Walk into any home improvement store and you are sure to find a selection of carpet cleaners. While the options may be plentiful, the benefits of using these machines are often not as widespread. Learn about some of the pitfalls these machines produce that leave many homeowners with less-than-stellar results.
1. Precleaning
At-home carpet cleaners often provide the user with instructions that tell them how to set up the machine and how to get started cleaning as quickly as possible. There is little, if any, focus on the precleaning phase, which is a very important step. Precleaning generally involves thoroughly vacuuming the floor to ensure excess dust and other dirt particles are removed, as a failure to remove this debris before cleaning the carpet can cause further staining. Carpet professionals always clean the floor first.
2. One Size Fits All
Not every stain and carpet type require the same type of cleaning process, but non-professional machines take an all-in-one approach. Take polypropylene carpet, for example. Many at-home carpet cleaners use water as the cleaning mechanism. However, with this type of carpet, you want to avoid using water to clean. This carpet type has a low soil-resistance factor, and even the slightest amount of water can cause discoloration. It takes a skilled professional to know how to clean each type of carpet.
3. Excessive Water
Even if you have a durable carpet in your home that has a higher soil-resistance rating, there is still such thing as too much water. Often, the suction tool used to remove the excess water from the floor is not very powerful on these at-home machines. Additionally, homeowners tend to go over sections too many times, which deposits extra water into the carpet fibers. Excess water can cause discoloration, but it can also cause the carpets to smell.
4. Product Residue
If the machine relies on a cleaning solution, another issue that can produce lackluster results is product residue. In the same manner that the extraction function on these machines often fails to remove all the water, they can also leave behind layers of cleaning solution on the carpet fibers. The buildup can cause discoloration on the carpet and make them appear dirty. However, it can also damage the fibers over time.
If you want to avoid these problems, maintain your carpet better, and ensure your carpets are properly cleaned, contact a carpet cleaning professional for assistance.
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