I. Pressure
Proper solution pressure prevents wetting the secondary backing of carpet or blowing excess vapor into the room atmosphere which retards drying time and presents the possibility of damage to furnishings. Hoods used on high pressure system floor tools cause the spray to condense and form heavy rivulets of water at the extremes of the cleaning head which soak deep and cause streaking after the carpet has dried.
II. Recovery
A demonstration using a bowling ball to show the strength of a vacuum actually shows the fallacy of what the company is attempting to prove. When the vacuum is holding the ball in the air, no air is moving through the recovery hose. Engineered carpet cleaning equipment is efficient in moving air and dirty water through the hose. The material from which the cleaning head is constructed plays a part in successful extraction cleaning. Porous aluminum allows air to pass better than smooth stainless steel which has a tendency to seal to carpet.
The porosity of the aluminum also provides a gentle, natural scrubber to agitate soil particles and help release them into the air stream.
III. Air Velocity
There is only so much room inside the hose to allow air movement. Add water and that space is reduced. As an example, nine-tenths of a gallon per minute requires 12,000 LFPM (lineal feet per minute) of air movement through a 2 inch hose to remove at least 95% of the cleaning solution which will ensure quick drying and prevent common problems such as browning and mildew. A machine that puts down three gallons of solution per minute requires more than 36,000 LFPM. That translates to more than 21 inches of Mercury. Most truck-mounted carpet cleaning machines use 3 to 7 gallons per minute and operate at 15 to 18 inches of Mercury.
IV. Carpet Cleaning Agent
A mild carpet cleaning detergent, moderate in pH and diluted at least 1 part to 250 parts of water, will not harm any carpet fiber that will tolerate water. At this dilution ratio, there is virtually no residue other than that which is normal when water evaporates.
V. Operator
The operator is the final piece of the equation. Bane-Clene Institute was incorporated in 1978 to provide a source of training for owner/operators and their employees. Recruiting, training and retaining good technicians is the essence of success or failure in the service industry.