You might have heard about dry cleaning a lot. It is a cleaning method that uses little or no water at all when cleaning. It is generally used to clean clothes that lose color, carpets, mattresses, curtains, and upholstery. How does dry cleaning work? How effective is dry cleaning? Can you dry clean your mattress or carpets at home? One of the most popular uses of dry cleaning is carpet cleaning. We will answer all the questions that you have about dry cleaning carpets and how it compares to steam cleaning. We will also discuss a way to dry clean your carpets on your own.
What is Carpet Cleaning
Carpets are a piece of home decor that sets the mood of the room along with the furniture. They serve other purposes like insulating the floor and reducing footfall. But since they are covering the floors, they also take more of the dirt and damage than any other item in the house. Dirty carpets can affect the air quality of the room and also cause allergies. They can also house pests and other allergens. This is why it is important to clean carpets on a regular basis. Carpets are also difficult to wash and clean using the usual methods due to their large size and type of materials used. There are two main methods used by professional carpet cleaners to clean carpets.
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is a method used to clean carpet, rugs, upholstery, etc using water or steam. The method used is called Hot Water Extraction. It requires a lot of water and needs professional knowledge and equipment. The dirt and debris can be stuck deep inside your carpets. To remove gunk and dirt like this, you need to deep clean your carpet once in a while. The best way to deep clean the carpet is steam cleaning. In steam cleaning, hot water is mixed with chemicals and sprayed onto the carpet. Then a vet vacuum cleaner is used to extract the dirty water. It is very effective in removing deeply sunken dirt, but steam cleaning regularly can cause damage to the fabric of the carpet. It takes around 24 hours or more to dry the carpet after steam cleaning. One of the greatest advantages of steam cleaning is that it can help you get rid of pests. If water is left for too long or is not extracted completely, it can build up mold and affect the quality of the carpet. It also takes more time to steam clean your carpet and dry it. This is why dry cleaning is mostly preferred when the carpet is cleaned frequently.
Dry Cleaning
In dry cleaning, you use very little moisture and a dry cleaning solvent for cleaning. This is good to remove oily residues stuck on the carpets. It restores the chemical balance of the carpet fibers and leaves the carpet walk dry in an hour once the cleaning process is completed. There are three main types of dry cleaning methods, dry compound method, dry ice method, and encapsulation method. Before dry cleaning the carpet, a pre-vacuuming has to be done always. Then the cleaning solvent breaks down the oily residues on the carpet. Dry cleaning is more effective for stain removal than other carpet cleaning processes. The dry cleaning process uses rotary machines with cotton pads dipped in hot water with conditioners that agitate and remove the dirt. You can get your carpets restored through dry cleaning. Dry cleaning is fast and the process will be complete in an hour or two. But for a deep clean you need to do steam cleaning once in a while.
How To Dry Clean Your Carpet At Home?
It is always best to get a professional to dry clean your carpet. But, you can also do it at home with a little preparation. You need to get the right dry cleaning compound or solvent from the store for effective cleaning. You can choose a dry powder or absorbent formulation.
- First, vacuum the carpet thoroughly to draw out all the loose dirt and gunk. You can focus more on stains and areas that are used more often.
- Spread the dry cleaning compound on your carpet and allow it to stay for the specified time.
- To remove stains, use a brush or thistle to agitate the area.
- Now vacuum thoroughly to absorb all the compounds. You can perform the process again on stains.
To Sum Up
To keep your carpets clean, you need to vacuum every week and keep your house clean. Try to remove the shoes as you come into the house. Place a shoe rack and doormat in front of your house. Spot clean the carpet in case of spills to avoid stains on it. You can dry clean your carpets by yourself once a month and get professional carpet steam cleaning 3 or 4 times a year to keep your carpets as good as new. You can also get a carpet beautification treatment for aging carpets. You can use dry cleaning, shampooing, and steam cleaning as necessary for your home.