There are many causes for tough stains in carpets; spots may range from splattered paint to heavily soiled high-traffic areas. It is important to know the difference between the types of carpet stains. An ink stain needs a different treatment than a paint stain. However, when homeowners require their carpets to be cleaned or tough stains to be removed, it is most important that they consult a professional carpet-cleaning company with the ability to successfully complete the job. It is also beneficial for a homeowner to clean high-traffic areas periodically since neglected carpets can become permanently discolored and stained due to ground-in dirt.
Before the carpets can be cleaned they must first be inspected by a carpet-cleaning professional who is trained to pinpoint trouble areas and devise a carpet-cleaning plan. The professional will focus on those areas that have the highest volume of traffic. High traffic leaves behind much ground-in dirt, and the carpet fiber itself can eventually be damaged, which can make it difficult to clean the carpet thoroughly and cause a faint stain to remain. Even with the required special detail work, there may still be a faint stain discoloration. Other areas of concern for the carpet professional include additional types of tough stains that will require special cleaning treatments.
After the inspection and cleaning plan, the next step is to use a high-quality vacuum not only to remove loose, dry soils and agitate the carpet fibers, but also to get fibers that might be lying flat to stand up again so they can be more thoroughly cleaned. Once the carpet has been dry-vacuumed, the next step for the carpet technicians is to pretreat the carpet with a cleaning formula and apply a pre-spot treatment to any present stains.
These pretreatments penetrate deep into the carpet fibers to clean them throughout. The pre-spot treatment is vital for removing ink or paint stains almost completely. While a stain still might leave behind a slight shadow, carpet professionals who use pre-spot treatments are able to remove as much as 90% or more of the stain.
After the pre-spot and pretreatment formulas have been applied to the carpet and allowed time to start breaking down soils, grease, oils, food particles, and other contaminants, the next step is to again use a carpet agitation machine. This agitation helps to further penetrate the cleaning formula and pre-spot treatment into the carpet fibers and loosen any soils still bonded to the fibers. When the cleaning agents are thoroughly worked into the fibers, the chemicals are able to clean the carpet at a microscopic level. The cleaning formulas bind to dirt and stain particles so they are easily removed using a water extraction vacuum, resulting in a complete cleaning.
A hot-water extraction method is used by commercial carpet-cleaning machines to effectively force hot, steaming water into the carpet fibers to blast away dirt and tough stains while extracting the water simultaneously. This prevents unnecessary water accumulation that could result in soaking the carpet pad and promoting mold growth. The rinse water may have a pH balancing agent to help neutralize the effects of the carpet-cleaning process and to remove any detergent residue.
In the final steps the technicians review their work and post-treat tough spots or stains with an alternative stain formula if needed. Afterward, the carpets are usually groomed over to lift the fibers to speed up the drying time. Stain protection may be applied and groomed in as well. Finally, the carpet technician will recommend that the customer place drying fans as well as open windows if the weather is warm to further aid in drying the carpets.
When choosing our carpet-cleaning services, you can be sure we professionally review, pre-spot, pretreat, and effectively clean your carpets using commercial carpet-cleaning formulas and equipment. Once the job is complete, we will review our work with you to ensure that you are completely satisfied before we depart.
