How hot is too hot for area rugs? (Daily pic above)

As you indicate, the heat would be according to the fiber.

Wool can get up to 150 F at the carpet with no problem, some would say 170 F. Note that this is at the carpet after whatever heat loss in the hose and getting from the spray jet to the fiber.

Olefin won't melt until around 275 F but can soften at slightly over 200 degrees.

The issue is hardly ever the water temperature as much as the temperature of a hose, especially a qucik connect laying on the fiber for several minutes.

I set mine at 200atm for wool. That rug looks like a bleeder too. Especially the black next to the fringe like that.

I see he is wearing a jacket so the shop door may be opened and it could be cold outside to cause it to steam like that. Like when you get close to the door on a cold day. So his water temp may be normal but enviromental conditions may have an effect on the appearence.

I have cleaned rugs at around 200 degrees for many years with no issue, I would worry more about PH. But good topic.

Just a note that when we test if there is ANY possible chance for a rug to be a bleeder - we test it with HOT water, even though we clean with cool water.

Why? Because where a rug soaking in cool water may bleed right away, or in 20 minutes, or in 40, or maybe during the drying time ... I can't sit around a wait with a 24-hr dye test (damp cloth pressed against rug for a full day to see if anything wicks - by the way, that's the test they have in the rug certification exam, and I've only met one rug cleaner out of hundreds that uses that inefficient testing method... but that's another thread about a course complicating something that's much easier...).

No 24-hour test. We test with HOT water and pressing the area with a white cloth for 10-15 seconds. This will let me know if there is any possibility at all for it to bleed on us. We use hot water because if that dye is going to move - the higher temperature shows us that right away.

Heat moves the dyes if they are going to move on you. So hot water extracting a dyed wool rug can create a disaster.

High pH alkalinity (on an acid dye wool rug) also can move dyes on you ... do you want to clean neutral pH, or slightly acid. And if you do need the alkalinity - because it's super soiled - then you TEST the rug with that solution to see if you are going to have a problem. If not - you can use the high pH ... just be sure to bring it back to neutral range with a water or acid rinse because high pH residue left in a rug after multiple cleanings (especially if it's buffered) can create a bleeding problem in the future. Can't tell you how many times I've had cleaners surface clean rugs in the home at high pH, not able to rinse thoroughly, who tell me 1st or 2nd cleaning, no problem ... but on the 3rd it bled on them and they ruined it.

If you think high heat and wool mix well, try tossing your wife's wool sweater in a hot water wash, with high heat dry - and let me know how it turns out (IF you are still alive).

Thanks for the conversation Rob.

Lisa

Everything Lisa says is totally true and by the book. However, we generally use our portable dual vac system to extract area rugs in the shop but sometimes I'll fire up the truckmount if it's available and we need to get a lot of rugs done to catch up on a late night. Over 10 years of area rug cleaning now and using heat has not hurt a wool rug yet. Many of the rugs we get in here have been here several times too. I do believe that multiple cleanings with high heat and pressure will cause wear and damage to rug fibers as well as potential bleeding.

Our general rule is to neutralize after cleaning with regular PH prespray. Hand bonnet wool rugs and extract carefully and thoroughly without too much pressure. Take additional efforts to dry the rug quickly and efficiently.
Use moisture testers to determine the dryness and be sure to recommend to the customer not to leave the rug rolled up for any excessive length of time right after a cleaning.

I clean every residential carpet at 175 in the summer with about 100ft of hose does a great job for me every time, now on commercial i run upper around 225 to 240 and thats plenty of heat for the dirtyest job, no problems with carpet damage due to high heat to date. good luck.

Prespray with a mild alkaline, rinse with an acid at approximately 175 degrees... I have found that too much heat can distort wool...R

Lisa, that post you made was probably one of the best posts I have ever read about cleaning orientals. Everything you said was so true!!!

Thank you Ara.