Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning 101
Many professional carpet cleaners call encapsulation carpet cleaning “encap” or “encapping.” Although often misunderstood, the cleaning system has gained tremendous popularity in recent years.
Encapsulation has been around since the late 1990s or early 2000s. The method often uses equipment similar to the “Shampoo” method. For that reason, many have confused, dismissed, and equated it with that method. It is totally unlike Steam Cleaning, AKA HWE or hot water extraction.
Encapsulation uses a very new and revolutionary different type of chemistry!
The encapsulation cleaning system applies a cleaning solution containing a crystallizing acrylic polymer. It is this polymer that helps create the magic of encapsulation.
Encapsulation formulas also contain other cleaning components, such as surfactants. These ingredients aid in breaking the bond between dirt, grease & grime from the carpet fibers.
The encapsulation solution is usually worked into a carpet with an agitation machine. The machine types include Cimex, Rotary Brush, Rotary Bonnet, and Oscillating Pad (OP). There are others as well.
What is the major complaint people have after having their carpets professionally cleaned?
They complain that their carpets get dirty again very quickly! The culprit is usually due to the left-behind sticky residue!
Well-formulated encapsulation carpet cleaning detergents are a magic bullet for removing the stickiness in the carpet. Due to their chemical makeup, they will never leave behind a sticky residue.
A well-formulated encap will crystallize, and routine vacuuming will then remove it. Carpets cleaned with an excellent encap product will stay cleaner, longer too.
So, what’s the bottom line?
We have run thousands of tests at VacAway. We concluded that the majority of dirt and grime isn’t really encased in a capsule or crystal. Instead, well-formulated encapsulation detergents render sticky residue completely NON-STICKY!
Here is a demonstration you can do for yourself; you will see how the encapsulation carpet cleaning process works.
- Place a small drop of dish detergent (sticky residue) in the bottom of a shallow dish or saucer. Using artificial maple syrup (sticky residue) is another test option.
- Place three drops of a pure encap and mix it all together. (good ones to test with are VacAway Encap GREEN, Formula 357, Hot Knife X-treme, Commercial Magic, etc.)
- Give it plenty of time to dry; to be sure it dries completely, give it at least 24 hours or more.
- Pour a lot of black pepper over the dried detergent/encap mixture.
- Immediately dump the pepper off the dried mixture. To eliminate static cling, give it a quick hard blow.
The mixture is still sticky if any pepper remains and will attract dirt. But with VacAway encaps, you will find that the detergent or syrup will be rendered entirely non-sticky. It will no longer attract dirt. Neither will the carpets you clean with a well-formulated encapsulation carpet cleaning detergent!
Happy encapping!