The document provides instructions for carpet cleaning using a carpet extractor. It lists the necessary supplies which include a carpet extractor, spotting chemical, pre-spray chemical, pump sprayer, and vacuum cleaner. The cleaning steps are to vacuum, pre-treat spots, apply pre-spray chemical, extract with hot water using a box-and-wand or self-contained extractor, and allow 8-12 hours to dry. Detailed instructions are given for using each type of extractor, involving forward and backward passes with solution and vacuum to clean and dry the carpet thoroughly.

1. Page 1
What You Will Need:
Points to Remember… These items can be rented or purchased:
 Clean your carpet with hot water
 A carpet extractor – either a box-and-wand , or a self-contained
extraction, the process recommended
 A spotting chemical to pre-treat spots and stains (usually in a 1 quart container)
by most carpet manufacturers.
 A white rag used to transfer spots and stains during pre-treating.
 A pre-spray chemical to clean the carpet (usually in a 1 gallon container)
 In the extraction process, a  A pump sprayer to apply the pre-spray chemical onto the carpet before extraction.
cleaning chemical is first sprayed  A vacuum cleaner to remove debris from carpet before cleaning.
onto the carpet to emulsify the soil.  A box fan or blower fan to assist in drying the carpet.
Then a machine is used to inject hot
water into the carpet under pressure
and a powerful vacuum removes the Carpet Cleaning Steps:
water, along with the suspended soil.
 Remove any furniture from the room. Find a suitable place to store the furniture,
you will not be able to replace it for 8-12 hours.
 A carpet extractor is a machine
with a clean solution tank and a  Vacuum the carpet to remove dry soil and debris. Vacuum thoroughly in both
recovery tank. A pump injects water directions, making several passes each way.
into the carpet and a vacuum
removes (extracts) the water. A wand  Pre-treat any spots or stains with a carpet spotting chemical. Allow the chemical
or vacuum shoe pulled across the to sit for five minutes, and then press a white towel onto the spot. Do not rub the
carpet recovers the water. Jets stain as this can cause it to spread.
placed behind the wand or vacuum
 Mix the cleaning chemical (pre-spray) according to label directions in the pump
shoe spray the water into the carpet
sprayer. Use hot water because it “excites” the chemical so that it works more
under pressure.
effectively.
 There are two types of carpet  Spray the chemical solution onto the carpet using the pump sprayer. Spray an
extractors that can be rented: (1) the even mist so that the entire carpet is wet, but not saturated.
Box-and-Wand style, or the (2) Self-
contained style.  Allow the chemical ten minutes of dwell time or contact time on the carpet so
that it has time to emulsify the soil.
 Fill the extractor’s solution tank with hot water.
 With either type of extractor (box-and-wand or self-contained) start at the far end
1 2 of the room and work backwards towards the door. Although the process is
basically the same regardless of which type of machine you are using, detailed
instructions for each type of extractor can be found on the next page.
 Allow 8-12 hours for your carpet to  Once you have finished the extraction process, the last step is to allow the
dry before replacing furniture. Wet carpet to dry. Drying times can be decreased by the use of fans, air
carpet can cause metal feet to rust conditioning or open windows.
(causing new stains on your carpet)
or fabric to mildew.

2. Page 2
Using a Box-and-Wand Extractor
a) With both the solution pump and vacuum ON, depress the valve trigger on the wand so that water is coming
through the jets.
b) Pull the wand straight backward on the carpet about 2-4 feet.
c) Release the valve trigger so that ONLY the vacuum is operating.
d) Push the wand straight forward covering the same area (to remove more moisture)
e) Shift the wand sideways for the next backward pass, overlapping the previous pass by approximately two
inches.
f) Repeat this process moving left-to-right (or right-to-left) across the room, and then continue back towards the
near end of the room until the area is finished.
Using a Self-contained Extractor
a) With both the solution pump and vacuum ON, depress the valve trigger on the handle so that water is
coming through the jets.
b) Pull the machine backwards slowly, making a pass the entire length or width of the room.
Note: If the self-contained machine has a brush, you should turn it on when making the cleaning pass and turn it off when
making the drying (vacuum only) pass.
c) Release the trigger so that ONLY the vacuum is operating and move the machine forward to the original
starting point.
d) Move the machine backward again over the same area with only the vacuum on to remove more moisture.
e) Shift the extractor to the left (or right) so that it overlaps the area that you have already done by about
two inches and move it back to the original starting point.
f) Depress the triggers again and repeat this process until the entire area is done.