When a carpet is soiled, you have two ways to clean the carpet. The extraction carpet cleaning, also known as hot water extraction, involves spraying the carpet with hot water while vacuuming up any dislodged dirt at the same time. Very little to no detergent is used. While this method is very effective, it can take a carpet more than 24 hours to dry. As a result, mold or mildew may develop. The encapsulation carpet cleaning method, on the other hand, the carpet is often cleaned and dried within minutes, especially when it’s used with the industry’s best carpet cleaner machines.
How Does Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning Work?
Encapsulation carpet cleaning involves spraying an encapsulating chemical onto the carpet. The carpet cleaning products are then agitated with carpet cleaning equipment. The product then encapsulates the dirt and soil particulates and crystalizes. These crystals can be vacuumed away. Oftentimes, this results in a better clean than other methods.
Cleaning a carpet with the encapsulation method also tends to be quicker. Some professional cleaners can clean as much as 2000 square feet of carpet per hour or more using the encapsulation method. When compared to the extraction method, the encapsulation method is clearly much quicker.
Another upside is that most cleaning professionals already have the carpet cleaning equipment they need on hand to use the encapsulation carpet cleaning method. It just involves the use of a floor machine and a vacuum cleaner, along with the correct encapsulation solution.
Using encapsulation carpet cleaning products also means that there will be no “wicking.” Soil and dirt that has been deeply embedded into carpet fibers can sometimes reappear shortly after a carpet has been cleaned. This is called “wicking,” and is an especially big problem with commercial glue down carpets. With the encapsulation carpet cleaning method, wicking is prevented.
The chances of re-soiling also completely disappear with the encapsulation carpet cleaning method. With the extraction method, some of the carpet cleaning products used may be left behind, which attracts new soils onto the carpet. Since encapsulation products dry quickly after being applied and leave no sticky residues behind, the chances of re-soiling are eliminated.
Encapsulation: More Effective, Less Costly
The encapsulation carpet cleaning method has many advantages over the extraction method. The extraction method tends to be quicker, saving businesses time and money. Most cleaning professionals and businesses will already have the carpet cleaning equipment they need on hand to make use of the encapsulation method, meaning they don’t need to worry about purchasing specialized equipment. The encapsulation method also eliminates wicking and the chances of a carpet being re-soiled. By employing the encapsulation and using the right carpet cleaning product, businesses can lower the time and money they spend on keeping their carpets clean.