Know the Different Carpet Cleaning Machines and Their Uses

Rugs and carpets have been around for centuries. Persian rugs from the 15th and 16th centuries proved to be one of the main exports of the Ottoman Empire. However popular rugs and carpets were, cleaning them proved to be a pain. Carpets, like most cloth of its density and composition are natural dust magnets. Leaving a carpet unattended for a few weeks without maintenance resulted in an evil-looking and even more evil-smelling rag contraption.

Leave a carpet without cleaning for a month or so and see your vivid reds, bright yellows, and striking greens turn to baked brick, rusty yellow, and moldy green. Therefore to keep your carpet an attraction and not a distraction, you will want to keep them clean.

It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the first carpet cleaning machines came around. These greatly revolutionized how carpets are cleaned (not to mention the frequency they were cleaned!). We have definitely come a very long way from the days when cleaning a carpet involved getting on one’s knees and vigorously scrubbing whole floors of carpet from end to end.

The early carpet cleaning machines worked using simple vacuuming actions. The machines would suck loose particles of dust and dirt. This worked well for a while – right up until people demanded a means to clean stains such as juices, wine, and other tough stains.

Today, there are many carpet cleaning machines to choose from – each with particular strengths and weaknesses.

Upright Cleaning Machines - These machines have been around since our grandmothers’ times. These are the conventional vacuums that suck up dirt using powerful motors and deposits the particles in a bag or a canister. These machines do well with loose particles but are terrible with deep-seated dirt and stains. Some of these machines have rotary brushes to help further loosen trapped dirt particles, which in turn makes the removal of dust easier.

An alternative to upright machines are hand-held vacuums. These are preferable when tackling floor corners and stairways since these spaces are generally small and require maximum maneuverability.

Carpet Cleaning Extractor. The carpet cleaning extractor is one of the surest ways to beat deep-seated dirt and grime. While upright machines do a swell job at dislodging dirt particles, the base of the carpet and the lower reaches of the fibers are usually left unclean. Carpet cleaning extractors inject a solution deep into the carpet and then vacuum it off.

The secret to cleaning tough stains is in the solution. Some of these solutions are great for every type of stain, especially stubborn oil ones since they contain emulsifiers and solvents that make oil particles easier to remove.

Choose this type of machine to rid the carpet of stains and deep-seated particles. However, do take care and follow manufacturers’ instructions regarding the use of such. The chemicals used in the process could cause irritation to some and may – depending on its composition – cause harm to your carpet if overused.

Carpet Steam Cleaners – There are those, on the other hand, that swear by the use of these handy cleaning machines. It uses an ingenuous method of using steam to dislodge dirt particles and help them rise to the surface of the carpet where it is promptly dealt with and vacuumed off.

The machine you purchase will depend on the cleaning method you favor. You will also have to consider the composition of what usually makes your carpets dirty and choose a method that deals with that stain appropriately.