When it comes to carpet cleaning, steam cleaning has been held as the “Gold Standard” for a very long time.
But there are some common problems that are associated with Steam cleaning in the traditional way that have turned people off of getting their carpets cleaned that way.
Problem #1: Soaked Carpets
What you first need to know about Steam Cleaning is that it really is NOT steam cleaning.
Rather, it is hot water cleaning, which involves a high-pressure carpet wand spraying down as much as 500 psi of water into your carpets.
The steam you see comes from the very hot water that is sprayed down hitting a cooler temperature surface and turning into moisture.
Because of this method, so much water gets into the padding and the carpet that it takes days to dry completely.
I personally can’t stand the feeling of walking around in soaked feet or socks.
And also, if you have any kind of soil on your feet or shoes, the wet carpets will pull it off immediately and now you have dirty carpets again.
Another problem that often surfaces with steam cleaning is Wicking. See this problem addressed below.
As I have studied carpet cleaning, I’ve also seen how steam cleaners may not be spending the time necessary to pull the water out of the carpet.
When you are steam cleaning, you actually need to make 1-2 extra “Dry” pulls to get all the extra moisture out. Most only use one and leave all the water soaking in the pad.
It’s easy when a cleaner is rushed or too tired to just do the basics to leave you without the job properly being finished.
Ideally, when carpets are cleaned, the least amount of moisture possible should be used. Our company uses the VLM (Very Low Moisture) method to extract dirt and this also leaves carpets with a much quicker dry time of just 90 minutes.
Problem #2: Wicking
Wicking is a term used in carpet cleaning to describe the process of a stain reappearing after it has been cleaned. This can happen when a stain has penetrated deep into the carpet fibers and has not been fully removed during the cleaning process.
Over time, the moisture that remains in the carpet fibers can evaporate, causing the stain to resurface or “wick” up to the surface of the carpet. This can happen when a carpet is not thoroughly cleaned, or if the cleaning solution used does not completely remove the stain.
To prevent wicking, it is important to use a thorough carpet cleaning method that is able to remove stains without soaking the carpet padding.
It is also important to quickly dry the carpets after cleaning to prevent moisture from remaining in the fibers.
Wicking rarely happens with the VLM method because we never soak the carpets down to the padding.
Problem #3: Noise, Hoses, and Open Doors
These issues with steam cleaning also pop up and can cause frustration.
First, the loud truck-mounted wet vacuums that are used along with the long hoses banging against your walls and trim and the open doors letting in cold air just add to the hassle of carpet cleaning.
VLM methods avoid all this allowing you to comfortably get your carpet cleaned without wide-open doors freezing your house and stressing you out over keeping your house taken care of properly.
Everything is brought inside and cleaned with doors closed!
We really love VLM because it’s easy and fun!
What cleans better – VLM or Steam?
We think VLM actually cleans better because it keeps on cleaning after we have left.
New proprietary cleaning solutions are now used called Encaps that will allow follow up vacuuming to continue to pull soil up.
We can’t wait to show you!