If there's one piece of equipment that cleaning crews often neglect, it's the carpet extractor. Yet, it's easy to maintain after each use, and it only takes a few minutes. Let's look at a procedure that will simplify your preventative maintenance. You'll also find a downloadable PDF at the bottom of the page to view the procedure, if you wish.
Let's learn to identify the parts of a belt extractor and the critical points
The electric wire
- Never pull the wire remotely.
- In addition, keep the cord away from any heat source, and keep your hands dry when using the device.
- After each use, make sure the wire is still in good condition. If not, have it repaired before the next use.
The brush
- First, vacuum before washing the carpet. This will prevent many problems.
- Next, after use, check the brush and remove any threads that may have remained attached to it.
- Furthermore, turn off your equipment if you see that a carpet fiber has become caught in the brush during washing.
The vats
- Take the time to check the correct dosage of the products. Overdosing could damage your equipment. Where can you find this information? On the label of the gallon of product. Otherwise, ask your household cleaning products representative for the technical data sheet for the carpet cleaner.
- You will also find an article about the dilution of household cleaning products here.
- You will have 2 tanks: one that contains the clean solution, and one that collects the dirty water.
- At the end of the work, empty both tanks. Also, leave the lid open as much as possible to prevent mold growth.
The guts and sleeves
- After emptying both tanks, rinse them thoroughly. Rinse the dirty water tank in particular until the water runs completely clear.
- Next, wipe the handle and rinse the inside to remove all dirt.
- Sometimes, water stops flowing from the mouthpiece. This is usually caused by dirt. In this case, unscrew the head to remove any debris.
- Finally, clean the outside of the equipment, then let everything dry in a well-ventilated area.
PLEASE NOTE:
Consult the operator's manual for more details on maintaining your equipment. While the points above apply to most extractors, each model has its own specific features.
Preventive maintenance on portable extractors
- The same points as above apply.
- However, be sure to wind the wire securely. Also, use the equipment as intended by the manufacturer for the warranty to apply.
As a complement to this text, we suggest you follow the spring cleaning training in which you will learn how to properly handle a carpet extractor and the portable extractor. During this training, you will be asked to use the different equipment yourself and the trainer will ensure that your technique is perfect!
DOWNLOAD THE REMINDER SHEET IN PDF:
Preventive maintenance on carpet and portable extractors
Additional articles to this article
- Prevent, repair or change the equipment?
- Maintaining a scrubber
- Types of scrubbers and their maintenance
- Preventive maintenance of pure water washing equipment
- Preventive maintenance of equipment and accessories
