As you tour the Service Keeper’s website, you will see that one of the services we offer our clients is low-moisture carpet cleaning using the encapsulation method.
We will discuss what encapsulation is all about later. But for now, you need to know that low-moisture carpet cleaning is especially beneficial here in Florida because so much of our state is so humid.
While we do offer our clients traditional carpet cleaning using the extraction method—and in some cases, recommend it—the critical issue with extraction is that it can take several hours for the carpet to dry, made worse by our damp climate.
This is not the case with low-moisture carpet cleaning. With this system, carpeted areas dry quickly and can be open to foot traffic shortly after cleaning.
Carpet Trends and Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning
Right now, many people are no longer installing wall-to-wall carpet in their homes and some commercial facilities. This is more a décor issue than anything else. For the past several years, hard surface flooring has been “in” and carpet “out.”
But this is not necessarily true in many office settings, schools, and other types of facilities. For these commercial sites, carpet offers several benefits, including:
· Absorbs sound—this is typically at the top of the list of carpet benefits.
· Hides soil. Spills and soils on hard surface floors are often readily evident. Those same spills and soils are not as apparent in carpet.
· Eases breathing. Studies going back 25 years have found that carpet absorbs dust and airborne impurities. If the carpet is well-maintained, which usually entails regular vacuuming, this helps improve indoor air quality.
· Easier to maintain/less costly to own. Some studies report that carpeting is easier to maintain than hard-surface flooring and, in the long run, may even be more cost-effective to own.
But one thing both hard-surface floors and carpet share is that they both must be cleaned. And that’s where low-moisture carpet cleaning comes in.
According to the Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning Association, “low-moisture carpet cleaning refers to methods and procedures that allow carpet fibers to dry to their natural state in two hours or less.”
We should add that the Association states that drying in two hours or less should be viewed as the goal. This can vary due to a variety of issues, including temperature and humidity. But one thing is certain: when carpet is cleaned using low-moisture methods, the carpet will dry considerably faster than if it were cleaned using the extraction method mentioned earlier.
This is especially true with the low-moisture carpet cleaning (LMC) system we use at Service Keepers.
With our system, 99 percent organic powder from natural sources is mixed with water. This powder is applied to the carpet, which penetrates deep into carpet fibers. As it penetrates, it absorbs soil through encapsulation, referenced above. This means that the powder surrounds and compresses soils, making them easier to vacuum up and remove from carpet fibers.
In our experience, not only does carpet dry faster using our LMC system, but it also offers many other benefits such as the following:
1. Helps maintain optimum appearance of carpet on a day-to-day basis.
2. Minimizes building disruption.
3. Is often less costly than other carpet cleaning methods.
4. Often works best when cleaning glued-on carpet tiles.
5. Uses far less water than the extraction method, helping to promote sustainability.
6. Minimizes “wicking.” This is when soil in the carpet filters up to the surface of the carpet.
7. With continued vacuuming, the carpet looks better as more soils are removed.
However, with all of these many benefits, we must add one more thing: low-moisture carpet cleaning does not eliminate carpet extraction. Eventually, about once or twice per year, carpet must be extracted. This deep cleaning removes hard-to-remove soil, helping to extend the carpet’s life and improve its overall appearance.
If you would like to learn more, please get in touch today. We’re Service Keepers and we’re here for you.
