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Carpets can
be cleaned through several ways.
However, the equipment used depends on
the type of cleaning to be performed.
Available ones are steam generators,
rotating brushes and single circulating
scrubbers. There needs to be a clear
vision as to what goes where. The
description below will help you
understand the pros and cons of such
cleaning better.
1. Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner or a hoover (in
British) is a device that uses an air
pump to create a partial vacuum to suck
up dirt and dust from the carpet or
rugs. The dirt is collected through a
filtering system that has to be cleaned
thoroughly once in a month. The first
manually-powered cleaner using vacuum
principle was the ‘Whirlwind’ invented
in Chicago in 1868 by Ives W. Mc
Gaffney. Its only problem was that it
was difficult to operate because of the
need to turn a hand crank at the same
time as pushing it across the floor.
With newer models, vacuum cleaner has
turned out to be an easy equipment to
use. According to a release by science
daily, tests have shown that vacuuming
can kill at least 100% of young fleas
and 96% of adult fleas present in a
carpet or rug. Several models or
configurations of vacuum cleaners are
available in the market such as upright,
robotic and drum vacuum cleaners.
The performance of a vacuum cleaner can
be measured by several parameters:
• airflow, in cubic feet per minute (CFM
or ft³/min) or litres per second (l/s)
• air speed, in miles per hour (mph) or
metres per second (m/s)
• suction, vacuum, or water lift, in
inches of water or pascals (Pa)
The suction is the maximum pressure
difference that the pump can create. For
example, a typical domestic model has a
suction of about negative 20 kPa. This
means that it can lower the pressure
inside the hose from normal atmospheric
pressure (about 100 kPa) by 20 kPa. The
higher the suction rating, the more
powerful is the cleaner. One inch of
water is equivalent to about 249 Pa;
hence, the typical suction is 80 inches
(2,000 mm) of water!
2. Brushes
Brushes are an apt way of cleaning hair,
dust or sand particles on rugs or
carpets. Though used manually or fitted
through different tools, these brushes
however do not serve the purpose of deep
cleaning. Their bristles need to be of
good quality to kick off unwanted
particles over the rug. Some of these
brushes are:
Disk and sectional brushes- These
brushes are easy to use and are made of
materials like Polypropylene, Nylon,
Bassine, Polyester PBT etc.
Strip brushes- These brushes are
available in many forms and in various
profiles. Mostly, these brushes are used
for sealing of passages and sliding
doors to protect against dust, draughts,
water, light, heat and noise. The brush
materials range from Nylon,
Polypropylene, Brass, Stainless steel,
Mild steel, at times horse and goat
hair.
3. Steam
Cleaning Machines
Steam cleaners use a boiler to heat
water up to temperatures say around 240
to 310 degrees causing the water to be
transformed into a very fine, dry mist.
The vapour is made up of about 5 to 6%
water, so surfaces dry quickly. The
steam vapour’s low moisture and high
temperature provides deeper cleaning
because it penetrates into the pores and
crevices better than topically applied
cleaners.
Since steam vapour cleaners use no
chemicals, there is a benefit to indoor
air quality, no hazards or risks from
using and storing chemicals, and no
harmful chemical residue left after the
cleaning process. Those who believe in
steam are convinced that this type of
equipment only cleans the surface of the
rug and does not loosen or remove dirt
deep in the pile of the rug. You can get
that bottom surface dirt but you have to
use a non-residue shampoo that has an
enzyme to break down the oil. Once the
oil is gone then the dirt has nothing to
stick to. The process normally takes
24-48 hours to break down the oil.
Choose the best
While looking for any carpet cleaning
equipment, it is important to consider
the quality of any carpet/rug. Long pile
shag rugs will require a different
method of cleaning than the rugs that
resemble indoor-outdoor carpet. The
short pile carpet may be best cleaned by
rotating brushes while deep pile carpet
may be better cleaned using steam carpet
cleaning equipment. |
