Low moisture extraction cleaning (Most commonly known as dry foam) is a minimum moisture Cleaning system. The foam is generated by mechanical aeration and is distributed via a mechanical brush system. Some systems are self-contained and the cleaning process, that cleans carpet as well as extracts the soil-laden foam, is done simultaneously in a single forward pass. Other systems generate foam and then require a separate wet vacuuming process. Depending on soil conditions and carpet type, one filling of the tank can clean approximately 500-700 square feet of carpet.
The machine is operated in a forward direction at 12 to 20 feet per minute, resulting in 500 to 1,200 square feet per hour cleaned. A cleaning pass is made by turning on the motor and foam switch located in the control panel of the handle. At the end of the pass, an overlap of 1” is made on the next pass.
The 13” brush has approximately 11,000 bristles that loosen soil as well as lift the carpet pile. The suspended soil is then removed through the vacuum channel, which is located directly behind the brush. The soil-laden foam is then broken down into a liquid state using an automatically dispensed defoamer while it is being deposited into the self-contained recovery tank.
On heavily soiled, spotted areas, a forward backward “scrubbing” motion can be applied to loosen and remove stubbornly soiled areas. Carpets are generally dry in one to two hours depending upon the operator and ambient humidity conditions.
