Encapsulation cleaning is still classed as a low moisture cleaning system and is totally different than traditional dry cleaning. Rather than trying to remove soils by transferring them into a pad, the Encapsulation process works by breaking down the soil from the carpet fibre and backing, surrounding (encapsulating) it into crystal particles that are easily removed with ordinary dry vacuuming.
As professional cleaners, we enjoy making use of the “cleaning pie” -that is temperature, agitation, chemical and time (T.A.C.T.) With the encapsulation cleaning process, it makes good use of the cleaning pie,but unlike steam cleaning, we can actually minimize some of these quadrants listed above. If hot water is available, we encourage you to use it. However, if cold water is all that available, mixing your Encap chemicals with cold water will still produce stunning results.
The next two sectors in the cleaning pie chart are vital – Agitation and Chemical – are key to successful cleaning with Encap. The more you agitate the carpet (or upholstery) with a high quality chemical, the better the result. Lastly unlike Hot Water Extraction (Steam Cleaning) pre-conditioning dwell time is almost non-existent (especially with show feed scrubbers) as it works the second it hits and is massaged into the carpet. Encapsulation chemicals have detergency just like the hot water extraction chemicals that you use right now. So if you think encapsulation cleaning replaces detergency and surfactancy, don’t worry – it won’t! With Encapsulation cleaning, the carpet looks instantly clean! While the Encapsulation’s crystallizing polymer is curing it is also absorbing the sticky soils that hold dry soil in place. With these oily soils out of the way the carpet looks cleaner immediately. Detergent and soil particles can no longer attract other soils as they are surrounded and are easily removed by dry vacuuming. In addition to binding the detergent and soil residues the encapsulation chemistry coats the clean fibre with the same brittle film. This reduces the fibre’s affinity for oily and also dry soils. As this brittle film “breaks away” and more soil is removed, the appearance of the fibre improves as opposed to soiling more rapidly.
The goal of carpet cleaners everywhere is to get carpet as clean and as dry as possible. While the upfront cost of the Encapsulation chemicals may be more, it’s worth it. The biggest savings come from the efficiencies provided by encapsulation – and this is what makes it actually one of the cheapest cleaning processes you could possibly provide your clients. Why not prove it to yourself today?
