Rapid Dry Vs. Carpet Cleaning
When a manager asks for the carpets to be cleaned, she expects them to look great and be ready for use in a timely manner. To accommodate tight schedules, you will need a quick dry-cleaning system as part of your arsenal. Though often criticized as not being a deep-cleaning method, quick dry cleaning is great for sprucing up the carpet when a fast turnaround is necessary.
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Quick Dry Methods
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Bonnet cleaning is the easiest of the quick dry methods, since most facilities already own the necessary machinery: a standard floor buffer. A bonnet, which looks like a round mop, is placed under a floor-buffing machine. Prior to buffing the carpet, the technician sprays the carpet with a cleaning solution. The spinning bonnet absorbs the moisture and soil. The carpets are dry and ready for regular use in about an hour.
Encapsulation cleaning requires a cleaning solution to be sprayed onto the carpet, similar to the bonnet method. Next, the technician scrubs the carpet with a cylindrical brush machine, which resembles an upright vacuum without the bag. Dirt released from the carpet fibers is literally surrounded by the cleaning solution, which dries as a microscopic crystal. Vacuuming is necessary when the carpet is dry, in about an hour.
Absorbent compound, like encapsulation, also requires dedicated equipment. Instead of a liquid, as with encapsulation and bonnet cleaning, a moist powder is sprinkled over the carpet. Next, using a machine similar in appearance to the encapsulation machine, a technician scrubs the powder through the carpet fibers. Stains and grime are released from the carpet fibers captured by the moist powder. Once the scrubbing is complete, the technician vacuums the area, removing the dirt filled powder. Drying time is virtually immediate.
Deep Carpet Cleaning Methods
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Shampoo cleaning, which uses a standard floor-buffing machine equipped with a nylon brush and gravity-fed solution tank, scrubs dirt and grime away from the carpet fibers. Drying time can be as long as 12 to 24 hours, depending on carpet thickness.
Steam cleaning, which shoots hot, pressurized water into carpet fibers before immediately removing with high-powered vacuums, removes dirt, grime and stains immediately. While very effective, drying time between 12 and 24 hours is normal, depending on carpet thickness.
Speeding Up Drying Times
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The use of air movers--high-powered floor fans--can significantly decrease the drying time of deep carpet cleaning. One fan can dry an area of 50 square feet of steam- or shampoo-cleaned carpet in less than an hour, depending on carpet thickness. Multiple air movers can be used to dry larger areas.
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