To vac or not to vac - that is the question...

Yes springtime is just about over and here in the UK it is the time we as a nation start to think about two things. What to do in the garden with the dead daffodil leaves and spring cleaning!

For the SteamCleanCarpetService.co.uk this is our busiest time of the year and this year - despite the double-dip recession - is no exception.

As an industry we are faced with a tidal wave of facts and figures bandied about by those we buy from, those we consult, and from people we admire or rely on as 'experts'.

Possibly the most 'bandied about' fact concerns the composition of the accumulated muck in your carpet that carpet cleaning (in all its forms) seeks to remove.

These 'experts' opine that 80% of this accumulated muck is 'dry soil' which they suggest can be removed by dry vacuum alone.

Carpet cleaners might be forgiven for feeling a tad naked when confronted with this 'fact'. Does it mean that our whole multi-million pound service industry is based on the 20% of accumulated soil that the consumer cannot deal with on their own?

In truth most carpet cleaners would be hard pushed to prove this so-called ‘fact’. All professional carpet cleaners will in most cases vacuum the carpet before they commence the specialist cleaning operation that they sell. In our case that subsequent specialist operation is the finest steam carpet cleaning that money can buy!

Most home owners do vacuum their carpets on a pretty regular basis - some vacuum very occasionally and a few people (tenants and other people such as say students who are apparently pre-occupied with other things) never vacuum their carpets at all... ever!

The job needs to be done twice weekly or even daily on entrance areas around your main doors. There we have said it now - you need a daily vacuum regime!

But even if you have the best vaccing regime in the world you will at some stage still need to engage the services of a professional carpet cleaner.

Often we will be called in to homes with specific problems identified by the home-owner. Often it is traffic lanes and shuffle spots (where people's feet rest when they sit down in a chair) that are making people think their carpets look dirty and discoloured.

Usually they are right - dirt has attached itself to the pile of the carpet by electro-static action or because the dirt itself contained moisture - either way its not possible to simply vacuum this attached dirt away - no matter how good the vacuum.

Chemspec pile lifter vacuum

We will use a commercial vacuum cleaner (it has two motors) first or in extreme cases we may use a pile-lifting vacuum - this is a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner with a very stiff roller brush that really penetrates to the bottom of the pile to beat up, agitate and remove deep down dry soil. Above is the particular Chemspec model that we use:

The secret of the success of any operation in terms of dust removal is to know what you are dealing with. To do this you have to get down and dirty with your carpet.

So don't be shy, get on your knees and do what we do to examine how much dry soil, hair, dust mite litter, pet dander and cut pile there is deep down in the carpet. If necessary then use a magnifying glass like we do.

Extreme example of cut pile and soil removed from a hotel carpet using a Chemspec pile lifter

If there is a lot then we certainly don't want to get the carpet damp or steam it when there is a chance this soil will be converted into sticky mud that is adding to the poor appearance of the carpet. If its dry and removable we want to remove it dry.

So the next time you think about your carpets and you have a magnifying glass in your hand you know what to do!