by Alicia Slansky

Created on: February 16, 2009

Encapsulation carpet cleaning is a very effective method of cleaning dirt and oils out of your carpets without leaving chemical residue behind to attract future stains. Most people who know of this process have seen it used in commercial settings or been in the cleaning business. Encapsulation cleaning has been offered as a residential service much more frequently in the last several years. The method is based on science and if you have carpets, you should consider it as a cleaning method for you.

- What is encapsulation cleaning?

The term "Encapsulation" refers to the dirt being surrounded by chemical agents. That is precisely what happens. A chemical is sprayed down onto a stain or carpet surface. A brushing machine powers the chemical onto the area. The chemical works into the carpet fibers and grabs the dirt. It surrounds the dirt particles and then crystallizes so that no other dirt or fibers can hold onto the mess. The dirt is then released from the carpet fibers and can be vacuumed up.

- What about "Clean spots?"

When we clean carpets with the bottled chemicals that we have grown used to, we inevitably leave behind traces of those chemicals that will act as little magnets for soil in the future. As soon as shoes walk over the old spot, a new, often much nastier spot will appear.

With encapsulation, the chemical binds to dirt and crystallizes before being vacuumed up. No chemical gets left behind, so no little clean spots appear later. The carpet will stay cleaner longer than with those traditional methods.

- What stains will come out?

Because encapsulation cleaning gets the dirt surrounded by a chemical agent, it will work to remove just about any stain you can throw at it. Greasy messes like lip gloss, vegetable oil, and spaghetti sauce all loose their sticky factor and get vacuumed right out of the carpet. Organic stains such as wine, urine, and blood can all be removed just as easily. The chemicals bind to the stains particles and release them from the fibers holding them in place.

- Pros of encapsulation

* No chemical residue left behind

* No clean spots

* Carpets stay cleaner for longer periods of time

* Deep cleaning

* Less water on carpets so you can go back to using them sooner

* Highly effective

* Can remove all types of stains, from organic, to greasy

- Cons of encapsulation

* Professional service

* Not available for home use yet

* Chemicals can affect some with allergies

* Thorough vacuuming required for complete removal of chemicals

The bottom line is that encapsulation carpet cleaning is a wonderful service to use when you want to get your carpets clean. The low moisture process will leave your carpets refreshed and ready to be used again sooner than steam cleaning and more dirt will be removed from deep in the fibers. If you have reactions to some chemicals, ask your cleaning service what particular products they use and research them as you would any other cleaning product.

Learn more about this author, Alicia Slansky.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.