A system quickly gaining ground and popularity in the commercial marketplace is encapsulation cleaning. There are many variations in equipment. Most machines use either cylindrical or rotary type brushes. The key principle here is agitating the solution in to the carpet using polymer technology, with the ability to surround and crystallize soils. The polymer technology coats the fiber, so soils will not be attracted by any sticky residues. After drying, the crystallized soil is HEPA-vacuumed from the carpet. Encapsulation quickly gives carpet a good appearance, which is critical in a commercial environment. This system saves time, material and labor.

Wicking is a problem of the past with encapsulation cleaning. The polymer is great at stopping wicking. Fans of encapsulation systems will tell you the carpet will stay cleaner longer from the polymer coating. There are also encapsulation products that contain carpet protector.

There are several variations of this method. What is termed general bonnet cleaning is also called absorbent pad cleaning. This is a minimum-moisture method used on many different types of carpets and fibers. Bonnet cleaning is used in commercial and residential environments for fast, effective cleaning in addition to ultra fast drying capabilities. Having carpet cleaned and dry quickly is of major concern; wet carpet can becomes a safety issue where slips and falls are concerned, not to mention issues that relate to re-soiling of the carpet in addition to areas that cannot be accessed during the drying period. A detergent solution is applied to the carpet and extracted using an absorbent pad/bonnet attached to a drive block, usually on a low-speed 175-RPM floor machine.

Many professionals perform bonnet cleaning at higher speeds to achieve greater results in addition to faster production and use a 300-RPM machine. You must have experience and understand where to use and not use higher-RPM bonnet cleaning. Lubrication will be key in addition to bonnet selection to avoid creating texture changes or fiber damage during the cleaning process.

Note: this is not only in high-speed bonnet cleaning; an untrained operator can damage carpet or improperly clean carpet with any system.