Wet, cold, dirty – that’s the state of the streets this time of year. It means deep soiling to office and leisure area carpets that’s more difficult to remove come the next scheduled extraction clean.

If only there was a way of keeping them looking good a few weeks after a big clean and help reduce time and effort spent on the next one?

Well, there is. In fact there are various interim maintenance methods available. One of those recommended at Prochem Europe involves a polymer spray-and-brush process called ‘encapsulation’.

The encapsulating spray basically carries out two functions. Its soil release agents detach all types of soil and other old residues from the carpet or fabric fibres by binding with them.

Then, as the polymer-based solution dries, it hardens to a brittle, crystalline structure, encapsulating or trapping soil and residues in the dried particle. These hard crystals (not visible to the naked eye) can then be easily removed when the carpet is next vacuumed.

Being a low moisture method, encapsulation system drying times are considerably reduced with carpet dry in as little as 20 minutes and application times reduced.

Next – what to use?

Prochem recommends Fibreclean for large areas with it’s new formulation and fresh ‘ocean breeze’ fragrance. Just spray the diluted solution lightly over the carpet with a low pressure sprayer and then brush in with a pile brush or with the aid of a cylindrical brush machine.

Fibreclean can also be used on hard-wearing upholstery, making it a particularly useful method of cleaning in transport environments such as trains and buses where quick drying is favoured.

Another great soil-encapsulating spray cleaner for situations where an interim clean would be beneficial or where a low moisture method is needed is Procaps.

WoolSafe-approved and specially designed to help prevent re-soiling. Procaps incorporates a high quality encapsulation cleaning formula with a new lemon and lime fragrance. Of course, interim encapsulating maintenance solutions like these don’t actually replace a deep extraction clean.

But carry them out at suitable intervals between cleans and they will help to maintain a carpet’s appearance, performance, and extend its working life.

They are also quick and less disruptive to use, opening up more opportunity to get on site and apply them.

Prochem’s how-to-use guide…

– Always dry vacuum before applying the spray solution.

– Use the correct dilution rate and do not over-apply. This is primarily a low moisture, quick drying method: one litre of diluted solution should cover approximately 25 square metres of carpet, depending on the depth of the pile.

– Use a pressure sprayer with a fan spray nozzle; after a two to five minute dwell time the solution should be thoroughly brushed in and right down the pile ideally using a machine designed for the task such as the Fiberdri TM4 or PRO 35. On upholstery, lightly spray with a pump-up hand sprayer and brush in with an upholstery brush.

– Fibreclean and Procaps should not be mixed with any other chemicals, as these could interfere with the formation of the soil encapsulating crystals. Procaps can be used at a stronger dilution rate (1 to 4 or even full strength) as a spotter on difficult stains prior to spray cleaning.

ends

Issued on behalf of Prochem Europe Ltd by
petermuir public relations
Whiteleaf Business Centre, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham MK18 1TF, UK
tel 00 44 (0) 1296 715228 www.pmpr.info

About Prochem Europe

Founded in 1974, Prochem Europe Ltd. is a leading British manufacturer of cleaning and maintenance products for carpets, fabrics and floors. Chemicals are made at the company’s headquarters in Chessington, Surrey and are available through an extensive network of national and international distributors along with its carpet, fabric and floor cleaning equipment, accessories and spares. Britain’s leading commercial provider of training to professional cleaners, Prochem Europe also offers a range of industry-recognised training courses for carpet, upholstery and floor cleaning and maintenance at Chessington, covering the latest techniques and maintenance methods.