Bonnet (Pad) Carpet Cleaning
What Is Its Proper Place?
Bonnet cleaning, also called spin pad or absorbent pad or carbonated shampoo cleaning, is simply an adaptation of hard floor spray buffing to carpets. Even though it is not true "dry cleaning", many people using this system call it dry cleaning, which is highly deceptive.
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There are two methods of application of the cleaning solution:
- A round absorbent bonnet is prepared before actual cleaning by either immersing it with water and wringing it out so it isn’t dripping wet and heavily soiled areas are directly sprayed with the bonnet cleaning solution at no more than 200 square feet per gallon.
- The bonnet is immersed into the bonnet cleaning solution and wrung out so it isn’t dripping wet.
The rotating absorbent bonnet (usually cotton or rayon) is then attached to a low speed (175 RPM) rotary floor machine with a heavy-duty motor because of the high friction involved. A special drive block is required to keep the bonnet or pad from slipping off. Dirt is theoretically collected into the pad.
The bonnet is supposed to be changed or turned when the pad surface stops absorbing soil - this is usually up to 600 square feet per bonnet side. The bonnet is then washed out and reused as needed. Sometimes, carbonated water is used to (in theory) give better soil suspension and bring down the pH.
Nearly all carpet and fiber manufacturers recommend against using the bonnet method on cut-pile carpet. Additionally, many of the detergents and shampoos for bonnet cleaning contain high levels of optical brightener.
The advantages of the bonnet cleaning method are: low equipment cost, rapid drying (usually dry in 30 minutes), very rapid cleaning (because you’re only cleaning the surface), less wicking, lower investment, and the ability to charge less because it’s quicker.
The disadvantages of the bonnet cleaning method are: pile distortion and fiber damage on cut-pile carpet, swirl marks left behind, soil ground into the carpet, abrasion of carpet due to gritty soil, detergent and soil build-up. Additionally, only two dimensions (width and length) of the carpet are really cleaned - that is, the surface. Under the cleaned surface may exist a living, breathing sewer. Unfortunately, a clean "appearance" is all some customers care about. Also, a large inventory of clean bonnets is required as well as the washers and dryers to clean the bonnets.
Bonnet cleaning does have a place in the scheme of things - sometimes it helps after extraction cleaning an area of LOOP-PILE carpet with a large number of spills. For example, if you have been extraction cleaning a loop pile carpet in a dining room in a nursing home where there is a large number of large spills and many of the stains always reappear, using dry bonnets after cleaning will reduce drying time and reduce possibility of wicking and, therefore, reduce the likelihood of having to go back. It can also be used after extraction cleaning of olefin Berber carpet to prevent streaking.
If you see a large stain indicating a massive spill, even this won’t totally solve the problem.
Of course, if there are just a few areas or if this is cut-pile carpet, you can simply spray down ARA Anti-Resoiling / Anti-Wicking Agent after extraction cleaning on the spill areas to reduce wicking.
For those who bonnet clean level loop commercial carpet, we have available Chemspec Roto-Brite II®, Chemspec Soil Retardant Roto-Brite and the enapsulating / crystallizing product Pro’s Choice Brush and Bonnet.
Clean and Brighten Your Cotton Bonnets: When you wash bonnets, use 3 oz. (1 heaping scoop) of Extreme Clean with 6 oz. (2 heaping scoops) of OSR in your wash.
NOTE: Do not run a DRY bonnet on olefin (polypropylene) carpet or rug - olefin has a very low softening point!
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Here are some mill and fiber producer statements on bonnet cleaning:
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"Do not use ’spin bonnet’ or other rotary systems on cut-pile carpet."
-- Axminster Carpet -
"Bonnet or Absorbent Pad … The use of this method is not recommended on cut-pile carpet."
-- BASF, Guidelines for Maintenance and Cleaning -
"Non-approved methods: … Bonnet Method: … Disadvantage: This method only affects the surface of the carpet. The buffing action can distort the carpet pile and grind dirt deeper into the pile, and the spinning action of the pad can distort face yarn."
-- Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, Care maintenance program for Powerbond products -
"Bonnet cleaning systems … Shaw Industries does not recommend this cleaning system. The bonnet system has very limited capability for soil removal and leaves much of the detergent in the pile since it employs no real extraction. As a result, rapid resoiling often occurs. Another disadvantage of this system is that the spinning bonnet may distort the pile fibers of cut pile carpet, leaving distinct swirl marks."
-- Shaw Industries
