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What is Hot Water Extraction Carpet Cleaning?

What is Hot Water Extraction Carpet Cleaning?

Sure, we vacuum our carpets every time we do our housework, and make sure to attend to any stains that might arise from everyday life, but are we really getting the carpet fibres as clean as we could be? With the home remedies and store-bought cleaners that we have at our disposal, we can get some of the stains out but definitely cannot get the carpet as clean as we could if we had them cleaned with Hot Water Extraction.

Traditional vacuums and carpet cleaners can only do so much. With Hot Water Extraction cleaners, you will have a refreshed and clean looking carpet with way less hassle than with other units. Hot Water Extraction has many advantages to other carpet cleaning methods and gets your carpets and furniture back to a usable state far faster than wet vacuums and other stain cleaners can.

So, What is Hot Water Extraction?

Hot Water Extraction cleaning is, as its name suggests, is a method of deep cleaning carpets and fabrics using hot water to extract stains and discolouration. Hot water extraction cleaning is the process of using hot water, which is injected into the fibres of the carpet under high pressure, to lift the stain away from the individual fibres. The pressure and temperature of the water help to break down the stain faster than other methods can, and allows the stains to be more easily lifted away from the fibres, using far fewer chemicals.

The process, which uses mainly water with a small amount of detergent, is a more eco-friendly cleaning approach, better for homes with pets and children, and is a great alternative for people with allergies and asthma. The use of less detergent also means that less water needs to be used to rinse the residue away.

The technician uses a truck mounted unit that combines a small amount of detergent with hot water that is injected into the stain and then suctioned out of the carpet, back into the unit. This process, which has far greater suction than other methods, allows the finished carpets to be dry enough to walk on in just a day or two since 95% of the moisture is drawn back up into the machine. Less moisture left behind not only means that you can return to using your space faster but also means that less moisture is left behind, which can lead to bad odours and mould.

Why should I use the Hot Water Extraction approach to clean my Carpets?

Some of the biggest differences between steam cleaning, dry cleaning, and Hot Water Extraction, are the efficiency and quality of the finished product. With steam cleaning, water is heated to the boiling point and then used to steam out the stain from the fibres. Sometimes, especially with greasy or oily stains, this approach is not efficient because the stains cannot be lifted with water or steam alone. Since detergents cannot be used in combination with steam cleaning, you can have large amounts of excess water and moisture build-up under the stain, with little to no change in the appearance of the carpet fibres.

Dry cleaning also has its downfalls when compared to Hot Water Extraction. Often used on more delicate and natural fibres, dry cleaning is the process of using powdered detergents to help and massage out any stains trapped in the fibres. This method is often used on rugs and carpets that would otherwise shrink with the use of water, and instead used a machine with gentle brushes to help to remove the stains manually, in combination with the powdered detergent.

Hot Water Extraction, on the other hand, falls right in the middle of these two other methods. It uses far less water than steam cleaning, and uses little to no detergents, unlike the dry cleaning method, depending on what stain is needing to be lifted. Steam cleaning and dry cleaning are also not able to clean as deeply as the Hot Water Extraction method, simply because they focus on different aspects of the carpet.

Steam cleaning, while it does try to inject steam deep into the carpet fibres, lacks the pressure that the Hot Water Extraction process uses, and falls short. Similarly, the dry cleaning approach focuses mainly on the top surface of a carpet and is unable to get deep into the fibres for a full clean.

How is Hot Water Extraction Cleaning done?

First, a technician will thoroughly clean the carpet or rug with a vacuum, making sure that no debris is left behind that can interfere with the Hot Water Extraction process. It is important to make sure that the carpet is as clean as possible before starting because you do not want any dirt or mess to spread or to be forced into the carpet with the pressure of the unit.

Next, the technician will prepare the cleaning solution, which is mostly water and a small amount of detergent to break up any stubborn or greasy stains, and assembles the unit and gets ready to begin cleaning. Unlike with steam cleaning, or wet cleaning, the technician works in a pattern across a room to make sure that the carpet does not become too wet, which often times can happen with other methods. The unit, as it works its way across a room, also works to suction and extract any excess moisture up from the fibres of the carpet, leaving as little as 5% moisture behind!

Once the technician has full cleaned the area, they return the furniture back to its original place, pack up the unit and any other cleaning supplies that they had with them, and the room is yours to use again in as little as a day or two.

Benefits of using Hot Water Extraction over other Methods

Since the Hot Water Extraction approach uses far less water, less detergent, and reabsorbs more water from the carpets, it is eco-friendly, child and pet safe, and will not irritate allergies or asthma, like other cleaning methods can. Also, because it cleans deeper than steam cleaning and dry cleaning, it allows you to have a more thoroughly cleaned carpet that will also help to keep your home smelling and looking great for longer.

With the Hot Water Extraction process, you can get back to your life quicker too, because the carpets will be ready to be walked on and used again in as little as one or two days. Not only can the Hot Water Extraction process work wonders on your carpets and rugs, but it is also effective on couches, sofas, and other upholstered furniture too. It is important to maintain the cleanliness of your carpets at least once a year, and with the Hot Water Extraction process, you can be sure that your carpets will be in the best condition they can be, and looking like the day you installed them.