No. In fact different Seattle carpet cleaning companies use VERY different systems, and many of them can cause soil to reappear soon after they have been cleaned, and can permanently damage your carpet and upholstery!
Here are the most common methods:
The first one uses a water-based dry foam, which is applied to the carpet, allowed to dry, and then simply vacuumed. Can you imagine applying shampoo to your hair, allowing it to dry and then removing the shampoo from your head with a vacuum? This method can leave a tremendous amount of soapy residue in your carpet, and it doesn’t provide adequate agitation to clean and lift the carpet fibers, making it an un-effective way to clean.
The second method uses carbonated water to try to float dirt to the surface. Carpets need to be deep cleaned with an effective cleaner and a thorough system, and effervescent bubbles simply do not provide a thorough cleaning.
Third, the dry-compound method spreads an absorbent mixture that looks like wet sawdust all over your carpeting. Then a machine brushes the mixture into the carpet, which in theory causes dirt to absorb into the mixture. When the mixture has dried, a vacuum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpeting. In a cut pile or berber carpet, it is impossible to vacuum it all out, leaving both the cleaning compound and soil in the carpets.
The fourth method is called Seattle steam cleaning. This is a quick, one-step process where boiling temperature water, loaded with soap, is injected into the carpet at 400 pounds of pressure per square inch. This carries soapy water through the carpet, and often through the carpet pad and into the sub-floor. It can take literally days for the soaked carpet to dry out, which can cause mold problems. Also, the extremely hot temperature of the water can soften the glue in the carpet backing, causing the fibers to permanently distort, and the combination of moisture and temperature can shrink the carpet away from the walls, or stretch it, leaving ripples and causing permanent damage. Pre-vacuuming is usually left out, it doesn’t afford adequate agitation, and the soap residue left in the fibers attracts the spots and traffic lanes right back to where they were before! Within a few weeks, it can look like your carpet was never cleaned, and over time it can ruin your carpet.
In summary, the reason why none of these methods are effective, is because they are lacking 4 important elements of a proper cleaning: (1) they leave a residue to attract soil, (2) they don’t pre-vacuum, (3) they use too little or too much moisture, and (4) they don’t agitate the carpet fibers enough to clean and restore them to a healthy pile.
The last method is a Five-step low-moisture process.
First, the carpet is pre-vacuumed with a 3hp commercial extractor and pile lifter. Scientific studies show that 70-75% of all the soil, allergens and foreign objects in carpeting can be removed with a professional vacuum, making this a critical step for a thorough cleaning.
Next, an environmentally friendly cleaner that contains no soaps, bleaches or caustics—thus leaving no harmful residue to attract more soil—is gently applied to the carpet fibers, allowing it to penetrate to the base of the carpet pile. The cleaner is 100% safe for you, for your carpets and for the environment, and because it doesn’t leave any residue, the cleaning will last 3 to 4 times as long!
Third, a rotary floor machine with a nylon brush (or a softer brush for wool and other delicate carpet fibers) is used to clean all four sides of the carpet fibers. This breaks up stubborn spots, liquefies any remaining soil or bacteria, and lifts the carpet knap back up to its original condition.
Once the soil has been liquefied, special cotton bonnets are used on the floor machine to absorb and thoroughly remove the liquefied soil, leaving the carpets fibers clean, healthy and beautiful.
The last step is to groom the carpet by hand with a pile lifting brush, leaving all the fibers lifted up in one direction. This helps the carpet to dry in just a few hours and leaves the carpet like new again.
Without question, the most effective way to clean carpeting is with a five-step, low-moisture, no residue system. It’s the most effective cleaning method on the market and the only method that thoroughly removes dirt, harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens and other residues, while restoring the carpet fibers to their original condition.
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