Our first machine.
Portable carpet cleaner- 1989
(We all start somewhere)
Truck mount machine
Carpet Cleaning 101
Welcome to Carpet Cleaning 101 by Atlantis. It's a sad fact that many companies will try to "sell" you as to why their method is better. They will use disinformation such as steam cleaning uses "detergents", or carpet backing can "melt" and "the pad gets soaked". Whether the intent is malicious or misinformed it is simply untrue. We believe in just giving you the facts to let you make up your mind. Don't just take our word for it. Research it for yourself!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 2 adults, non-smokers without children or pets should have their carpet cleaned once every six to twelve months. For the rest of us, the E.P.A. recommends a cleaning every three to six months.
The carpet manufacturers (e,g, Shaw Industries) requires new carpet to be cleaned once every eighteen months to maintain the warranty but recommend a cleaning every six to twelve months. The recommended cleaning method (as well as the only one that will not void the warranty) is "Hot Water Extraction" ak.a. "Truck Mount Steam Cleaning". There are four other accepted cleaning methods. We'll see how they add up!
Bonnet Cleaning- uses buffer
(Where does the dirt go?)
Equipt w/ 200 ft hose
There are four factors that make or break a cleaning. Emulsification, agitation, extraction and heat. In order to achieve any of these properly a truck mount unit is required. Any other cleaning unit relies on power from the home and hot water from the sink.
Our truck mount units draw 550 CFM's of vacuum and produce constant water temperature of up to 300 degrees. Proper heat is adjusted to the specific fiber type however 99% of carpets will be cleaned between 220 and 270 degrees. 550 CFM's is the equivalent to approx.15 times the strength of any unit that plugs into the wall. Where most portable carpet cleaning machines peak at 100 PSI (pounds per sq. inch) proper cleaning is performed between 300 and 500 PSI although our machines are adjustable up to1500 PSI (used for tile and hard surface cleaning). PSI= water pressure "agitating" the fiber.
With this in mind you can see how easily an inexperienced tech can wreak havoc in your home! Unfortunately many companies hire any one off of the street so they choose other cleaning methods to minimize liability. Or one man operations simply want to minimize cost so they choose other methods. We don't believe in "good enough". The jobs either done right or wrong.
Other methods rely on toxic solvents to clean carpets. This is where the idea that carpets get dirtier quicker after cleaning them comes from. Any chemical left in the carpet is going to do what it is supposed to do... ATTRACT DIRT!
Although truck mount steam cleaning uses non-residue forming citrus pre-treatments, the key is proper rinsing of all cleaning agents. Other systems simply do not have the capability to rinse the carpets (or extract for that matter), hence the warranty is void on new carpet.
Extracts Dirt
Proper Heat
Deep Cleans
Agitates Fibers
Rinses Chemicals
YES
Truck Mount
YES
YES
YES
YES
Shampooing- Same machine
Different chemical.
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
Portable
Bonnet Clean
YES
YES
NO
NO
YES
some
NO
120 gallon tank holds dirty water. Fills about 3/4th with black water on the average home.
NO
Shampoo
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Dry Foam
Dry Foam- Same Machine.
No extraction. $200 at your local pawn shop. (Wonder if that has anything to do with it?)
Now that's a clean you
can see!
But more importantly it's
a clean you don't see! All
of the dirt built up inside
the fibers and in the backing
of the carpet is eliminated!
Shampoo and dry foam rely on the homeowner to vacuum the next day to remove the "dirt" and residue.
Bonnet cleaning relies on the "buffer pad" to hold the dirt. The problem is, unless you use 20-25 pads per room, it's impossible to get out all of the dirt.
Most bonnet cleaners will use one or two per home (if you're lucky enough to get a clean pad).
We've got tons of buffers and portables in the back! We don't offer other methods as a matter of pride in workmanship. If those little units could do a better job, we'd use them, cut cost and run 100 crews!
