Carpets and upholstery are found in almost every type of indoor environment. At homes, schools, offices, hospitals and even inside automobiles, properly maintained upholstery and carpeting is a mark of care, quality, and luxury. However, cleaning these materials efficiently can be a challenging and demanding task.

Finding a good carpet cleaner is important for maintaining healthy conditions. Carpeting and upholstery act like a magnet for dust, bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, insects, and mites. Regular and efficient cleaning is the best solution to alleviate these problems.

Here are some features to look for when selecting commercial cleaners or auto detailing equipment.

Water Temperature

Carpet shampoo machines differ from normal vacuum steam cleaners because they inject water and a cleaning liquid into the carpet and then extract the fluid and water along with the dirt and stains. Many carpet shampoo machines offer only cold cleaning, which is efficient for lighters commercial applications and for cleaning heat sensitive carpets, but does not effectively remove tough stains or grease.

Difficult stains require heated water. Some machines have a single heating element. This can heat only to lower temperatures up to 150°F. While such temperatures are efficient for dissolving many stains and residues, more advanced models have multiple heating elements with temperatures up to 210ºF to dissolve the toughest deposits for easy extraction.

Flow Control

A high quality carpet extractor uses very small amounts of water and cleaning fluid. This prevents excessively soaking carpets and quickens drying time, which is particularly important for auto detailing equipment. Low flow technology helps to avoid mold and mildew, and prevents color mixing of carpets due to overflowing cleaning agents.

It is always recommended to use green carpet shampoo cleaner solutions when using a rug carpet cleaner. Green carpet cleaners are safe for use on a number of fabrics and are safe for both the user and environment.