What Is Carpet Encapsulation Cleaning and When to Use It

Encapsulation cleaning has become a go to method for commercial carpet because it cleans well and dries fast. If your facility has large areas of carpet that cannot be out of service for hours, it is worth understanding how encapsulation works.

How Encapsulation Works

An encapsulation chemical is sprayed onto the carpet and agitated in with a brush or pad machine. The polymers in the product surround, or encapsulate, each soil particle and dry into a brittle crystal. As the carpet dries, those crystals trap the soil, and ordinary vacuuming over the next day or two removes them. The result is clean carpet with very little moisture used.

Why Facilities Like It

• Fast drying, often 20 to 30 minutes, so areas reopen quickly
• Lower water use than hot water extraction
• Good for routine interim cleaning in offices, hotels and retail
• Less risk of over wetting and wicking stains

The Equipment

Encapsulation is applied with a sprayer and worked in with an orbital or cylindrical brush floor machine, or a counter rotating brush machine. The follow up cleaning is done with a quality commercial vacuum, which removes the encapsulated soil. Consistent vacuuming is what makes the method work.

Encapsulation vs Hot Water Extraction

Encapsulation shines for interim maintenance and high traffic lanes that need frequent attention. Hot water extraction with a carpet extractor goes deeper and is better for heavily soiled carpet and periodic restorative cleaning. Many facilities use both: encapsulation often, extraction a few times a year.

Getting Good Results

1. Vacuum thoroughly before applying the product
2. Do not over apply, since too much product can leave residue
3. Agitate evenly so the chemical reaches the fibers
4. Vacuum regularly afterward to remove the encapsulated soil

Encapsulation is a smart part of a commercial carpet program. Pair it with periodic extraction using our carpet extractors for a complete approach.