My name is Joe Martin and I have been cleaning carpet for around fifteen years. In that time I have made it my number one goal to become an expert on carpet cleaning. Through education, experience and mistakes I have gained the knowledge I will try to impart in this blog. I am IICRC certified in carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, water damage, floor care and stone and tile care. I am also trained in terrazzo restoration and concrete polishing. I have also taken classes from Chem-Dry and have attended many trade shows and conventions in order to understand every view point in my field. I may make a mistake or two along the way. For that I will apologize in advance. 
This blog will cover how to properly care for your carpet; from the installation of your carpet, through and between cleanings. This will include vacuuming, how a professional should clean your carpet and how to identify and prevent excess wear.
Once your new carpet is installed You will need to be sure your vacuum is adequate, In most cases the best vacuum will have a beater bar. This allows the vacuum to dislodged and removed from the carpet. Wind runnel vacuums are the best I have found for the consumer. Vacuum often and you can extend the life of your carpet. Sand and dirt will wear your carpet quickly if left for long. I have cleaned carpet for many people who neglect their carpet as well as people who vacuum often and have a professional cleaner clean their carpet. Improper care can cut seventy five percent from the life of your carpet. Vacuum often and use a pro to clean your carpet.
When a consumer buys new carpet it is a major expense as well as a great inconvenience. Yet, few will properly care for that carpet after installation. I cannot tell you the number of time I have been told, “The installer said we should wait at least a year before we have the carpet cleaned.” The installer is afraid the carpet will loosen from cleaning and they will have to re stretch the carpet. On many occasions by the time I get there the carpet is in such bad shape that it will never look good again. With some people and carpets a year may not damage the carpet, but with high foot traffic, a rural house where dirt is often tracked in, or low quality carpet this can be a fatal mistake. If your carpet looks dirty then you waited to long to clean it.
By the time the dirt is evident, it is doing damage to your carpet.
Now this does not mean the dirt cannot be removed. Carpet manufacturers will tell you if you wait too long it can be very difficult to remove soil, so regular cleaning is a requirement in order to maintain your carpet’s warrantee. If you have to clean, then your first question may be, “which system is best for my carpet”? When I first started cleaning carpet I used the bonnet method. In that type of cleaning the carpet is scrubbed with a buffer. The carpet is pre sprayed and buffed in order to transfer the dirt to the bonnet. The bonnet is like a cotton mop head. This method is best for intermediate cleaning.
Next we will talk about wand cleaning.
Wand cleaning utilizes hot water extraction. The Carpet and Rug Institute says hot water extraction is the most effective way to clean carpet. It is a good way to clean carpet. The down side is that wands can leave the carpet over wet and the carpet will then re soil quickly. It can also be effected by effort. Wand cleaning is hard work. In order to maximize effectiveness the tech has to work very hard. Wands clean back and forth in two directions. While wand cleaning is good, I feel the best cleaning method is deep rotary extraction.
Rotary extraction carpet cleaning has many advantages over other types of cleaning. Also called rotary jet extraction, this system is a low moisture, agitating, 360° dirt eating monster. This system rocks! The RX-20 weighs eighty pounds and cleans six hundred and fifty cleaning passes per minute. We is a truck mounted carpet machine that reaches 230°-250°. This high temperature agitating machine thoroughly cleans your carpet. It has no idea if the tech is tired or fresh. It does not depend on the tech to work hard as a wand does.
The rotary tool does the work. It has the Gold Seal from the Carpet and Rug Institute. That is their highest award they give. The Carpet and Rug Institute is made up of the largest manufacturers. They have looked at the carpet, after it was cleaned with this system, and determined that it thoroughly cleaned the carpet and did no damage the fibers.
When using this system Safe Dry first pre sprays the carpet using a tool designed to utilize truck mounts high temperature. The hotter the pre spray the easier the carpet can be cleaned. After pre spraying we use the rotary extraction tool to apply and extract a cleaner-rinse. It cleans, rinses and leaves no residue on the carpet. This will allow for faster drying times cleaner carpet and a residue free carpet. What that means to you is lees cleanings then with our competitors. This will also extend the life of your carpet.
Once your carpet is cleaned you should re apply the stain guard. Over time all the stain guard will be removed. If you spill something on unprotected carpet there is a good chance it will cause a permanent stain. Stain guards today protect against oil based and water based stains. They will keep those contaminants out of the fiber. Remember that you still need to remove the spot quickly. Over time spots will turn into stains.
Today’s carpet are designed so you will buy new carpet every six or seven yours. That does not mean that it will look bad in six , or seven years, but that by that time you will be sick of looking at its condition and buy new carpet. This being said you can still affect the life of your carpet if you vacuum regularly, clean often and re apply stain guard on a regular basis.
Lots of good information in here! Thanks for the post!
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