Not all carpet cleaning situations require the same tools. However, we will highlight the main ones used and tell you about some less commonly used ones, as well as the differences to show how and why industrial-grade equipment is different than home-grade equipment.
Sooner or later, every carpet owner faces the problem of stains. For this task, we use high-class commercial equipment called carpet extractors. A carpet extractor is a cleaning appliance that uses water, pressure, and suction to extract hard-to-remove dirt and stains. Home-grade alternatives cannot even compare half with such equipment and so that you understand how it differs from conventional equipment, we have made a comparison table.
As you can see, the only thing the so-called home-level professional machine has in common is the length of the wire, but otherwise the difference is huge. But this is not a complete list of differences. Many of them simply cannot be included in the table, for example, this commercial-grade machine features an innovative air intake design that uses the vacuum's own cooling fans to pull cool, outside air over the motor, reducing motor temperature and preventing overheating. The end result is better performance with less maintenance.
A vacuum cleaner stands as a cornerstone tool for real non-regular serious carpet cleansing. All professional carpet cleaning service providers use such equipment, and its importance cannot be understated in providing the initial step in the deep cleaning process. The goal of a professional vacuum cleaner is to effectively remove loose dust, dirt particles, and potential allergens from your carpet, not to mention pet hair, etc. to prepare the carpet for further cleaning treatments.
But first of all, we want to note that for comparison we took the average Commercial Grade Vacuum Cleaner and all parameters for both models are from the official documentation of them.
A carpet cleaner, also known as a carpet extractor or steam cleaner, is a crucial tool for deep cleaning carpets, especially if an office cleaning services project is being carried out over a large area. While a vacuum cleaner can effectively remove loose dirt and particles, a carpet shampooer goes one step further by using hot water extraction to remove deeply embedded dirt, stains, and allergens from your carpets. It also uses a cleaning solution to clean and sanitize your carpets, leaving them smelling fresh and looking brand new.
In everyday life, people often use shampooers, but professionals use carpet cleaners also known as carpet extractors or steam cleaners as a Commercial Grade material.
The easiest way to explain it is this: a shampooer is something affordable and suitable for light cleaning, while a carpet cleaner, also known as a carpet extractor or carpet shampooer, is designed to remove deeply embedded dirt and stains in carpets. At the same time, steam cleaners provide deeper cleaning, extracting with enough force to pull the dirt from the bottom of the carpet fibers. Shampooers basically bury the dirt in foam and often have brighteners that make your carpet look cleaner than it really is. This can lead to yellowing, which eventually can't be removed. Carpet cleaners and steam cleaners provide deep cleaning and effective stain removal, while shampooers are just regular household everyday chap solutions not meant for a real serious cleaning job or any company services.
Sometimes there is a need for a defoamer (foam caused by carpet detergents can reduce the machine’s effectiveness and increase drying time). Defoamers contain diluted mixtures of oils or silicone, both effective when you need to remove foam and accelerate drying. Antifoaming agents are foam control agents that are added to a system or formulation to prevent the appearance or emergence of foam.
Often homeowners buy a defoamer or even make it themselves, but the secret is that not all defoamers are safe for carpet in terms of composition, type of carpet material, as well as correct application (but this is a separate topic).
Stain removers are chemical agents that remove stains or may leave the stain intact but make it invisible. There are many types of stain removers, but all those sold in retail are chemicals and dangerous for carpets and sometimes for the health of residents. The reason for their popularity is that they are cheap, while professionals can use them as additional material and only green-made, but it is quite difficult to get such ones, and those that are declared in retail as green-made do not always correspond.
An air scrubber is a device that attaches directly to the ductwork of your HVAC system. It removes air pollution and other contaminants to improve indoor air quality. This is done by forcing fresh air into the room, while simultaneously drawing stale air out of the building.
Typically, such equipment has no home-grade analogs - it either exists or does not exist as an air conditioner, but unlike an air conditioner, it can be used in the carpet cleaning process to purify the air (for example, when there is a bad smell from a carpet that is already clean).
Due to their robust construction and advanced features, commercial equipment used by professionals can handle a wide range of cleaning solutions, allowing for the use of more potent formulas when necessary. Although not all carpet cleaning companies use quality equipment, investing in professional carpet cleaning services is a strategic move for homeowners and businesses aiming to live in a clean healthy environment and extend the good look and life of carpets.
