Carpet Cleaning Tools Every Commercial Cleaner Should Consider

When cleaning commercial carpets, the first question to ask yourself is: How much time do you have, and how much money do you want to spend? That’s because each method of carpet cleaning requires specific equipment and tools, uses different processes and can take different amounts of time to complete.

That said, there are primarily three different methods used to keep carpets. These are:

• Vacuum Cleaning

  The most basic form of cleaning carpets is using a commercial-grade (i.e. durable and powerful suction vac) vacuum cleaner to vacuum carpets and get rid of any loose debris, dust, and dirt. Vacuuming carpets is ideal for daily, surface level type cleaning to keep carpets looking clean.

• Low-Moisture Carpet Cleaning

  The second way to clean a carpet is using low-moisture so that the carpet can dry fast. This method is useful for getting rid of organic debris, liquid spills, and any stains you see that make the carpet look dirty. This type of cleaning gives you a more thorough clean than if you were just using a vacuum cleaner and is ideal when you need the carpet to dry quickly.

• Hot Water Extraction Cleaning

  The third way to clean carpets is using the extraction method for a deeper clean. This method uses a lot of water to thoroughly clean carpets which means the carpets will need more drying time. This type of “deep” carpet cleaning is typically done annually, or every two years depending on the type of facility and the amount of dirt that the carpet has accumulated.

Let’s look at each method and the tools you need.

Tools to Consider for Vacuuming Carpets

When vacuuming carpets, you will need a good, reliable commercial vacuum cleaner as well as the right type of vacuum carpet tool to get the best cleaning results.

For example, if you are looking for a deeper carpet clean using a vacuum cleaner, you may want to consider a carpet tool with a brush on it. The brush agitates and dislodges the dirt from the carpet fibers that then gets sucked by the vacuum cleaner.

If you have high-pile carpets, you may even want to consider a power brush (power head) that connects to your vacuum.

If you have low-pile carpets (the commercial type), that you want to pick up loose debris and dirt then you may want to consider a carpet tool without a brush.

Tools To consider for Low-Moisture Carpet Cleaning

Low-moisture carpet cleaning is ideally used when you need carpets to dry faster after cleaning and don’t have the luxury of shutting off sections of your facility to allow for drying time.

Whereas this method of carpet cleaning provides a deeper clean than if you were just using a vacuum cleaner, it is not as deep as an extraction method of cleaning.

Low-moisture cleaning is done by using a low-speed swing machine, a bonnet driver, and a bonnet.

Typically, the bonnet is saturated with a diluted cleaning chemical, which is then used on the surface of the carpet to clean it. Because it’s the bonnet that wet with the cleaning agent and not the carpet itself, this is what allows the carpet to dry quickly (in 1 to 2 hours).

There are two types of materials used in bonnets for you to choose from. These are:

• Cotton Bonnets:

  Typically, if you have stains or spots that need to be cleaned, cotton bonnets are a better choice for you since they are more absorbent and will absorb the spots and stains off the carpet better than synthetic bonnets.

• Synthetic Bonnets:

  While synthetic bonnets aren’t as absorbent, they do last longer. This is ideal if you have bigger surface areas that need a good cleaning.

When choosing carpet cleaning bonnets, it’s important to consider the quality of bonnets that you are using because cheaper bonnets unfortunately disintegrate more easily while being used and may need to be replaced more often.

When choosing a swing machine for low-moisture carpet cleaning, there are two things to consider:

1. The Speed of The Machine – You’ll want to make sure that the machine can operate at a low speed (150 RPM to approximately 200 RPM).
2. The Type of Motor – You’ll want to make sure the machine has a DC motor because a swing machine with a DC motor operates at a lower amperage and is less likely to trip the circuit breakers. The reason is because bonnet cleaning creates friction between the bonnet and the carpet, and this results in the machine having to work “harder”. When the machine works harder it draws more current (amperage).

EXTRA TIP: Some machines have high-torque DC motors that are suited even better for low-moisture carpet cleaning, because these machines handle even more friction at lower amperage.

Tools to Consider for “Deep” Carpet Cleaning

A deep clean is intended to remove stubborn dirt from a carpet that is soiled, or that has only been surface-cleaned for a year or so.

To do a proper deep clean, there are two steps involved:

• STEP 1: AGITATION
  The first step is to agitate the dirt using a shampoo brush (attached to a floor machine) with a solvent or detergent. The brush works to rub the solvent into the carpet and agitate and loosen the dirt from the carpet fibers.
• STEP 2: EXTRACTION
  In this step you would use an extractor that delivers water at a high temperature and pressure into the carpet, and then sucks it back using a vacuum system. This cycles out all the dirt from the fibers and pulls them into a waste tank on the extractor.

While the extraction method is very effective in giving a carpet a deep clean, the carpet can remain moist for up to 72 hours. This is why deep cleaning isn’t done as often as the other methods of only done when you’re able to close off your space to foot traffic for a period of time to allow the carpet to fully dry.

Pro-Tip for Carpet Cleaning:

If you are shampooing a carpet or rug that has delicate fibers, (i.e. carpets and rugs made from silk or wool) you’ll want to make sure to use a different kind of shampoo brush.

A good shampoo brush for more delicate fibers is the Free Spin Carpet Brush. There are 2 key features that make it an ideal brush for more delicate cleans:

1. Height-Adjustable Stainless-Steel Plate – Adjusting the height of the steel plate allows you to change the gentleness / aggressiveness of the scrubbing action by the brush on the carpet/rug.
2. Thinner Filaments – The brush bristles are made of filaments are finer than a typical shampoo brush and this also give you a more gentle clean.