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Shampoo Cleaning
This is one of the oldest carpet cleaning methods around.
It is still very effective but is not commonly used although it is gaining
popularity once again.
The Equipment
The most common piece of equipment used for this process
is a rotary floor machine. The machine spins at either 175 or 300
revolutions per minute. Attached to the bottom of the machine will
be a soft bristle brush usually made of nylon.
The Process
The carpet cleaner will either spray the carpet with a
solution or use a tank mounted on the machine to automatically apply the
product. The shampoo used is specially designed to lightly foam and trap
soil. The machine agitates the solution picking up and trapping the soil.
The shampoo is left to dry in the carpet where it will form a brittle
crystalline residue and is later vacuumed out along with the absorbed
soil. This process received many negative responses in the past because of
soil attracting residue left in the carpet but today's modern chemicals
leave little if any residue behind to attract soil. This process is rarely
used in residential settings and is mainly a commercial cleaning process.
Drying
It usually takes the carpet between 1 to 2 hours for
carpet to be dry to the touch after this process. The shampoo may take up
to 24 hours to fully crystalize however so it is usually not vacuumed
until the next day.
Variations
This process can also be called "Encapsulation." Instead
of a rotary floor machine the company may use a cylindrical brush machine
or a number of other machines for agitation. |