They simply don’t have the same power as professional machines to get a carpet dry.
Recommended by carpet manufacturers
It’s not surprising that the majority of carpet manufacturers recommend hot water extraction to clean their carpets. It simply is the best method out there – when carried out by qualified professionals that is. An annual professional hot water extraction clean will remove all the dirt and grime which accumulates in your carpet and prolong its life, keeping it looking and smelling great.
We’ve got more than 30 years experience in the industry so next time your carpet needs a professional clean just give Carpet Cleaning Kings a call on 1300 7000 75 and put us to the test.
