I recently saw this post on Encapsulation World and thought I would address it.

I had a customer call me to come out and re-clean their Carpeting after someone else with a truck mount cleaned them and the customer was not happy. When I was finished, my bonnets were black and the customer was thrilled. I was actually shocked how dirty the carpeting was after steam cleaning.😳
Eco Fresh Carpet Cleaning

I have had many truck mounts and portables, so this isn’t about trashing extraction. Extraction can often remove more soils quicker but it doesn’t always look better. What? If done properly extraction is an excellent tool, but even so, it can use help at times.

Take your car to the self-serve car wash. Put in your money and hit the car with the high-pressured water coming from the pressure washer gun. Hit it all day and it’s the same – that high pressure that shoots your arm back when you squeeze the trigger, with many times more powerful pressure and volume then your extraction carpet cleaning equipment – does not get the surface completely clean. Release the trigger, put down the gun and walk over to your car. Rub you finger on the paint and you will see that that mechanical action of your finger will remove a layer of film (dirt) from the surface.

This happens also when you use your extraction wand at a much lower pressure and water volume to clean the carpet. But wait, my waste water is dirty? Yes, it is. I said in the beginning that extraction can remove more soil quicker but it can struggle to remove the film off of the carpets face fibers. Rotary extractors can work as they make multiple passes and rub the carpet into itself, helping to remove the surface films. The mechanical action and rubbing of the bonnet will do to the carpet what your finger did to the cars paint, it will remove that attached film.

This is one reason that AFT, a Bonnet Pro industry exclusive, is helpful as the films cannot strike as aggressively so future cleanings are easier. This is also one reason that low moisture carpets can stay cleaner longer then extraction. Now people using extraction are also using encapsulation detergents and this is helpful for re-soiling. So, extraction doesn’t work? It often works very well but in a restoration type of cleaning on very soiled carpet, adding the IronMan Bonnet after extraction can often make a big improvement. I have often been surprised at the level of soil on my IronMan Bonnets after I have pre-sprayed and extracted twice in a row from a big direct drive truck mount. I love both methods for different reasons and when you combine them, the results can be phenomenal!