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The Wicking Bugaboo

6/16/2018

By Fritz Rench

Gary Clipperton’s well done-article detailed cause, effect and correction addressing “Proper Moisture Levels When Cleaning Heavily Soiled Carpets.”

Click here for that article

Meanwhile, there is an alternative and sassy way to manage wicking: Don’t allow it!

Consider fundamentals you already know:

Wicking problems will increase as new, ultra-hydrophobic and oleophilic fibers gain market share. For instance, heavy soil is relatively easy to loosen or separate from polyester and its variations, but not easy to “control” once loosened.
To prevent wicking in the first place, the trick is to “control” 100% of the soil immediately as it is separated from the carpet fibers during the cleaning process.
The amount of liquid used isn’t necessarily the critical issue. Wicking can occur when removing a stubborn spot with a small amount of liquid. The #1 issue is the need to maintain instant “control” during cleaning of both the cleaning liquid and the loosened soil…to prevent it from running deeper down, and into, the yarns.
Dry extraction (absorbent compound) systems use 97% less moisture than high-flow wet extractor systems. However, what makes the “Dry” technique curiously effective is its instant absorbing/adsorbing of soil and liquid while they function together during the cleaning process. The liquefied soil is “not allowed” to escape deeper. Hence, no wicking later.
Wet extraction technology, in a heavily soiled context, effectively loosens or separates the soil…perhaps “too” quickly… and under pressure. Its powerful vacuuming function is almost simultaneous, but not quite. That’s the moment where “loss of control” of liquefied soil takes place, and wicking can raise its costly head… particularly on ultra-hydrophobic carpet fibers which otherwise “give up” soil relatively easily. What an irony.

Solving the wicking challenge on heavily soiled carpet should not be considered a contest of wet versus dry extraction. A professional technician can go at it using Gary’s workable steps, or use what I’ve shared here.

Bundles of cash and headaches can be saved by “not allowing” wicking.

Fritz Rench is the chairman of Racine Industries, Inc., manufacturer of the HOST Dry Extraction Cleaning Systems for carpets, grouted tile and other textured flooring products, located in Racine, WI.

2 Comments

Gary Clipperton link

6/19/2018 08:10:29 pm

Certainly low moisture cleaning produces excellent results for carpet appearance maintenance, and for that distinction I highly recommend it, and commend those who have pioneered the process. However, my concern is that low moisture cleaning becomes a solitary approach in carpet care.

For example, medical facilities, daycares and retirement centers are concerned with complete removal of body fluids and waste. Intense flushing and recovery can extract difficult to access residues from the base of the carpet. Here are three on-site tests to confirm cleaning dissimilarities.

1. The first comparative test of soil removal efficacy is to simply hot water extract behind each cleaning process. A carpet that has been regularly vacuumed and cleaned with a low moisture process will normally recover black water when it is rinsed and extracted. A carpet that has been cleaned with hot water extraction and rinsed until the recovery water is clear, on the subsequent cleaning (a day or two later) will show a clear or slightly discolored rinse recovery water.

If scientific laboratory testing were conducted, I would expect to see a 90% reduction in recovered soil particulate from the subsequent hot water extraction verses the recovery from the carpet maintained only with low moisture cleaning methods. As mentioned, the first will be slightly discolored and the second recovery will likely be black.

Test number one proves the need for periodic flushing and extraction of embedded soil and chemical residue from the base of a carpet. It demonstrates an advanced capacity to contact (to a greater degree) the areas of inaccessible carpet soil. Low moisture processes only contact the upper echelons of the carpet fiber and prove inferior in flushing soil accumulation and contamination from the lower inaccessible regions of the carpet or base.

2. Proof of increased soil removal is a concern in the residential market. Pet owners with children are troubled with infants ingesting any possible contamination. To protect the safety and health of infants who might contact pet urine, feces and blood, home owners often demand use of a flushing process.

After all, would you insert your fingers deep into the carpet of a previous pet diarrhea accident that had been surface cleaned with a brush or towel, and then conduct what would be a gross - taste test? What if the same child’s fingers contacted cleaning chemical residue and ingested it?

3. A white towel blotting test can also substantiate soil removal capabilities. Parents of small children dressed in white jump suits or pants often notice the clothes are soiled from crawling on a daycare carpet. And certainly, a small amount of this soil can be ingested.

After a thorough vacuuming of carpet being maintained by a low moisture process, dampen and fold a white towel, and lightly scrub the carpet. Yes, it will turn dark with residual soil. Now conduct the same test on a carpet that was pre-vacuumed, pre-conditioned, agitated and then extracted with high-temperature hot water until the recovery water was clear.

As our previous article stresses, maximum recovery must be enhanced by downward pressure on the wand or vacuum head. Or, a rotary extraction head can apply additional weight. A damp white towel rubbed across the dry carpet will normally show insignificant soiling.

Granted, hot water extraction cannot make the claim of 100% soil removal, due to the nature of carpet fabric and backings. However, the above tests will substantiate a superior removal rate for hot water extraction by following the IICRC guidelines accompanied with a tight extraction vacuum seal.

Certainly hot water extraction is prone to the highest level of wicking or delayed browning. Why do you suppose the process is problematic? Because elevated pressure rinsing and removal reaches to the deepest level of the carpet to flush soil and chemical residues.

Consequently, capillary action triggers soil trapped at the base of the carpet to wick to the surface. The beneficial reaction is that it is being transferred from the inaccessible areas to the accessible. Now an acidic rinse or low moisture encapsulation cleaning can remove the freshly deposited soil from the fiber tips, leaving impressive results.

As my previous article pointed out, a major mistake of technicians using hot water extraction is the failure to apply downward pressure on the wand or extraction head to force it into the carpet. This action accommodates simultaneous and improved recovery rates. Low moisture cleaning is excellent for interim appearance maintenance, as long as a professional hot water extraction is not indefinitely omitted.

Gary Clipperton is President of National Pro Clean in Colorado Springs, Colorado and an industry veteran of over 40-years with consulting services, carpet cleaning training programs, videos and software.

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7/25/2019 02:21:07 am

thanks for sharing

The Wicking Bugaboo

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