How Important is Vacuuming?

How important is vacuuming in the proper maintenance of carpeting?  A professional carpet cleaner will tell you that an ongoing frequent vacuuming schedule is an essential part of preserving the appearance and life span of any carpet.  However, it’s important for you to know that any professional cleaner who cleans your carpet should still pre-vacuum before cleaning.  Excuses why some don’t range from “There’s not enough time” to “The suction on my cleaning extractor is powerful enough that I don’t need to” to “It doesn’t really make that much difference.”

The truth of the matter is that vacuuming prior to any cleaning is a critical step that should never be skipped.  There’s an old saying in the carpet cleaning industry: “It’s easier to remove dust than mud.”  You can put this saying to a test by taking two pieces of loose-weave fabric and running one of them under water and wringing it out.  Sprinkle a bit of talc or baby powder on both pieces, then try sucking the powder through the back of the fabric with your vacuum.  You’ll be able to suck the powder through the dry piece but not the wet piece.  On the wet piece, the powder will cake and stick to the fabric fibers.

This same principle holds true in carpet cleaning.  Most dry dust and loose soil lifts out of the carpet during pre-vacuuming but, once dampened, clings to the carpet fibers.  Without exception, dry vacuuming should be the first step in any kind of carpet cleaning.  Further, professionals should have a more powerful vacuum cleaner than you do in order to remove as much dry particulate soil as possible before wet cleaning.  When we clean carpet, any dust that doesn’t come out with our dry vacuuming is taken care of by the professional-grade cleaning chemicals we use.  If you have questions about caring for your carpet, please give us a call.  We’re always happy to talk with you.