Types of Rug Cleaners

The most guaranteed way to keep your rug clean is to clean up the spills as soon as they occur and to vacuum the rug on a daily basis. However, when it is time to give your rugs a thorough and deep clean, you will need to invest in a rug cleaner. It is advisable to determine the most ideal rug cleaner that will guarantee optimal results. Here are some of the common types of rug cleaners available today.

1. Powders

These categories of rug cleaners are made in such a way that the powder, which is a kind of solvent, is sprinkled on the area rugs and left there for around 15 minutes before vacuuming the rugs. The powder functions as a magnet that attracts humidity and dust off the rugs. Powder-based rug cleaners need no drying time hence are ideal for emergency cleanups. Most of these cleaners are perfumed to help cover malodor and pets or tobacco smells. Other powder-based rug cleaners have brighteners which help create an optical illusion of brightness on the rug surface.

2. Foam

Foam rug cleaners are divided into two -- home use and professional use foam rug cleaners. Home-use foam rug cleaners are mixed with water and then applied on the dirty rugs manually, which then turns into powder foam upon drying which can then easily be vacuumed. As for professional foams, they function as home-use foams only that they are machine-applied and then brushed deeply in the rugs. They are the most effective cleaners in getting rid of crumbs, dust, and all kinds of dirt entrenched in the rug.

3. Shampoo

Even though it is the most effective rug cleaner out there, rug shampoos happen to be the least effective category of rug cleaners. It is a soapy shampoo which is applied evenly on the rug using a machine and left to dry before being vacuumed.

4. Steam Cleaning

This is the most thorough rug cleaning method and the best that there is. Notwithstanding what the name would suggest, no steam is used. In place, a spray of hot water is used to make the dirt loose as a vacuuming wand absorbs it.