No one would ever consider a professional carpet cleaner to be a chemist. However, many are surprised to learn how much chemistry is actually involved. While professional carpet specialists must be taught in the various cleaning solutions and what mixtures to make for various carpet types, their primary concern is to have the proper pH balance. pH is essential for proper carpet cleaning and care. Green Co Carpet Cleaning would like to share the importance of pH and how it effects your carpets.
Basic of pH in Carpet Cleaning
In the carpet cleaning industry, we are concerned with pH in the sense that it is important to know how much alkaline and acid content is in the water, especially once we begin mixing it with cleaning solutions that may contain acid or alkaline. For water based cleaning solutions, they have a number range system from 0 to 14 which indicates the pH level of the product. Acidic products have a number range 0 from 7. Products with a 0 contain the highest acidic levels while a level of 7 that indicates there isn’t any acid or alkaline present and is considered “neutral.” Products that start with 7 up to 14 is the alkaline level 7 being low and increasing as the number rises. The alkaline numbering system can be a bit confusing. For example a 10 is ten times higher than an 11 solution product, and product with a 4 is 10 times higher than a 5. Each number is ten times greater than the following number range.
How pH Level Affects Carpet
When a professional comes to your home, they are often faced with cleaning acidic soils, and must also determine the type of carpet in your home. Acidic soils and certain types of carpet most often requires an alkaline cleaning detergent. However, there is also alkaline soiling which requires an acidic cleaning detergent. In general, for moderately acidic soiled synthetic carpet, it is best to use a cleaning detergent that is under 10 PH. Depending on the carpet types and the alkaline soiling, most will range from a level 2 through 5 acidic cleaning detergents. If there is a heavy alkaline soiling in the carpet, a PH level cleaner should be 12 through 14 for most synthetic carpets. However, the carpet cleaner must determine the type of soiling, and the type of carpet as well as the carpet coloring or dying method. The age must also be determined.
Carpet Testing of pH
Before any carpet professional begins cleaning a carpet, they will do a quick carpet test to see which type of carpet and soiling exists. There are many ways carpet is tested. Some involves cutting a very small piece of the carpet’s fiber and burning it with a lighter. As quick and basic this test is, a lot can be revealed in the color of flames and odor produced by the carpet. For example, if the flame is orange and smells like burnt hair, it is a synthetic wool blend type of carpet and suffers from an alkaline type of soiling. Complete synthetic carpet will melt and fuse together like plastic, while natural fiber turns to ash. Determining the types of soiling is easy. Acidic soiling comes from beverages, foods and pet or human bodily fluids, while alkaline soiling comes from dirt, grass, hair and other natural debris. Once the soiling, the age, dying method and types of carpet is determined, the professional carpet cleaner will select the right cleaning solution and combine it with the right amount of water, often distilled, to avoid affecting the pH level in the pre-made solution.
Carpet Cleaning & More in Sherman Oaks, Valley Village, Woodland Hills & Greater Los Angeles, California
There is a lot to know about cleaning carpet and it is important that carpets are cleaned correctly to avoid damaging the carpet and aging it faster. If you need your carpet professionally cleaned, call the professionals at Green Co Carpet Cleaning today!
