How to Do a Water Extraction Pass
A cleaning method commonly used to remove stains from both carpet and upholstery is water extraction. Most carpet cleaning machines use the water extraction method. They first spray water onto the stained carpet, agitate it with brushes and then suck the stain and the dirty water up into the reservoir of the machine.
What You'll Need:
- Pre-treatment stain remover
- Water extraction machine
- Carpet detergent
- Clean the room of all items before you begin the process. Vacuum the carpet as well.
- Spray the area with pre-treatment stain remover. Apply it directly to the stains as instructed on the packaging. You will typically need to let the stain remover penetrate the stain for several minutes before proceeding.
- Fill up the extraction machine reservoir with water and add the detergent into the dispenser, if you desire. Reinstall the water container as well as the detergent dispenser to the steam machine.
- Run the machine forward in straight lines while you are also pulling the trigger to spray water onto the carpet.
- Begin slowly pulling the machine backwards in a straight line in order to allow the brushes to scrub the area and extract the dirty water from the carpet.
- Using clean water and detergent, spray the area again by pushing the machine forward in a straight line while pulling the trigger. Then pull backwards in a line to extract the dirty water.
- Repeat this process for each area until you are satisfied with the results.
- If you wish to perform a water extraction pass without using any carpet detergent, select the "water only" option on the base of your machine.