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Carpets have always served an important home interior function. It’s a major investment that gives some touch of luxury to our home, especially when mix and matched well with other interior d?cor. But often times, cleaning has always been an issue for many because of the difficulty of the chore, not to mention the risk of damaging your carpet. This is why experts recommend bringing them to a professional carpet cleaner. There are also many carpet cleaning equipment available in the market, but it is important that you get some background on the different methods of carpet cleaning.

Carpet cleaning is commonly classified into five methods. They include shampooing, dry foam, bonnet, dry powder and hot water extraction. Shampooing involves scrubbing your carpet after applying a foaming solution which draws in dirt and soil. This solution will dry after a few hours, and only then can the foam residues containing the dirt can be vacuumed to make the carpet clean again.

The dry foam cleaning method uses the same process; the only difference is that this one literally uses dry foam. Unlike the former which gets the carpet wet a lot, this one uses little or no water at all, speeding up the drying time for it to get vacuumed. Both these methods just clean the surface of the carpet, leaving the dirt that’s burrowed deep in it untouched. It is for this reason they are considered poor methods of cleaning.

The bonnet method gives a better fight with carpet dirt and stains, although still not good to enough for deep cleaning. This type uses very little water, which translates to faster cleaning times. A cleaning solution is dispensed from a spray nozzle that transforms the liquid into mist. This is applied to an absorbent pad connected to a rotary brush and goes over the carpet, just like using a mop. These absorbent pads are changed immediately upon collecting enough dirt and the process is repeated until the carpet is fully clean.

On the dry powder method, cleaning makes use of absorbent granules which contain cleaning agents that are distributed all over the carpet. These granules collect dust and dirt, and dissolves oil and grease. After drying, the granules must be vacuumed completely until no trace of the powder can be seen.

In the dry powder cleaning process, it is critical that the carpet be vacuumed thoroughly, with the use of a powerful vacuum cleaner, in order to collect all the dry powder residues in it. This residue is known to cause more problems when left for a long time in the carpet, and also may affect the air quality inside your home.

The hot water extraction method is by far the best method of cleaning as compared to the previous four. It also known as steam cleaning although there is really no steam involved, but instead uses fine sprays of water. This is usually what carpet cleaner experts recommend because of its deep cleaning capabilities, cleaning the carpet thoroughly.

The cleaning solution is mixed with hot water and sprayed directly onto the carpet which forms a steam-like texture. This is simultaneously vacuum-collected into the equipment’s tank which holds the dirty solution coming from the carpet. In this process, dirt and soil are completely rinsed off the carpet, both the surface and inner areas.

Having a good overview on carpet cleaning equipment and the cleaning methods is very important in making a decision which method is right for you. This will all depend on your carpet type, budget, and the time and effort you are willing to spend in cleaning. But when all else fails, you can always get a professional carpet cleaner to do the job for you so that you are sure to get professional results, especially when you have a very expensive carpet.