SPRING CARPET CLEANING
Throughout Fall and Winter, your carpet has probably seen all sorts of messes. Muddy paws, dirty boots and melting snow might have left your carpet looking worn. The surface of the carpet might feel stiff or greasy from residue trapped within the carpet fibers. All this on top of everyday spills and stains!
Moisture trapped in the carpet can also cause problems. As moisture travels downward into the padding, it can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. This can destroy your padding, and create foul odors within your carpet. Dust and dander buildup in the fibers from months of the house being closed up can promote dust mites, allergies and skin irritation. Spring is the best time of the year to clean your carpets to remove all this buildup below the surface of the carpet.
Moisture trapped in the carpet can also cause problems. As moisture travels downward into the padding, it can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. This can destroy your padding, and create foul odors within your carpet. Dust and dander buildup in the fibers from months of the house being closed up can promote dust mites, allergies and skin irritation. Spring is the best time of the year to clean your carpets to remove all this buildup below the surface of the carpet.
|
|
Cleaning carpets, it is important to not just clean the surface, but also to clean the padding. For best results, use a carpet cleaning machine. There are a number of benefits to cleaning your carpet with a machine. Carpet cleaning machines allow you to release enough water to ensure the padding is thoroughly cleaned. It is within the padding where it is crucial to remove moisture that promotes the growth of bacteria an mildew. Many machines also allow you to control water temperature. By using warm water, the carpet fibers are extracted and trapped debris can be loosened. An important advantage to using a machine is the extraction of debris within the carpet fibers. Machines have the suction power to pull out excess water, agitate particles trapped in the fibers and thoroughly rinse your carpet.
|
Genesis 950 works a little different than other cleaners. It is a green, surfactant based cleaner that works with water to make stains water soluble. A water soluble stain loses adherence and can then break away from the surface it had adhered to. Most carpet cleaners are soap based. When cleaning with soap, oils from the soap pull dirt towards it. This process may be helpful when cleaning on a solid surface, but when cleaning a carpet with soap, that soap travels downward in the carpet and pulls the dirt with it. As a result, dirt is not pulled out of the carpet, but rather drawn towards the soap as it moves throughout the carpet. The dirt and debris that move with the soap can become entrapped within the padding or the carpet fibers. This can stiffen the fibers or cause stains to reappear. Genesis 950 breaks stains down rather than further spread the stains. Once Genesis 950 breaks stains down, they can then be flushed out with clean water.
Soap will not kill all the bacteria or germs that might be in the padding. Genesis 950 has properties to kill germs, bacteria and mold that might be present in the padding. This is important as the process of carpet cleaning requires water to be used. If a carpet is cleaned with a soap based cleaner that does not have antibacterial properties to it, the moisture in the carpet can further promote the growth of bacteria and mold. Genesis 950 does not just remove such growth, it prevents that growth from continuing after the carpet has been cleaned.
Soap can also leave a residue behind in the carpet, making carpet fibers feel firm, slimy or lifeless. Because of how soap foams and bubbles, even rinsing with clean water can not completely remove soap residue. As Genesis 950 is not soap based, foaming does not occur. Thoroughly rinsing with Genesis 950 after an initial carpet cleaning will remove everything that has been broken down - even residue previous cleaners left behind.
Soap can also leave a residue behind in the carpet, making carpet fibers feel firm, slimy or lifeless. Because of how soap foams and bubbles, even rinsing with clean water can not completely remove soap residue. As Genesis 950 is not soap based, foaming does not occur. Thoroughly rinsing with Genesis 950 after an initial carpet cleaning will remove everything that has been broken down - even residue previous cleaners left behind.
CARPET CLEANING MACHINES
Genesis 950 can be used in any type of carpet cleaning machines. There are two basic types of machines. The most common machine for household carpet cleaning is the upright, such as the Bissell Pro Heat. This type of machine has 2 compartments in addition to the bladder for return water. One tank holds clean water, the second holds solution. These tanks require no real measuring as the machine does it for you. Simply fill the water tank up with water and the solution tank with Genesis 950. There are settings on these machines such as Low," "Medium" or "Heavy." These settings determine how much solution will be siphoned from the tank. For general carpet cleaning, use the "Low" setting. For heavy staining or pet stains and odors, use the "Heavy" setting.
There is also a "Rinse" setting. This setting will only draw from the water tank.
There is also a "Rinse" setting. This setting will only draw from the water tank.
|
Another popular design for carpet cleaning machines are those that have 1 tank in addition to the return water tank. This design is commonly found in machines available for rental or machines used an industrial setting, such as the Rug Doctor. The machines give the user a little more flexibility in how much solution is used. The clean water and cleaning solution are mixed together in one tank. Because of this, the user pours in the exact amount of solution to be used. For general cleaning, fill the tank at 1 part Genesis 950 to 7 parts water. For moderate cleaning, use 1/3 Genesis 950 and 2/3 water. In extreme cases, you can mix Genesis 950 as high as 50/50 with water.
When rinsing, simply fill the entire tank with clean water. |
|
To clean carpet, regardless of what type of machine you have, slowly go over the carpet with the desired amount of solution and water being distributed. Be sure to go over the carpet slowly and evenly, especially in areas where odors are a concern. This allow the solution to get into the padding. After you have successfully gone over the area, allow it to sit. Doing so will ensure the solution has time to work it's way into the stains. As this happens the stains become water soluble and will break away from the surface they have adhered to. Once enough time has passed for the solution to break down the stains, fill your tank with only clean water. Go over the entire carpet using the rinse cycle to properly pull out everything that has been broken down by the solution. Rinse as thoroughly as possible. The return water may come back black. If this happens, rinse as much as possible until the water begins to come back clear. If your carpet has not been cleaned with Genesis 950 in the past, you will be amazed at how much "gunk" is broken down. If you see a lot of suds or foam, that is NOT Genesis 950, but rather Genesis 950 breaking down residue left behind from other cleaners. Again, try to rinse until the water coming back is clear, or free from foaming.
|
|
|
