One of the steps most frequently overlooked when it comes to hotel carpet cleaning has nothing to do with the actual carpet extraction process at all. But it has everything to do with what cleaning task should be performed before carpets are cleaned, and that is vacuuming.

Sometimes housekeepers assume because they're using an advanced carpet extraction system, vacuuming the carpet before cleaning isn't necessary. This is actually quite common with carpet cleaning technicians as well. Yet its' a very serious oversight. More than three-quarters of the soil in a carpet is dry and can be easily removed with effective vacuuming.

If not removed, once the extractor injects moisture into the carpet, there is the potential for the dry soil to become a form of mud. Most carpet cleaning machines were never designed to remove mud.

One reason the appearance can be impaired is something called “wicking.” This occurs as the carpet is drying and the moisture is evaporating. Water rises to the surface, bringing with it deeply embedded soils or chemical residue not removed in the extraction process. As this occurs, the tips of the carpet fibers become dark or brown.

On a cut-pile carpet, which is typically a blend of synthetic fibers and the most likely type in guestrooms, an upright, preferably twin-motor vacuum cleaner should be used to remove the soil and prevent wicking and browning.

Housekeepers should always use slow, overlapping strokes. Pay particular attention to heavily soiled areas. Very often, these are darkened areas of the carpet due to the soiling, as well as heavily trafficked areas. Be sure the vacuum filter bags are less than two-thirds full; any fuller and it can reduce the chance of vacuuming up the maximum amount of dry soil from the carpet.

*Mark Baxter is an engineer and product manager for U.S. Products, a manufacturer of professional carpet cleaning, restoration, and floor care equipment.