What Is Better For Carpet Cleaning? Steam Cleaners Or Regular Vaccum Cleaners?

by: Matthew Meyer

Necessity is the mother of invention. Carpets were invented in the sixties and became popular very quickly. Following this breakthrough, manufacturers needed to make something to clean the carpets and preserve their texture. Thus, there came the invention of the first vacuum cleaner.

In today’s world, with the rise of pollution, dirt and grime has also become more sticky and difficult to get rid off. People have started developing asthma and other allergies, all which demand the need of a cleaner, safer environment in the home. While regular vacuum cleaners are able to remove surface dust only, carpet steam cleaners go deep into the base of the carpet and the carpet fibers to eliminate dirt from the roots.

Features of Carpet Steam Cleaners

The steam vacuum works by injecting superheated steam onto the carpet. The high temperatures allow complete removal of the toughest stains, as well as kill all dust mites and other allergens. This way the carpet is sanitized to the maximum. The self contained carpet steam cleaners are the best combination as they have inbuilt vacuum cleaners which allow the surface dust to be removed as well as the debris from the base of the carpet.

Rotating brushes are also part of the machine, which make sure the steam reaches all parts of the carpet and any sticky dirt is removed completely. Mostly, hot water has to be added to the machine, but the newer models are being manufactured with their own water heaters which keep the water at the optimum temperature allowing maximum efficacy.

These steam cleaners are helpful in areas, apart from carpets as well. They can be used to clean all types of places, from cooker hoods to the inside of ovens. Even tiling and toilet corners can be effectively disinfected using these steam cleaners. Along with domestic use, carpet steam cleaners have become the best tool for carpet cleaning, in various industries, like hospitals, restaurants, hair salons and even trains. The quick drying of these gadgets allows continuous use, making it practical and convenient for everyone.

Carpet steam cleaners are far more superior to vacuum cleaning, when it comes to efficacy. Nevertheless, it is a time consuming activity and certain carpets with delicate threads may get damaged permanently. Keeping these facts in mind, we can come to the conclusion, that steam cleaning is a must for every household, at least once a year, while carpets should be cleaned with a regular vacuum at least once a week.
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Carpeting and Stains

by: Enrique Cleanotto

If you have a carpet, you can count on spilling something on it at some point in time. Getting the stain out is a matter of timing and know how.

Carpeting and Stains

Carpeting has come a long way over the years. The first carpets would get stains from practically any contact. They were a nightmare to get out, if you could even do so. As the years passed, the quality of carpeting has improved particularly in relation to their resistance to stains. While this makes life easier for you when a stain occurs, you still have to put in some work.

One of the biggest issues that you need to focus on in the removal of stains is time. Simply put, procrastination will kill you and your carpet. If you spill something on the carpet, you need to deal with it NOW. The longer the stain sits, the more likely it is to soak into the fibers of the carpet. If you spill it, clean it immediately even if the spill occurs during a party or some gathering. You will be glad you did so.

The second step is, ironically, not to clean the carpeting per se. Instead, you should focus on removing the excess liquid. This should be done by blotting the area with a towel of some sort. To blot, lightly press up and down on the stain. Do not swirl or spin the towel over the spill. This will only spread the stain out and make cleaning it a more difficult task.

Once the excess liquid is removed, it will probably be necessary to apply a cleaning solution. Despite the claims on the bottle of cleaner, it is important to understand the cleaner may adversely affect your carpet, to wit, it may change the color. First try the cleaner in a small, out of the way area such as a closet. Once you apply the cleaner, look at both the carpet and your towel to see if any color has transferred. If everything appears okay, then it is time to remove the stain.

When addressing the stain, it is best to work from the outer edges towards the middle. The idea is to remove the stain, not spread it to a larger area. When rubbing the stain, do not use the bigger hammer theory. Pushing harder on the stain will not help remove it and may actually damage the weave of the carpet. Use a consistent pressure and go slowly. Getting the stain out is important, but not if it results in a patch of carpet that looks like it was run over with a lawn mower.

If you have a carpet, you will also have stains. Deal with them immediately and you should be able to keep your carpeting in reasonably good shape.

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Vacuuming Tips for your Carpet

by: Greg Brandon

Important when keeping your carpet clean is vacuuming

Vacuum with regularity, particularly in high-traffic areas. Remember that walking on soiled carpet allows the soil particles to migrate below the area of the pile where they are a lot more difficult to remove and can deteriorate the fibers. Habitual vacuuming removes these particles from the area before this happens.

Vacuuming Tips

For locations with infrequent use, vacuum the traffic areas twice weekly and the whole domain once weekly. Those areas with more use necessitate that the traffic areas be vacuumed daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine is ok for light soiling, but five to seven passes are necessary for firmly soiled areas. Diversify the vacuuming route periodically to help stand the pile even and minimize matting.

What type of vacuum should you purchase?

A good vacuum cleaner is vital to prolonging the beauty and life of your carpet. A bargain vacuum can eradicate surface dirt but will not effectively abstract the invisible dirt and particles embedded in the pile.

We prescribe the use of vacuums with a rotating brush or combination beater/brush bar that beats the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for deposal by the vacuum. Note that carpet with thick loop pile construction, particularly wool and wool-blend styles, may be delicate to beating of the pile surface and may become fuzzy. For these carpets, we endorse the use of a suction-only vacuum or a vacuum with an adaptable brush lifted away from the carpet so it does not agitate the pile. You can first test a beater bar vacuum in an insignificant place first, and then clean your main traffic areas if no deformation occurs.

Replaceable paper vacuum bags seem to work better of trapping the minor particles that will pass through cloth bags back into the room. High efficiency vacuum bags, also called micro filtration or HEPA bags, trap even tinier microscopic particles such as mold and mildew spores and dust mite byproducts, commonly found to be a source of allergies. This kind of vacuum bag is available under several names, such as the "MICRO-LINED" bag available at most vacuum specialty shops, or the "MICRO-Clean" bag available at some department and discount stores, and "MICRO FILTRATION" and "MICRO LINER" brands available at Sears stores. You need to confirm that these bags hold particles smaller than two (2) microns. All vacuum bags should be inspected usually and replaced when half full.

Check to ensure the belt of the vacuum is functioning properly and that the beater bar rotates and functions properly when pushed along the carpet. To alter the vacuum to the correct height setting for the carpet, raise the beater/brush bar to the highest setting and then lower it until it contacts the pile enough to faintly pulsate the carpet a small distance from the vacuum, but not low enough to origin major slowing of the motor.

It should be noted that many vacuum brands such as Dyson vacuum cleaners will automatically adapt themselves to your carpet height...this is a real time saver!

Diversify the vacuuming direction occasionally to help stand the carpet even and curtail matting.

Things to do and avoid when vacuuming

If you ever abuse the fine carpet cleaning powders, make sure you have a HEPA filter on your vacuum (either a HEPA bag or a HEPA bagless vacuum) this will eliminate having that fine dust from the cleaning power blown back into the room through the exhaust of your vacuum, where you will breath it!

Also, the cause of odors in vacuum cleaners is from bacteria growing in the bags (buying a 'bagless' vacuum will annihilate this problem!Bags should be changed at least once a month, or even more frequently depending on usage. Ensure and purchase vacum bags treated with a chemical that helps destroy the bacteria and odors in bags.

Don't ever pick up drywall soot or vacuum out the fireplace with your vacuum. The greatest vacuum for these types of cleaning tasks would be shop vacuums. (they are sold at any home improvement store) 'Shop' vacuums have heavy duty filters and are good for certain kinds of heavy dust and dirt.

Make sure not to maneuver your vacuum on saturated carpets or surfaces, unless they are rated as damp/dry vacuums.Operating common vacuums in this form will possibly deface them and cause early wear on the motor and other open components. There is also an electrical shock danger involved with using vacuums on wet surfaces as well...the beater bar can create a static buildup, which can result in an electrical hazard to you.

Again, if you have a vacuum that uses a bag...then reverse your bag AT LEAST once a month.There is a lot of odor and bacteria problems associated with full or half-full bags. Would you just leave your garbage in bags inside your house? That bag is one of the dirtiest areas in your home, full of germs and bacteria - replace it frequently.

Cleaning performance is dependent largely on that bag. A clogged bag also puts strain on your machine and puts more strain on your motor. The few cents you save in bags is wasted on the dollars that you'll spend for machine repairs.

Never admit your vacuum bag get over half full.

Diversify your belt about every three months.

Belts are Devised to elongate and wear out, the same as fan belts on cars. As the belt stretches the efficiency of the beater bar to effectively oscillate (and hence clean your carpets) will be diminished. You should reverse your belt about every 3 months depending on abuse. Contact your vacuum manufacturer to see if this is covered in their warranty.

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