The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-05
CARPETS CLEANED BY STEAM.


How Stains. Dirt and vermIa Are Rs-
moved from the Floor Coverings.
81 want this carpet thoroughly cleaned
. steam cleaned. mind you said the Gus
( toner. upon whom a reporter had called .
| few days ago. Nothing short OF steam.
/ am sure, viii take out the grease spots
I from il n
/ Madam. - replied the upholsterer. with
faint smile, Il know Of no process for
steaming carpets
/ But you advertise'-
IL advertise, as all other dealers IN my
/ line do, 10 clean carpets by steam. The
| phrase Is always employed in the business.
Z though il naturally occasions some mis-
understanding. People almost invariably
suppose that the steam cleaning OF car
pets and rugs is performed by the direct
application OF steam % the fabrics. where
as, a matter OF fact, the only connection
il has with the process is to run a station
airy engine that supplies the power for the
work. That is all carpet cleaning by steam
means
How then is the work done. pray"
1T is simply a process Of beating carpets
by steam power that il all Being done
by machinery IL is more thoroughly ex-
ecuted :han II can be done by person with
a club. All il pretends 20 accomplish IL
the shaking out OF the dust"
But suppose there should be any YER
mini"
They will probably remain undisturbed,
particularly if the nap Of the carpet or rug
is long and thick
And the grease spots"'
1.-THE steam cleaning process makes no
pretense Of taking them out, allit removes
Is the dust"
80 that is the reason why my steam
cleaned carpets have always come out with
the old grease spots after a few weeks Of
use?"
Certainly. madam. The grease still re-
mains in the fabrics, and ~ soon as Il has
had time to gather dust it shows 10 again "
We'll. that does seem 10 me almost n
swindlel But tell me what the process
you speak Of actually is"
The steam cleaning Of carpets Is dons
in huge octsgonal cylinders Of Stats made
to revolve rapidly by a stsam engine Pro-
jecting shelves inside the cylinders and
running their whole length keep the car
pets bouncing around violently all the
time, while the revolving boxes wbirl and
every particle Of dust rs Knocked out OF the
material by the action Of centrifugal force.
That is ali there is 90 the business; II is
simply mechanical improvement on the
ColOred gentleman and his club.
But why do you call that sort Of carpet
beating steam cleaning when you know
that IL deceives people"
Simply because every one else does,
madam, and II we did not the public
would suppose that we were not up 10
the most advanced ethodR OF our trade "
Goodness mer' exclaimed the customer
as there then no way Of having the greass
spots taken out Of ones carpetf"
"Oh, yes responded the upholsterer.
"If yOu like you can have your carpets
washed. Leave one here and a workman
Of ours will first spread IL out on the floor
and cover IL, "a II he were going 20 shave
il, with a thick lather made from n Kind
Of soap specially manufactured for the pur-
pose. After the lathcr has all been taken
of with tin scrspers the carpet will be en-
tirely free from grease II will he easier
20 perform the operation without taking
the carpet up by sending cur employe 70
your house
what does It cost to clean a carpet in
this wayf"
Fifteen cents yard. madam"
That seems a good deal 90 pay. though
70 my min II l. less o. gougs than thu
bogus steam cleaning process you have
described 20 me. But does this washing II
the carpet dispose OF verminp
Not az all To get rid 81 thrm You
must have your carpet renovated ~ We
call ~. That r. 20 say 70 must b. put
through = special process, the object %
which j. 20 kill All living things ia IL. Oh
serve that great box over there. a. big a.
ar ordinary room II f. Of iron, and inside
e g. surrounded With coils % ri -. through
which hot air can b. pumped by an engine
below. In this way the ten p@rAturs inside
that box can easily be raised 70 30 degu.
Fahrenheit. But 80 deas Is suelcient 70
destroy al living organisrDs. suppozs that
a set % faruiturs l. cent down here b. its
owner with information 70 the eject that
verruin had got into H. We simply pat 10
IN that ir0a vault, slide % the door. turn
OF the hot air. and within twelve hours ths
trouble with that set Of furniture Is abso-
lutslY cured The hot air has 20 b. abso-
lutely dry IA The Dor In order 20 do the
work az that temperature. Mattress.
CARPETS. curtains. sverythiaR Ia short. THAI
furnishes a house We treat in this way f0r
the killing q anything thst - no1iouA
Renovation il a sugksmisilc term for the
process
80 it wsuid SEEM thst The bushes q
getting carpet really aBd truly cisa1ed.
in every seDse u TIE word, u pretty ex-
peusivs AFFAIR.""
Not 20 very ~ al events. y you havs
your carpets or TuEs Erst bea,Ss b. stsaaa.
bert wsAhsd ana finally 'rsDovata5' Jon
are reasonably sure ths, they will - cisaa.
AID The sGpenss will cot b. more than
twenty Eve cents yard Al tbs 0utA.dsL -
" AsEinytos star.