Carpet Care
The benefits of using a dry-vapor cleaning system to clean and maintain your carpet are many. First, because dry vapor drys in 30 min-1 hr for most carpeting, you don’t have to worry about treading on soggy carpets. More importantly the quick dry time makes it so that mold and dust mite populations don’t get a chance to re-establish in your carpeting. Furthermore, using dry vapor without harsh chemicals is better for your health and using just vapor for your last round of cleaning will eliminate chemical or soap residues that would attract dirt in the future, meaning, your carpet should stay cleaner longer than if you left soap and other sticky chemicals in your carpet fibers. Finally, Steam is gentle and will give your carpets a refreshing new look without wearing it away.
There are several things you should know before embarking on a carpet cleaning project. Most of it is covered in my blog posts titled “ Addressing Some Customer Concerns: Rug Doctor vs Steam It Gone “and” Things that Steam it Gone Cannot Fix “.
Do not be frightened. The Steam it Gone dry vapor cleaner will clean your carpets better than anything else on the market but it is very important that you have realistic expectations. For normal soils and sanitizing, Steam it Gone will do a professional job without having to hire a professional.
Cleaning
You can clean your entire carpet without detergents and get great results. But for better results, esp if it’s been a while since your carpet has been cleaned or if you are dealing with spot treatments, use a non-toxic detergent. I recommend formula 212 which I offer in our online store under “rental supplies”. Also, a solution of 1 part laundry detergent or dish detergent and 9 parts water in a spray bottle is an effective and low toxicity alternative to toxic cleansers. Both of those detergents are designed to cut through grease and dirt.
Spray soil marks with your detergent solution, and as recommended in the video, steam the stain with just a nozzle from a 6″ distance. Then rub the stain with a terry towel that you hold in your other hand. Repeat until satisfied with results or until the spot no longer lightens.
After you treat each spot, attach two extension rods and the large rectangle brush head wrapped in a towel. Pass the brush head back and forth over your carpet in overlapping strokes, as if you are vacuuming. There is no need to push down hard. It will not improve results but it will make you more tired and can potentially damage the attachments. Also, if you feel that there is a heavy drag and it is difficult the maneuver the long extension, try lowering the position of the hand that is holding the trigger and/or putting your other hand under the extension rods for support.
Start on one end of the room and when finished go over the same area with passes that are perpendicular. So in other words, work from the north wall to the south wall and then the east wall to the west wall. This will ensure the most thorough cleaning of all of your carpet fibers. Repeat as many times as needed.
Dent Removal
This was a happy discovery for which the machine was not originally intended. After you have done a thorough job cleaning the carpet with the above method, you can remove the towel and filler pad from the brush head, maybe even change to a triangle brush head for better results. With that exposed brush attached to the extensions, steam the dented area of your carpet slowly. The heat will pull the fibers upward and the brush dragging over the area will comb it back in place.
Cleaning your carpets regularly with dry vapor can free you from mold, dust mites and other allergens that can interfere with respiratory function.
