The debate you’ve never heard of: very low humidity vs. steam cleaning

You probably don’t realize it, but in the world of carpet cleaning, there is a hot debate: very little humidity (VLM) or hot water extraction (HWE). It’s hotly debated why old school carpet cleaners – those who have spent years doling out thousands and thousands of dollars for those vans with expensive steam cleaning equipment – really don’t want to accept that VLM cleaning can even come close to cleaning that well. as your method.

I doubt that this little article will convince anyone inside or outside the trade, but I just wanted to inform you of the changes that are taking place within the industry and that could affect you as a consumer.

The Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification or IICRC, the industry certifying body, is finally giving a nod to VLM cleaners as worthy of its carpet cleaning blessing. They haven’t accepted it yet, but the industry is slowly moving in that direction.

So what is the best method? It’s an old question, right?

How long is a piece of cord? That’s about the size. There is no right or wrong answer, if someone is open-minded about it.

For greasy and unsightly carpets, HWE (or steam cleaning as many outside the industry call it), the carpets will get the job done faster and more efficiently. VLM can get the job done too, but it will take a little longer and many more passes. It could even frustrate the technician due to the amount of time and resources you are using (i.e. pads that you will need to clean later).

However, for lightly soiled carpets, VLM is the way to go. No hoses. Drying time is 1 to 2 hours. Will HWE work on lightly soiled carpets? Absolutely, but it comes at a cost to have hoses running through the building, longer drying times, not to mention the cost of running the equipment. In a side-by-side comparison, both rugs, once dry, will probably look good.

The carpet restoration industry has seen a huge explosion of safe and excellent cleaning products. Actually, that’s one of the VLM cleaning secrets. After a full vacuuming of the entire carpet, spray the chemicals, let it sit for 5-10 minutes depending on the chemical (which, by the way, is the first three steps in the IICRC recommendation for effective carpet cleaning) and Take a rotating or oscillating cotton pad. The pad absorbs dirt and much of the chemical moisture from the carpets. After brushing with a carpet rake so that the carpet fibers stand up and in an hour or so the carpets are fresh again. Again, technicians will note that this is also the final step in the HWE method.

Obviously, there are uses for both cleaning methods within industry. The bottom line is what is the best method for clients. Some carpets require steam cleaning primarily because VLM has not yet been explained to management. Most people, however, just want clean rugs. And in the end, isn’t that what carpet cleaners are supposed to give them?