Restorative Carpet Cleaning Test –

(Please circle the one correct answer).

1. Inspecting the carpet prior to cleaning is important because:

a. It helps you find damage that is not cleanable.

b. It helps you determine how fast the carpet will dry.

c. You can see if anyone has left any money on the carpet.

d. You will know exactly how many machine passes will be required.

2. Establishing the cleaning difficulty before starting will help:

a. Determine how many coffee breaks you will need.

b. Identify manpower and procedures that will be required.

c. Establish if you need walk off mats placed on adjoining tile.

d. Determine if you will need extension cords.

3. Pre-inspection of the soiled carpet will help you:

a. Determine how long it has been since it was last cleaned.

b. Decide if air handlers (fans) should be used to dry the carpet.

c. Compile a mental list of the equipment, chemicals and supplies needed.

d. Identify the carpet warranty specifications.

4. When pre-planning the job it helps to:

a. Decide if the carpet should be cleaned at pH 7 or pH 8.

b. Check the room temperature to make sure it is set on 72 degrees.

c. Soak a sample of the carpet with water and observe what happens.

d. Arrange supplies and equipment with everything at hand so the job doesn’t stop repeatedly.

5. One of the best reasons to vacuum a carpet thoroughly prior to cleaning is:

a. Most of the hidden sand and silica can be removed prior to wet cleaning.

b. Some carpets look better when groomed with a beater bar and brush.

c. It helps remove oily soils such as grease.

d. It removes static electricity from the fibers.

6. Grooming the fibers prior to cleaning:

a. Helps restore some of the original color to the carpet.

b. Corrects and lifts crushed and matted fibers so the vacuuming and cleaning process will be more thorough.

c. Restores fibers that are worn or burnt.

d. Makes the carpet look more beautiful before you start cleaning.

7. If too much soil and dirt is left in the carpet prior to cleaning, what may happen?

a. The soil will neutralize all carpet cleaning chemicals.

b. An acidic rinse will always be required.

c. The dirt may turn to mud when water is added, making the job harder.

d. The room may become a dust storm while extracting.

8. An extraction cleaning agent:

a. Works better when used straight instead of diluted.

b. Can be impossible to rinse more than 20% from the carpet.

c. Normally removes chewing gum and tar.

d. Dissolves and suspends soils during the cleaning process.

9. Chemical safety is important because:

a. Some products may injure a worker or damage the carpet.

b. Extraction cleaning agents are highly explosive.

c. You should wear a respirator while cleaning spots with bleach.

d. You have to experiment with mixing several different chemicals in order to clean difficult areas.

10. Mixing the proper amount of carpet extraction cleaner or pre-conditioner is important because it will affect the cleaning results?

a. False

b. True

c. It doesn’t matter

11. Proper knowledge and use of carpet cleaning agents and spot removers will:

a. Help you understand how to mix them together for better results.

b. Help you understand that all spots and all stains can always be removed.

c. Help you to better understand how to apply solvents to tar and gum and acid base spotters to coffee and water stains.

d. Help you to learn how to use them for cleaning restrooms and desks.

12. A pre-treatment of soiled areas works best:

a. To soften difficult build up.

b. To allow dwell time for the detergent to dissolve soils.

c. To obtain maximum penetration by soaking the fiber 15-20 minutes.

d. All of the above.

13. If you pre-spray a carpet cleaner on the carpet and then let it dry:

a. It evaporates and reduces the cleaning abilities.

b. It helps the cleaning operation.

c. It doesn’t matter one way or the other.

14. Is it necessary to clean heavy soil at a slower rate?

a. Not always, just clean all areas at the same rate.

b. Yes, clean heavy soil at a much slower rate.

c. It depends if there is a lot of sand in the carpet.

15. Should spotters and strong cleaning agents always be applied prior to extraction?

a. It doesn’t matter.

b. No, leave the chemical on the carpet after cleaning so it can keep on working.

c. Yes, to remove as much as possible to reduce chemical residues from attracting soil later.

16. Should heavily soiled carpet be agitated after the cleaning solution has been applied?

a. No, a good cleaning agent should dissolve the soil without agitation.

b. No, extract first and then agitate to groom the carpet.

c. No, a good rinse will always remove heavy soil without agitation.

d. Yes, a pre-scrub distributes cleaning agents and dislodges soil from the carpet.

17. Do heavy traffic areas accumulate more soil and require cleaning more often?

a. Yes, more traffic equals more soil.

b. No, always treat all areas the same to ensure uniformity.

c. It doesn’t matter because the carpet will soon wear out and require replacement.

d. Only if the soil is dry and not greasy.

18. Is agitation normally required to loosen difficult soil?

a. It depends if the carpet fiber is nylon or olefin.

b. Yes, it is a necessary part of the wash cycle.

c. Check first the instructions for the extraction cleaner being used.

d. No, a pre-spray will loosen all the soil without agitation.

19. Progressive agitation is important because:

a. Thorough scrubbing helps the carpet dry faster.

b. It saves on cleaning chemicals.

c. It will pre-condition and dissolve heavy soils more efficiently.

d. It eliminates the need to pre-inspect the carpet.

20. Agitation:

a. Should be adjusted to match the soil condition.

b. Should be light on delicate fabrics and light soil.

c. Should be as gentle as necessary, yet as aggressive as necessary.

d. All of the above.

21. Inspection and maintenance of a carpet extractor:

a. Should be performed only when a machine is not operating correctly.

b. Should only be performed by a factory representative.

c. Should be performed to make sure jets, filters and screens are clean before starting.

d. Should be performed so the boss is impressed.

22. Is it necessary to adjust the cleaning factors when you first start?

a. Not if you have made sure you followed all the cleaning product directions.

b. Yes, if the soil is heavier than anticipated.

c. No, machines and chemicals are pre-adjusted for all conditions.

d. Yes, so the extraction machine is not overloaded.

23. The TACT cleaning formula stands for:

a. Time, Agitation, Concentration and Temperature.

b. Temperature, Agitation, Concentration and Testing.

c. Testing, Atmosphere, Condensation and Timing.

d. Trial and error, Accidents, Collisions and Testing.

24. The TACT cleaning formula can be adjusted:

a. So it will shorten the drying cycle.

b. So that the machines will require less electricity.

c. So that the use of extension cords can be eliminated.

d. So that if one item is weak or deficient, the others can be increased.

25. Should the extractor be run at different speeds?

a. Yes, to save on electricity.

b. No, clean all carpet evenly at the same rate.

c. Yes, to correspond with the soiling conditions.

d. Yes, so you don’t skip any spots

26. How do you tell if nearly all the soil has been extracted from the carpet?

a. By the appearance of the carpet.

b. By the color of the returned soiled water.

c. By the removal of most spots

d. All of the above

27. Can most carpets be extracted with clear water only?

a. No

b. It doesn’t matter

c. Yes

28. Hot water works best on greasy soils:

a. Because hot water causes the grease to gel so it can be vacuumed later.

b. Because cold water has a high ph making it ineffective on grease.

c. Because it evaporates the grease into the air.

d. Because a higher temperature melts grease.

29. Why must the extractor water pressure and flow be adequate?

a. The water may cool off too fast.

b. Chemical concentrations require pressure to disperse.

c. It is the only effective way to flush soil from the carpet.

d. As long as the carpet looks clean, it doesn’t really matter.

30. It is important to leave the carpet as dry as possible when extracting:

a. so the color is not removed from the carpet.

b. so wick back of spots and browning is reduced.

c. so there is no static-electric charge left in the carpet.

d. so the operator does not ruin his or her shoes.

31. Is it important to maintain a high recovery rate with an extractor?

                     a. Yes, it improves soil removal.

                     b. No, machines are factory set.

                    c. No, recovery rates are not that important.

d. No, you’ll have to empty the machine more often.

32. Should you continue to extract a soiled area until the recovery water is clear or at least light colored?

a. Yes, because the carpet will dry faster.

b. No, the extractor will recover in one pass all the necessary soil.

c. No, it could remove the color from the carpet.

d. Yes, because it will ensure the cleaning operation is complete and thorough.

33. Is it important to overlap machine passes?

a. No, extractors are set up so they clean evenly from edge to edge.

b. No, it is duplication of effort.

c. Yes, because most self-contained extractors leave 1" to 3" of uncleaned edge.

d. Yes, so footprints do not show.

34. What happens when wet spots are left on the carpet after extracting?

a. It can remove the color from the carpet.

b. It can leave a dark shadow even after drying.

c. It will help disinfect and deodorize the carpet.

d. It will keep any mold from growing.

35. Are there benefits of dry toweling a wet spot or using a dry bonnet to buff the carpet immediately after extraction (assuming the carpet manufacturer allows bonnet cleaning)?

a. It reduces the drying time, improves the results and reduces wick-back.

b. It is not really necessary, because it takes so much extra time.

c. No, the bonnet must be very wet before it is run behind an extractor.

d. Running a bonnet behind extraction will eliminate all odors.

36. Is it important to accelerate the drying cycle after cleaning a carpet?

a. Yes, fans will prevent the color from fading.

b. No, extractors are designed for adequate drying time, regardless of number of passes made.

c. Only when the carpets contained chewing gum.

d. Yes, drying the carpet faster can reduce accidents and re-tracking.

37. Is there an easy way to identify if the carpet was thoroughly cleaned?

a. Yes, it will look darker when it is still wet.

b. It doesn’t matter as long as you have cleaned each area twice.

c. Yes, compare the previously soiled traffic lane with a clean edge.

d. No, many carpets re-soil the next day and don’t look much better.

38. A professional carpet technician:

a. Is entitled to a special arm patch that identifies his or her status.

b. Analyzes the results and makes corrections as necessary.

c. Can learn all the cleaning techniques on the job.

d. Will not require any on-going training once they have learned all the technical information.