Is there a difference between a truck mount carpet cleaner vs. portable?

Today I wanted to talk about the difference between truck mounted carpet cleaning services versus a portable carpet cleaning machine. This debate has been going on for decades, but it truly depends upon the skill of the technician. In addition, the desire of the technician to get the carpet properly cleaned and looking professionally done with a even clean appearance.

Hot water is one of the most important components of carpet cleaning. It allows the soil to be broken down at a faster rate. Compared to cold water which will not break up greasy grime in carpets. In addition, hot water will dry faster than a cold water cleaning due to the steam evaporation. So, it is recommended to use hot water when cleaning carpets. Now, one can go too hot and ruin the carpet and the backing because it releases the glue so it should be hot to the touch but not burning ones skin.

Today's chemicals are much better then decades passed. They have enzymes and cleaning agents which helped to break down the grease, grime, and dirt at a much better rate then before. In addition, they are able to dry and crystallize and drop to the bottom of the carpet to be vacuumed up post cleaning. They are much safer to humans and animals as they have been developed to minimize irritation.

We will start with a portable carpet cleaning machine. These machines have improved quite a bit over the last several decades. I am not talking about the versions that are in stores, but the professional versions that you can rent from a professional cleaning renting business. These businesses are generally not available in smaller communities but in large cities they are abundant. Today's portable cleaner can have two vac motors and a water filtration system that rivals any water purification system for the home. The combination of the two vac motors provides ample suction to remove water and debris from any carpet. While the power spray can get as high as 100PSI with the right motor and a custom built job. Remember, the higher PSI the more water you go through and the more water you'll be exchanging slash adding throughout the cleaning process. So, it is best to find a good match for your needs. Using this type of machine will require generally more passes then a truck mount but can get the carpet just as clean. The drying process or time will be 4 to 8 hours depending upon the weather and the heat in the rooms. Air movement is also important for drying so it's best to use fans to speed the process.
Truck mount carpet cleaning machines are very expensive but provide robust power to get the job done generally in a faster time. These are generally motor driven and provide two to three times the power of a portable cleaning machine. In addition, they can heat water which helps tremendously in the cleaning process. This combination of power and heat can go through dirt a lot faster. The much improved suction allows dirt to be removed at a fast rate. With the much improved suction this removes much of the moisture in the carpet which significantly reduces the drying time. Again, weather is important in drying time a cold climate cold room versus a warm room with air moving. But, generally carpets cleaned with a truck mount can be dry within two to four hours. These machines can run in the 20,000 to $40,000 range so they are very expensive and require professional upkeep.

After the cleaning is done it is recommended that to turn up the heat in the house and to turn on all the fans. A warm house will reduce the drying time generally in half with air movement. Some companies will even leave a blower on the carpet to vastly increased the drying time. They will generally swing by the next day to pick up the blower. The use of such a device can lower the drying time substantially if moved on a regular basis and correctly.

The cost between the two are substantial generally a $5000 investment for a portable compared to an upwards of $40,000 for a truck mount. So, generally you'll see in small communities more of a portable professional fleet as the costs are much more in line for the amount of business they will generate. Whereas in larger cities one can justify the cost of a truck mount based on the larger amount of business opportunity.
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So, for the average consumer it is best to utilize a company with a solid reputation and stand behind their work. Reputable companies can be hard to find but once you find a good ethical company those are the ones that you want to stay with. These experience people will help you to maintain your carpets in a pleasing professional manner.

    The importance of knowing your carpet cleaning solutions is very important. All solutions leave a residue. One needs to remember this as the residue will attract soil once dry. The manufacturer will say the solution is designed to crystalize once dry. Yes this is true but in my 10+ years of doing this it still attracts soil over time.

    When attracting soil this reduces the amount of time the carpet surface will remain clean. Some solutions or more soil attractive than others. This is where years of experience helps to determine the best solution for removing soil. While also providing the necessary conditions to repel soil. Over the years we have tried many different types of solutions to come up with what works best.
 
    The same applies when working to remove spots. By using a spray spot cleaning solution to remove the dirt and grime can cause more spots to develop over time. This is because the solution failed to crystallize and drop to the base of the carpet. I have cleaned office and house carpets by spotting them with its solution scrubbing and let to dry. Only to come back in a few weeks to see a spot trail and discolorations from regular carpet wear and those spots. Having clean spots on a medium soiled carpet highlights the clean spots. This is not conducive to a clean looking overall carpet. This is where experience comes in and works to blend in the spot removal to the current soil of the carpet. From what I have seen most companies will not take this into consideration. For me it is important to have a even looking carpet. A carpet that looks pleasing to the eye.

    When spot cleaning one has to take in consideration the nap of the carpet. This is another factor that we look at and consider to work and remove all of the debris in the finer and deeper parts of the carpet fiber. Which way the nap is falling is important as to make sure that when scrubbing the spot that we go with the nap at first but at times we might have to go against the nap and go north, south, east, west when scrubbing order to ensure that the spot debris has been removed.  For even further stubborn spots we might have to get a bone scraper (which is a small plastic scrubbing device which does not harm the carpet in order to agitate the debris and loosen it up). When done and complete to make sure that the spot has been removed and is important to blot the spot dry and fix the nap so that it's in the proper orientation. By doing this it enables the carpet nap to flow evenly and to have a pleasant visual look.

    Going back to spot solutions, it is best to try to work a spot out with just hot water initially. The hot water generally breaks up the soil and a rubbing action will help to remove it from the fibers. If this doesn't work then a small dab of spot carpet cleaner on the exact debris let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. This will allow the chemical to do all the work and to break up the oils glues whatever might be collecting the debris. After, then one can continue to rub out with a hot clean towel which will help remove some of the solution and take out the rest of the debris. After fix the nap with a brush and we should be good to go.

    It is a good idea to try and remember that spot and see if it attracts more soil overtime. If so, just again take out a hot towel and scrub the spot to determine if it can be removed by simple hot water. Most likely this is the case and it will work fine.