Hot water extraction
HWE (Hot Water Extraction) is a carpet cleaning process. A combination of hot water and cleaning agents are pushed into the carpet fiber at high-pressure, followed by the removal of all raised soil using a powerful vacuum
Process
Despite the fact that the professional Hot water extraction cleaning procedure is usually referred to as “steam cleaning,” no actual steam is used in the process, aside from steam that may escape incidentally from the hot water. The temperature of the cleaning solution when it comes into contact with the carpet ranges from 50 to 120 degrees Celsius, depending on how hot the cleaning unit is. Water can be heated to over 150 degrees Celsius under pressure in a modern truck-mount carpet cleaner machine, but the water loses a lot of its heat after passing through high-pressure steel braided line and many manifolds.
Hot Water Extraction steam cleaning begins with preconditioning the contaminated surface with a chemical pre-spray cleaner (usually neutral or alkaline), followed by light agitation with a grooming or pile brush tool. After the required dwell time, a Counter-Rotating Brush (CRB) can be used on extremely filthy areas. The surface is then thoroughly rinsed and extracted using a professional steam cleaning wand or rotary extractor, and the pH of the carpet fibers is reduced to a neutral state using an acidic solution. The carpet is then dried with a fan or a carpet drier in the next step. Resetting the carpet pile with a carpet groom or brush to eliminate any unattractive wand lines, sometimes known as “shark teeth,” is the final step.
Hot water extraction machines
Portable machines that use electricity to heat the water and power the water pump and vacuum motors to larger truck-mounted devices are all examples of professional machines. A stationary engine or PTO-powered equipment installed in a van or truck are typically used to power truck-mounted devices. Portable rental machines can reach higher floors and harder-to-reach structures, whereas truck-mounted machines are more powerful and clean, rinse and dry faster.
Consumer-grade and rental machines use comparable technology to professional systems, although they are often less powerful and lack a heating element. These vacuum cleaners are not commonly branded as HWE systems; instead, they are referred to as “extraction vacuum cleaners,” and they may include additional heads for cleaning non-fabric surfaces such as hard floors. Some consumer machines, on the other hand, have a heating element but no vacuum function and are simply referred to as “steam cleaners.”