The carpet cleaning industry has remained relatively unchanged for many years. Most carpet cleaners are still using the steam carpet cleaning system, which is a brilliant way to clean a carpet. The times are numbered for this procedure however. This article will explore both reasons why this procedure will soon be eliminated and a few potential replacement carpet cleaning procedures. The first factor that will cause the downfall of steam cleaning refers to truck mounted steam cleaning techniques. Truck mounted machines are your best option for this type of cleaning given that they produce more heat and vacuuming power. They can do this because they're powered by gasoline engines. The same engines that give them all of this power are one of their biggest problems. These engines burn up to 2 gallons of fuel per hour and the exhaust from these machines just isn't regulated. This makes the exhaust considerably more contaminated than what a vehicle engine produces. Just think about all of these truck mounted machines out there, wasting gas and spewing out pollutants. Some day, a government agency will step in and stop it, they have to. A Second reason that will lead to the elimination of steam cleaning is H2O. Water is becoming a major issue in this county, with more and more residential areas on water restrictions. Already, we see car washes having to recycle water. Steam cleaning employs, on average, 50 gallons of water to get finish a 5 room house. This translates into the average carpet cleaner, cleaning 5 houses per day, wasting 250 gallons of water. Multiply this by the amount of carpet cleaners out there cleaning and it becomes very apparent that it is a huge quantity of water being wasted. Since recycling water is not a viable option for carpet cleansing, the only solution is to eliminate steam cleaning. This may be far fetched, but think of that community on stage 4 water restrictions faced with the possibility of completely running out of water. They will do anything necessary. So, now that we know this cleaning method will some day be eliminated, what method is out there that can take its place. After all, carpets can still get dirty. The good news is that there are various low moisture carpet cleaning methods already available. Carpet cleaners will just need to adapt to using different procedures. Let's look at what else is available. The second most popular cleansing method is bonnet cleaning which involves the usage of a cleaner sprayed on a carpet and agitation. The cleaner is rinsed with some sort of cotton or synthetic bonnet. This method uses only a few gallons of moisture to clean and seems like the ideal choice. The problem is that all of those bonnets need to be washed, so while this method preserves fuel, it wastes nearly just as much water as steam cleaning. The good news is, there are two real solutions to the problem. methods that employ little moisture and waste little energy. One is called encapsulation, also known as shampoo cleaning. This involves the usage of a cleaner that is created to absorb soil and then dry to a brittle, easily removable crystal. It is sprayed on the carpet, agitated and can then be later removed through vacuuming. Another method is called dried powder cleaning and it involves the usage of a pre-spray applied to the carpeting, followed by the application of semi moist powder. The powder is worked into the carpet, absorbs the soil and is then vacuumed from the carpeting. The powder is made from all natural, renewable and biodegradable substances. As you can see, there are many reasons that steam cleaning is on its way out. Carpet will still need to be cleaned though, so other methods will have to take its place. Ultimately, it will be a great thing for the environment and all of our health. .