Drying Carpet after Cleaning
A common customer complaint about carpet cleaning and carpet cleaners is that while they are happy with their carpet’s appearance after cleaning, they complain about how long it took for the carpets to dry.
This is true in both commercial and residential customers. Plain and simple, they want their carpets to dry as fast as possible.
To help carpet cleaning technicians get their customers’ carpets to dry faster, Doug Berjer, product manager with CFR manufacturer of recycling carpet extractors, suggests the following “Fast Drying Tips” which might just save the day:
1. Before beginning, make sure the sprayer tip (wand), vacuum systems, hoses, and filters are clean and working properly
2. Vacuum the carpets first; this removes most dry soils so less moisture may be necessary to actually clean the carpets
3. Use just enough pre-spray; too much pre-spray requires more moisture to remove the chemical from the carpets
4. After pre-spraying the carpets, turn on any available ceiling fans
5. Open windows and turn on ventilating systems while carpet cleaning
6. Turn up the machine’s p.s.i. as high as safely possible to provide maximum water lift/moisture removal
7. Perform two or more dry strokes for every wet stroke
8. Use as little vacuum hose as possible and make sure it does not coil, causing restrictions
9. Install air movers at strategic locations around the just cleaned area
10. For carpets to dry faster at future cleaning jobs, look into new wand technologies.
“This last item is pretty important, ” says Berjer. “Wands were never given much attention years ago, but now we know they play a major role in carpet cleaning, from improving carpet appearance to removing moisture for faster drying.”
