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How To Use Commercial Carpet Cleaners
Once in a while, your carpets are going to need more TLC than your vacuum cleaner can provide.
A commercial carpet cleaner is a great way to deliver that TLC. Now - you can either hire a company to provide this service or rent yourself a heavy duty commercial carpet cleaner and get it done.
In order to get the most out of your rental of a commercial carpet cleaner follow these simple steps:
- Carefully read the rental agreement and inspect the machine. If there are any noticeable scratches, dents or missing attachments be sure to note them both on the contract as well as discuss this with the store employee. Have the employee initial or sign the form as required so that you will not be liable for any damage that was already present on the machine.
- Purchase the carpet cleaner recommended by the staff or the manufacturer. This information is usually provided in a short manual that comes with the rental. If you decide to use your own cleaning detergent or shampoo be sure to follow the exact measurements and avoid using too much cleaner. Using excessive amounts of shampoo will result in a hard, sticky feel to the carpet as there will be residue left behind.
- Remove all furniture from the area that you're going to clean. If the furniture is too heavy or large to move to another room cover the legs with plastic bags to prevent any water damage or bleeding of the stain onto the wet carpet.
- Test a small patch of carpet in a closet to ensure that there is no color change with the cleaning product.
- Thoroughly vacuum the carpet using your regular vacuum.
- For heavy stains or an excessively dirty carpet be sure to pre-treat the stains. This can easily be done by adding 1/4 cup of the carpet shampoo to two cups of warm water. Place this in a spray bottle and dampen, not soak the stain. Allow to stand for five to ten minutes and then clean as usual.
- Clean in a pattern of straight lines either up and down or across the room. It would be better to avoid cleaning in random motions - this way, there is less chances of missing a patch - otherwise it will be very obvious when the carpet is dry.
- Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for rinsing the carpet.
- Allow to dry completely and vacuum in the opposite way to the pattern used with the commercial carpet cleaner.
- You might want to treat the carpet with a stain resistant spray for easy clean up.
Just in case you use a commercially available pre-soak or stain removal product for the heavy stains, make sure that it is compatible with the shampoo that you're using in the carpet cleaner. It is possible that the chemicals in the pre-wash stain remover will react with the chemicals in the shampoo bleaching the carpet.
With that said, if you have used a stain remover previously on the area be sure to completely rinse and blot dry before starting the shampooing. Rinse with clean and clear warm water and blot dry with a white towel, colorfast towel or paper towel, depending on the size of the stain.
Finally, be sure to avoid holding the machine over the stain for prolonged periods of time as this can damage the pile or weave of the carpet and can leave a noticeable and permanent change in the texture of the carpet. Try moving the commercial carpet cleaner over the stained area in long strokes, alternating directions if necessary.
