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Proper equipment, settings and training are needed to keep water away from carpet pad and subfloors, where lingering moisture could fuel mold

We gave the expert in this week’s Natural Interiors® TV episode an ultimate challenge. We asked him to demonstrate his steam-cleaning on a piece of Nature’s Carpet – an all-natural wool carpet that has no plastic backings. If water were going to seep through, this carpet’s jute backings would have allowed it readily.

But it didn’t.

Alexis Santel and Jason Cole, manager of CleanFresh, part of Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Cincinnati, OH, explain that the rule of thumb for proper steam cleaning means proper equipment settings: Highest vacuum setting, water temperature of 200 to 230 degrees, and a water pressure setting of 200 to 250 psi.

These setting may vary depending upon the type of fiber your carpet is made of, for example the natural wool carpet used in the video may require a high vacuum setting, low water pressure and nontoxic, pH-neutral cleaners like the ones CleanFresh uses. A skilled technician also will do the number of drying passes the job calls for, Cole says.

CleanFresh technicians have Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), and are trained to make these determinations. Clean Fresh also offers indoor-air friendly tile, grout and furniture cleaning, in addition to water damage restoration services. Learn more, or contact them here. ©