I have been in this business for 31 years as of today. Yes that’s right, I started this business exactly 31 years ago today. In that time I have seen would be competitors come and go. I have seen Carpet Cleaning systems come and go, and come back again as if they are brand new. I have seen wild ridiculous claims about drying times, and I have heard  (and seen the evidence of), ridiculously long drying times (several days and even a couple of weeks). So what is the truth?

Well, I have to hold my hands up right now and say that, in the early days, I too was probably guilty of causing peoples carpets to be wet longer than truly necessary. This was due in part to my faulty initial training by a previous employer, and a lack at that time, of  very good training being available in the industry. The NCCA or National Carpet Cleaners Association, and the IICRC the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (that’s a mouthful isn’t it. Actually soon to be changed to The Clean Trust) have changed all of that. The training by these bodies have ensured that there is no need for bad cleaning practice. This in turn has helped to produce better drying times through applied knowledge. That said, the majority of carpet cleaners advertising in Yellow Pages and local Newspapers, have still had little or no training whatsoever. I gained a new client recently because the person who had bought a local Chem Dry franchise had left her carpet soaking wet for two weeks!

A properly trained carpet cleaner can get carpets dry within a few hours. But the issue is far more complex than that. The issue involves carpet fibre and the construction method of the carpet. The cleaning system used to carry out the cleaning. Why does this make a difference? Let me explain.

Natural fibres like wool and cotton absorb some of the moisture used in the cleaning. When this happens, the cleaning equipment has longer to recover the moisture from the fibre and this in turn reduces the drying time.

Synthetic fibres on the other hand, generally do not absorb any moisture. Particularly Polypropylene. It has a moisture retention rate of 0.01%. So when moisture used in cleaning these fibres comes into contact, it runs straight the bottom of the carpet pile. The equipment logically has a much shorter amount of time to recover the moisture and so can protract the drying times. Now there are techniques and adaptations a skilled carpet cleaner can use to reduce and minimise the extension of drying times, but this can be hampered slightly by the carpets construction.

What has the carpets construction got to do with it? Well, the contact area for the equipment being use can be greater or smaller depending on the construction. Tufted construction has better contact area than a loop construction carpet like for example,  Berber style. Generally speaking, the better the contact area for the equipment, the quicker the drying time. The equipment is better able to extract back from the carpet, the moisture used in cleaning if there is better contact. This is true regardless of the system used.

Some carpet cleaning systems guarantee a drying time of 30 minutes. This can be achieved by low moisture cleaning systems that employ some variation of Bonnet Mopping. This involves a mist of cleaning product spray applied to the carpet, coupled with a cotton bonnet which may have been dipped and rung out in another solution set on a rotary floor machine that may have a heated blower attached. This is a heat transfer cleaning system and, despite manufacturers claims, cannot deep clean a carpet. This system is fine for quick freshen ups and for carpets that are problem fibres. It is possible for the system to have your carpets dry in around 30 minutes to 1 hour, although I have known of occasions when it has taken longer.

Hot Water Extraction via a Truck mounted machine, which in my opinion (and that of the NCCA, IICRC and major carpet manufacturers), is the best system for cleaning carpets thoroughly and properly, can take a little longer. When carried out properly drying times can be as quick as 1 hour, but can take as long as 5 or 6 hours. Again the fibre and construction will make a difference. If you decide to have Stain Protection applied, this can take even longer as this is applied in a water based carrier and sprayed onto the carpet.

The humidity of the day can make a difference too. On a hot and dry summers day I have had carpets dry in under half an hour. On a damp and cold day, I have had carpets take 4 or more hours to dry.

Factors to speed up drying. Air movement i.e. windows and doors open allows the damp air to escape. During colder spells, put the heating up by a couple of degrees and crack open the top windows. Brushing of the carpet pile following cleaning helps to lift and separate the fibres (this should be done by your carpet cleaner following cleaning). The use of Air Movers if necessary. Good carpet cleaning procedures. High machine operating temperature means cleaning solutions evaporate more rapidly. Extremely powerful vacuum recovery system means more moisture is pulled back out of the carpet. Machine left outside so humid vacuum air is not re-circulated in the property. (These last three points are only really available via a Truck mounted Carpet Cleaning System).

Even with all of the skills and tools of a fully trained reputable carpet cleaner. A carpet will not fully return to it’s original level of humidity until possibly a full 24 hours has elapsed. The carpet will feel dry long before then, but technically speaking, it won’t be fully dry.

So how long does it take for a carpet to dry? Well, as we’ve seen, there are a varying determining factors including, fibre, construction and method. In general though you should expect anything from 1 hour to a few hours, and definitely not longer than 24 hours. If a carpet is wet for longer than 24 hours then there are a myriad of problems that can arise.

How can you avoid extended drying times? Use a reputable and well trained carpet cleaner. Where possible use one that only your best friend recommends. Check the NCCA and IICRC websites for your local certified company.

’til next time.
Keith

What on earth has that to do with carpet cleaning you may ask? Well, directly…nothing. Indirectly, quite a lot.

Unfortunately, as carpet cleaning is an unregulated industry, it is hard to tell the bona-fide professional from the rogue trader. Many tricksters are out there, only too keen to extract your money without extracting the dirt from your carpet. These will resort to mis-selling by Bait & Switch. This is a process whereby they call you up and offer you a ridiculously low price over the phone (the Bait), and then when they arrive they tell you that the price didn’t include stain removal, moving furniture, rinse aid and conditioner etc..etc…(the Switch). Unfortunately, by the time the carpet has eventually dried out a few days later. You realize that the carpet doesn’t look any better, in fact it looks worse, and you can’t get hold of them to come back and sort it out. (Let’s face it. Would you want them to come back?)

The more subtle form of Smoke and Mirrors is unsubstantiated claims. That is, a claim that you can’t disprove because you don’t know. Claims like “Revolutionary New Carpet Cleaning System”, “90% Success Rate with Stain Removal”. How can you disprove whether or not they have a 90% success rate with stain removal? You can’t. Do you know if their particular cleaning system is a new revolution? Probably not.

So why do they say it? They are preying upon a previously dis-satisfied consumer. Someone who has had a bad experience with another company and is hoping that this time, it’s better. Which is totally understandable. If you’ve had a bad experience, you don’t want
to repeat it.

The fact of the matter is; there is no revolutionary new system. What there is, and always will be, are manufacturers coming up with better and more effective chemicals along with improvements in the operation of some equipment. Essentially though, there has always been and continues to be, only four different methods of cleaning carpets. The methods are fundamentally unchanged although the equipment and chemicals have improved. These methods are 1, Dry Fibre Compound, 2, Crystallizing Foam Shampoo, 3, Rotary Machine and Pad (aka Bonnet Buffing), and 4, Hot Water Extraction (often called Steam Cleaning). The first three offer very quick drying times, and despite manufacturers claims, they cannot deep clean a carpet. Hot Water Extraction is the most effective method of deep cleaning a carpet. Particularly if the machine is a Van Mounted Unit (often called a Truckmount).

As for Stain Removal, well….I’ve been cleaning carpets for over thirty years now, and I would never say I can get 90% of stains out because it might not be true. I might get 100% of the stains in one home out, and maybe as little as 50% in the next one. There are too many variables involved with stain removal to make such outrageous claims.

A carpet cleaner who is industry trained and keeps himself up to date with the latest chemicals and products, will always be well placed to serve you well and have a wealth of satisfied customers.

So don’t be distracted by unsubstantiated claims (smoke & mirrors). Do your homework about the company you’re thinking of using. Get a recommendation from a friend. Check to see if the company is certified by the N.C.C.A. and the I.I.C.R.C. Ask to see testimonials. Ask to see their Treatment Risk Insurance. Do they offer a money back guarantee? If they’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, they will.
’til next time.

In part it was, (and can still be) rooted in truth. It came about mainly because of bad cleaning chemistry and methods (which is why I say it can still be true), although it needn’t be.

When carpet cleaning was in it’s infancy, little was understood about the detergents used and the fibres reaction to them. Also very little was understood about the drying process or of possible problems due to over-wetting. So it was quite quickly that problems started occuring such as; carpet taking days to dry out; when they eventually dried out there was pooling of stains; rapid re-soiling; fibre degradation; delamination; shrinkage. In these cases, it could certainly be argued that carpet cleaning was bad for carpets. What followed was a lot of head scratching to try and understand what was going on.

This prompted the development of alternative cleaning techniques, methods and systems. The most significant advances were made in understanding the characteristics of the various fibres and constructions of carpet types. This has led to better and better chemicals, equipment, machinery, processes and perhaps most importantly, knowledge.
With the right knowledge, chemistry and equipment, all of the problems associated with carpet cleaning of old, can be avoided. A trained and qualified carpet cleaning technician will select the right process, the right chemicals and the right system for your carpet’s needs. When carpet cleaning is carried out properly, there is no need for your carpet to take days to dry out. Hours are all that are required. Your carpet will not re-soil quickly because there will be no detergents left in your carpets. Your fibres will not break down or oxidise due to poor chemistry. Shrinkage and delamination will not occur either.

If you choose your carpet cleaning company based purely on the price they charge, you cannot be sure that they are going to give you the best possible service and treatment. The most common first question I get on the telephone is “How much do you charge?” What we should be asking is “How do you go about cleaning? What system do you use? What products do you use? What insurances do you have? Do you offer a Money Back Guarantee? Do you have Training Certificates you can show me? Can you come and give me a quotation?” Pre-occupation with price will sadly lead to cleaning that is bad for your carpets. Cheaper companies will use cheaper, poor quality chemicals and equipment and you could still expose yourselves the dangers that the “old wives tale” was trying to warn you about. When carried out incorrectly, carpet cleaning can still be bad for your carpets. BBC’s Watchdog highlighted this recently with more and more rogue companies using Bait & Switch tactics, but also phoning pretending to be the company that you had clean for you last time.

A properly trained and conscientious carpet cleaner will only use the best equipment, chemicals and processes to give you the client the best possible results for the long term life of your carpet. When carried out properly, Carpet Cleaning is Good for Carpets, as it can double the life of your carpet.

In summary then, perhaps I can put it this way. Bad Carpet Cleaning was, and still is Bad for your Carpets. Good Carpet Cleaning is Good for your Carpets. What you receive will be down to who you choose to use.

Till next time.