By Healthcare Facilities Today

Mukilteo, WA -  U.S. Products, a leading manufacturer of portable hot-water carpet extractors, has just released a "top ten list" of reasons why heat is so essential to carpet cleaning.

According to Mark Cuddy, a veteran of the professional cleaning industry and national sales manager for U.S. Products, there has been a bit of a "back and forth" through the years when it comes to the use of heat in carpet cleaning.

"But the science of cleaning and the facts speak for themselves," says Cuddy. "Invariably, the use of heat and hot-water carpet extractors improves [carpet] cleaning performance."

Cuddy provides the following top ten reasons why carpets should be cleaned using heat:  

 1. Studies dating back to the 1800s indicate the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals is increased by a factor of two for every 18 degrees of temperature above 118°F. This principle holds true for most carpet cleaning solutions - hotter water increases the molecular activity (and cleaning capability).

2. Tests conducted on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency report that the hot water extraction cleaning process reduces the level of biological contamination in carpeting.

3. The use of hotter water reduces the use of cleaning chemicals.

4. The hotter the water, the greater the cleaning power. Heat "weakens the physical bond between the dirt or stains to the various surfaces to which the dirt is sticking." **

5. Heat reduces the surface tension of water, enabling faster, more efficient cleaning than with cold water.

6. Hotter cleaning solution also contributes to faster evaporation of residual moisture resulting in faster drying of the carpets and reducing "downtime."Heat enhances low-moisture carpet cleaning, reducing water usage and allowing carpets to dry more quickly.

7. With the chemicals working more effectively, the technicians job is usually easier

8. Heat provides more satisfactory cleaning results, which in turn creates greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

9. Heat enhances worker productivity, which translates into more money.

"And the tenth tip deals with the chemicals used in carpet cleaning," adds Cuddy. "Because more chemicals are typically used in carpet cleaning than other forms of cleaning, if less chemicals are needed, using hot water can be a cost savings as well."

* Dr. Michael Berry, author of Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health.


** Jeff Bishop, Founder of "Clean Care Seminars" for the professional carpet cleaning and restoration industries.