Carpet Shampoo Problems
Everyone needs to clean their carpet occasionally, and while spot washing it will work for a while, your entire carpet will eventually need to be cleaned. There are two main ways to do this: You can shampoo your carpet or steam clean it. While shampooing is easier to do on your own---you can rent or own a carpet shampooer for less money than a steam cleaner---there are some potential problems that can arise when shampooing your carpet. Does this Spark an idea?
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Overwetting
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Most carpet shampooers work by completely soaking your carpet and working up a lather with carpet-grade shampoo. One potential problem when shampooing is that you overwet your carpet and cause the water to seep into the backing and carpet pad. This can cause permanent damage to your carpet. Excess water can also lengthen the drying time, possibly causing mildew to form. Too much water can also warp your floorboards.
Damage to Furniture
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Most carpets take at least 24 hours to dry to the touch, but it will take longer for the carpet's underlying fibers to dry. If you do not wait for several days to replace your furniture, the furniture could rust or stain. This can permanently damage your furniture and may cause you to have to clean rust stains out of your carpet.
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Residue
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Because the shampooing process relies on completely soaking the carpet and applying shampoo, it is difficult to get all of the residue out of very dense carpets. If you leave even the slightest amount of residue on your carpet, it will become vulnerable to dust and grime particles that will be even more attracted to your carpet. Residue issues are not exclusive to the shampooing method, but they are compounded by the method's need to get the carpet completely wet.
Prolonged Drying
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Shampooing is one of the only methods that requires you to get your entire carpet wet. As a result, it also requires a very long drying time. Since you can't move your furniture back into place for several days, you may to have to clean one room at a time or leave your home altogether.
Wear
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Most carpet shampooers have either rotating or stationary brushes. Stationary brushes prevent overwearing of your carpet but are not as thorough as rotating brushes. Rotating brushes remove more of the dirt but are harder on your carpets. No matter which option you choose, your carpets will have been worn down by cleaning or not as clean as they could be.
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References
- Photo Credit Background carpet image by fotolia © 2happy from Fotolia.com
