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Standard Hot Water Extraction Service

SOP Process Updated Jun 19, 2026 · Carpet Cleaning

Purpose

Define the standard hot-water-extraction (truck-mount or portable) carpet cleaning service for residential customers. Consistent execution produces consistent dry times, consistent stain removal, and consistent customer outcomes - which is what generates repeat business in a service most homeowners only book 1 - 2 times per year.

Scope

Applies to:

  • Wall-to-wall residential carpet of any commonly-installed fiber (nylon, polyester, PET, wool)
  • Standard residential traffic-area cleaning
  • Includes spot pre-treatment + post-cleaning grooming

Excludes specialty work (water-damage extraction, mold remediation, area-rug-only work, commercial low-moisture systems) - those have separate SOPs.

Responsibilities

  • Dispatcher confirms square footage + carpet type at booking; flags any wool or stain-resistant treated carpets
  • Lead technician runs the protocol + customer briefing
  • Customer is briefed on dry time + furniture protectors before crew leaves

Procedure

  1. Customer briefing. "Standard cleaning takes about 30 - 45 minutes per room. Expect 4 - 8 hours of dry time depending on room ventilation. Walk in only with socks for the first 2 hours."
  2. Pre-inspect. Walk every room with the customer. Identify and note (with photos):
  • Stains needing pre-treatment (red food dye, oil-based, pet)
  • Areas with crushed pile that may not fully recover
  • Existing carpet damage (burns, tears, seams) - pre-document to avoid blame
  1. Move furniture. Light pieces ON; heavy pieces (sofas, beds) cleaned around. Tag any pieces you move with the original position via tape arrows or photos.
  2. Vacuum thoroughly. Extraction without pre-vacuuming spreads soil instead of removing it. Both directions, slow passes, the full area.
  3. Pre-treat traffic areas + stains. Cationic pre-spray for general soil; specific chemistry for tough stains (alkaline for pet, solvent for oil). Dwell time per chemical label - usually 3 - 5 minutes.
  4. Agitate with a grooming brush or counter-rotating brush machine. Mechanical agitation lifts soil to where extraction can remove it.
  5. Extract. Hot water (~210 °F at the unit, ~180 °F at the wand for truck-mount), wand passes overlapping by 50 %. Slow forward stroke, dry stroke back. Continue until extraction water runs clear.
  6. Set up air movers in each cleaned room. Most jobs benefit from 1 - 2 air movers running during the entire visit, not just at the end.
  7. Furniture protection. Place foam blocks or plastic tabs under every furniture leg in cleaned areas. Furniture set back on damp carpet without protectors stains the carpet at the leg contact point.
  8. Final groom. Light grooming with a carpet rake leaves uniform pile direction and signals to the customer "the job is done."
  9. Customer walk-through. Show before-and-after photos of treated stains, confirm the work meets their expectation, hand over invoice + dry-time reminder card.

Acceptance Criteria

  • All areas booked for cleaning are visibly cleaner than at start
  • Extraction water runs clear by end of cleaning each area
  • Furniture protectors in place under every cleaned-around piece
  • Air movers running during the customer walk-through
  • Customer signs the field report after the walk-through

Wool carpet requires neutral-pH chemistry (5.5 - 7.5). Standard high-alkaline pre-sprays will cause cellulosic browning or wool fiber damage - visible and irreversible after a couple of days. ALWAYS confirm fiber type before chemical application. When in doubt, burn-test a single fiber: wool smells like burning hair, synthetic smells like burning plastic.

References

  • IICRC S100 Standard for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings
  • Manufacturer chemical product labels

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