What is carpet shampoo and does it work?

Carpet shampoos have a foaming agent in them that, when sprayed over the carpet, are intended to foam through the carpet fibers and break down the dirts bond with the fibers.  Anionic detergents in carpet shampoos are used to break the electrostatic bonds that the dirt has created with the carpet fibers.  The foam is then worked into the carpet before being left to dry and vacuumed away, or suctioned away with water.

Cylindrical Foam machine: This device produces dry foam using an air compressor.  This is then worked into the carpet with the cylindrical brush, the foam is left to dry, and then the carpet needs a thorough vacuum.  The issue is that much of the dirt stays stuck in the fibers, and this process does not draw up the debris from deep within the carpet.

The Rotary machine:  The foam is sprayed onto the carpet before the rotary brush agitates the shampoo into a foam, working it into the fibers.  This works the solution into the fibers more successfully, however there is massive potential for carpet damage - carpet fiber manufactures discourage the use of such machines as they believe the brushed will damage the carpet fibers, particularly cut pile carpets - which are the most common carpet type.  There is also a common issue with over wetting of the carpet, leading to problems such as shrinkage and mold.

Portable home use carpet cleaner

Portable carpet cleaners has two functions.  Firstly, by holding a button in, you release the hot water and shampoo solution to wet the carpet whilst it is agitated by the rotary bristles. Then, upon release of the button, the moisture and any loosened dirt are sucked back into the machine.  There is a major issue with over wetting the carpets if the machine is not strong enough.  There is also a high tendency to over mixing the shampoo meaning a lot of residual shampoo is left in the carpet.

The major issue with all carpet shampoos is the residual solution left on the fibers, this tends to be a sticky residue that will cause faster resoiling.  To counter this issue some carpet shampoo makers include resin in the shampoo as an "anti-resoiling" agent.

Another commonly used additive in carpet cleaning shampoo is "optical brightener", this attaches to the carpet fibers and works by converting invisible ultraviolet light into visible light so that the carpet appears brighter....because carpet shampoo is not very effective at actually removing dirt this is a cunning way to make the carpet appear cleaner for time.  This chemical, however, eventually yellows the carpet which is a permanent stain.

What do the professionals say?

Professional carpet cleaners tend to stay away from carpet shampoos, and the types of machinery described above.  Most professional carpet cleaners now opt for the Hot Water Extraction system.  Most choose to use little or no chemicals as the pressure and heat of the hot water extraction system works so effectively at removing the dirt lodges within the fibers - even down in the depths of the carpet fibers.  The powerful system quickly extracts the dirt and moisture so that the carpets dry more quickly.

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

#1 - In the advent of Christmas we are giving 24 reasons to have your carpet cleaned

It's just 24 days until Christmas!

 

www.narehotel.co.uk

 

With family coming round it's time to get the house looking it's best.  In order to prepare your home for their arrival, at the top of your "to do" list should be getting your carpets cleaned.  We're going to give you 24 festive reasons to have tour carpet cleaned.....

Reason #1

Remove general stains and marks

Would you serve your beautiful Christmas dinner on a stained table cloth?

No...you want your masterful culinary skills and beautiful presentation to be the only thing people will notice.

Carpets and walls make up a majority of the visual space in a room, if they are looking worn and marked the whole room will feel a little weathered.  Getting your carpets cleaned will ensure that you have a clean canvas before you start decorating for Christmas.


We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in  Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic and commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Cleaning carpet after radiator leak

Winter is here, radiators are on, and.....oh....the radiators are leaking!

We had two radiator leaks to clean up last week.  Both had leaked near the flow valve, this is often an indication of a worn seal.  Old seals will eventually wear, especially after a long summer without the radiators being used the seals can dry out and crack.

It is important to work quickly when you notice a leak form the radiator. The water is often quite old and will stain the carpet, the less time you give it to penetrate the carpet fibers the more successful the stain removal will be.  Use of a  good carpet spot cleaning solution can help with remove the stain. See www.artofcleanonline.co.uk for our professional Carpet Clean and Spot remover.

Another issue is the quantity of water, a few drips are quite easily removed by dabbing the area with a clean cloth.  However if the leak went unnoticed for some time you may have a substantial patch of water that will have soaked down to the under layer.  Carpets left wet for too long are at risk of:

• Rot 
• Developing an unpleasant smell 
• Shrinking - if you have a wool carpet

To avoid these issues you till want to dry the carpet out as quickly as possible.  You could hire a carpet cleaner, such as a rug doctor - however these are not very powerful and may draw up mainly the top level moisture, leaving the the under layer still very wet.  It is this wet under layer where the issues will arrive.  A professional carpet cleaner with a truck-mounted system will have far superior suction power and will be able to draw much of the moisture all the way up form the lower levels of the carpet.  Then, using the industrial carpet dryer much of the residual moisture will be drawn up.  The area may still be a little damp to touch at the end of the process however this is very minor and will soon evaporate.

If you would like assistance with your carpet clean contact Art of Clean, a highly trained IICRC member. Call our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients through out Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

Help!!! My carpets shrunk!!

 Help!!! My carpets shrunk!!

Are you thinking about trying to save money by hiring a “do it yourself” carpet cleaner? Let us explain why this is not a good idea.

Firstly - Do It Yourself carpet cleaners only clean the top fibres of your carpet, leaving behind the grit and dirt sitting in the bottom.  This is why after cleaning it looks ok but within in a couple of weeks  it’s starting to look awful again, as the dirt left in the base of the carpets starts to travel back to the top of the carpet.

Secondly - Do It Yourself carpet cleaners will not rinse your carpet thoroughly leaving behind a sticky residue from the detergent.  This will attract dust and dirt to stick to the carpet so within a few weeks the carpet will start to appear dirty again.

Finally - Do It Yourself carpet cleaners over wet the carpet making some types of carpet prone to shrinkage – (see picture of a carpet one of our customers cleaned himself) – Wool carpets are prone to shrinking.  He asked if anything could be done to re stretch the carpet, unfortunately there was nothing we could do, just to offer a quote for replacement!

Art of Clean employees are all IICRC qualified and we ALWAYS inspect all carpets before we clean ensuring we use the correct method of cleaning for each carpet. If you want you carpets to last longer and look good for many years to come then make a small investment in professional cleaning once in a while.

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet, Rug, Hardwood floor, Stone floor, Upholstery and Leather cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

 For more information about our services contact the team on 01223 863632 or at www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Aunty Gladys's cleaning tip of the day

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet, Rug, Hardwood floor, Stone floor, Upholstery and Leather cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

 For more information about our services contact the team on 01223 863632 or at www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Vacuum not cleaning so good? Perhaps the brushes are clogged....

If you have noticed your vacuum cleaner has recently started struggling to pick up dirt so well take a look underneath.

The little brushes that spin round underneath play a very important part in removing dirt, especially on carpets.  If these brushes are not moving there may be an easy solution.....

If you have long hair or a carpet that releases its fibers you may find hair wound round the brushes and this could well be your problem.  Removing this should release the brushes so that they can spin freely and collect dirt once again.

Video - Carpet Cleaning Cambridge

In this short video Pierre demonstrates just how successful the carpet cleaning machine is at removing this build-up of dirt in the doorway.

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet, Rug, Hardwood floor, Stone floor, Upholstery and Leather cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

 For more information about our services contact the team on 01223 863632 or at www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Step by step removing wax from carpet

We recently had a client with a candle wax predicament.  The candle had topples off of the fireplace surround and left a splatter of molten wax that solidified into the carpet fibers.  We strongly recommend seeking advice from a professional carpet cleaner to help remove wax properly.