Contract Cleaners Find Low-Moisture Methods Effective For Interim Carpet Care, Maintenance

The first part of this three-part article focuses on the rising popularity of low-moisture carpet care.

Low-moisture carpet cleaning has come a long way. In a part of the industry that was predicated on hot-water extraction just a dozen years ago, low-moisture methods are now commonly accepted and even preferred for some applications.

“When we started, low-moisture [carpet cleaning] was really the red-headed step child of the cleaning industry,” says Lonnie McDonald. Based in Grandview, Missouri, McDonald is president of the Low Moisture Carpet Cleaners Association (LMCCA), a nonprofit aimed at increasing knowledge of low-moisture carpet cleaning methods.

In the past, cleaning industry members looked at low-moisture carpet cleaning and said, “it’s just moving dirt around.” But low-moisture carpet cleaning has gained popularity, and, in McDonald’s experience, is effective both as a maintenance system and as the only cleaning method needed for some carpets.

Today, most building service contractors have some type of low-moisture cleaning system in their carpet cleaning arsenal, says McDonald. Low-moisture has many advantages over hot-water extraction, including low-cost equipment, short training times, higher margins, a lesser impact on the environment and less time a customer must stay off the carpeting.

For most BSCs and their customers, however, low-moisture cleaning should supplement rather than replace hot-water extraction.

“Low moisture methods are not going to remove as much soil initially; (but) they’re going to maintain the carpet with fewer problems and keep your office carpet looking great,” says Rick Gelinas, owner of Excellent Supply in St. Petersburg, Florida, and a founding member of LMCCA.