Carpet cleaning: What is Agitation?

Agitation is one of those funny words with multiple meanings. Most of the time, we refer to it in the context of being annoyed or bothered. However, when it comes to carpet cleaning, things couldn’t be more different! To agitate is to shake up or vigorously move something, and it happens to be a very important step of the process we use when cleaning carpets.

Agitation is good for your carpet

To put it simply, carpet agitation is the act of loosening soil and other particles that are clinging to it, prior to being cleaned. This makes it easier for the carpet to be rid of excess dirt and germs that might have otherwise been missed! We do something very similar when we wash our hands.Think about it for a second: when we wash our hands, we put soap on them, and as we run them under water, we rub them together. Here’s another example: if you’re washing your car: you grab a sponge and briefly soak it in a bucket of soap. Then, you take that same sponge and agitate the paint of your car by rubbing the sponge against it to get all the suds and cleaning solution in.

Both of these examples apply the same principle that carpet agitation uses, which is to clean every layer—not just the top! If we didn’t agitate prior to cleaning, and simply applied cleaning product and then rinsed off (be it a car, our hands, or our carpet) it might not look too different at first. That is, unless you inspected below the surface, and you could see the dirt and particles that were still hanging around!

Here at E&B, we use a mechanical agitator to get the job done, be it for your carpet, upholstery, rugs, or flooring. Our machine essentially massages deep down, which helps to spread around the cleaning chemicals that we apply. When all is said and done, you’ll have a completely clean surface!

Still curious about agitation and what it can do for your carpet or floors? Give us a call—we’re happy to answer any questions and provide a free estimate for your St. Louis home or business!

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