We are often asked about our steam carpet cleaning.
Is it useful to steam carpet with just water.
Pros of steam cleaning.
First a steam cleaner more accurately called a carpet extractor sprays carpet cleaning detergent mixed with hot though not steamy water and then uses a wet vac to extract the now dirty water from the carpet.
It s not the steam that cleans the carpet though.
The hot water activates the detergent to remove dirt.
Before having your carpets or rugs cleaned professionally it s a good idea to understand the.
Then the machine vacuums up the dirty water 1.
The phrase steam cleaning distinguishes a water based method of cleaning carpets from dry chemical compound methods used by some professional companies.
Don t use steam mop with sheepskin rug.
Others worry that because steam cleaning uses water it could cause mold and mildew to grow in the carpet.
A carpet cleaning machine for residential use uses hot water or heats water but it s not the steam that cleans the rug.
Using carpet extraction is probably the best deep cleaning method you can use on your carpets.
However if you make sure to vacuum.
The two methods use different water temperatures and different cleaning solutions depending on the process.
If your carpet is really dirty and smelly you may want to use a carpet cleaner for the first clean and then use a steam mop to clean your carpet at regular intervals.
Living brings it in.
Then use it to make long slow passes from one side of the room to the other so the machine can work efficiently.
Allowing the carpet to dry.
It s advised that you wait at least 1 3 hours to ensure the carpets are fully dry.
In general if you let the water sit on the carpet for too long use too much water or don t properly vacuum the carpet with a wet vac the water could seep deeper into your carpet and cause mold.
That is true when you rent or buy a machine or when you hire.
It s the detergents which the steam or hot water activates.
At stanley steemer we use a process called hot water extraction to clean your home.
You add soap to the hot water in the machine turn it on and go.
The truth is we do not actually steam clean carpet.
You can t do this with a steam mop unless you have a method of sucking up the excess water.
Keep reading for tips on how to use the machine properly so the carpet dries faster.
Just because your steam cleaner also extracts water doesn t necessarily mean that you can replace the furniture immediately after steam cleaning.
Then you decide it s time for an all over carpet cleaning so you use your own machine or rent one or if you re splurging you hire a company to do it.
The terms steam cleaning and hot water extraction are often used interchangeably these days but the truth is that they re two different carpet and or upholstery cleaning processes.