FAQ

  Carpet Cleaning Frequently Asked Questions

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FAQ

 

Table of Contents

Carpet / Furniture Cleaning Division

  1. How exactly do you clean carpets?
  2. Where can I find a reputable carpet cleaner?
  3. Why should I clean my carpets?
  4. Who should clean my carpets?
  5. What does it cost to professionally clean carpets?
  6. When should carpets be cleaned?

Janitorial FAQ Take this link, for lots more information.

How exactly do you clean carpets?

  • We use Hot Water Extraction for most cleaning requests.
  • On commercial accounts, we maintain carpets with the Encapsulation Bonnet Carpet Cleaning method.
  • Most carpets are cleaned with hot water extraction because it logically appears to be the best method. When carpets are dampened with adequate and not too much moisture, evaporation and wicking efficiently bring the soiling up and we are able to extract it. See the SPOT Extractor Primer, our new edition, or How HWE Works for more complete details. You may also see Our Info Sheet for details as well.
  • Occasionally your carpet might be sensitive to moisture and we will need to incorporate low-moisture methods such as the Encapsulation method given above. Other methods can be utilized such as solvent dry cleaning methods can clean, but most consumers elect to risk professionals to HWE because a more thorough cleaning takes place. Low moisture methods tend to only clean the upper “visible” tufts and you are left with lower finer dirt particles that build up and cause allergic reactions due to dust mite infestation or other air quality issues.
  • How long does it take for the cleaned carpets to dry Now That Your Carpets Were Cleaned…? Many helpful ideas are included on this recently composed article.

Where can I find reputable carpet cleaners?

  • We use and recommend that home owners and businesses use only certified cleaners, especially since such a reputable organization as the IICRC exists. Some individuals may be able to clean without this kind of certification, but we can’t imagine a true businessman who would reject the value of obtaining certification for his firm and himself.  The IICRC redirects inquiries for firms or master cleaners to http://www.iicrc.org/locate-a-certified-professional/ where you can find the pro certified to do whatever work you have need. Cleaners utilizing the web receive notice that you inquired from their community town or city, and are happy to respond promptly to your request.
  • You can also find other supports through the associations linked on the IICRC site. 

Why should I clean my carpets?

Cleaning your carpets is as important as cleaning your kitchen floor, or your bathroom.
Below are 3 very important reasons to clean your carpets:

  1. Clean for Health First !

    The average American spends over 20 hours a day inside a closed structure. We spend 90 percent of our lives in doors. The quality of our indoor air is far more important to us than ever before, because early 1970s energy conservation measures have sealed up those indoor spaces tighter than ever.

    As we stated at the start, the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended the average residential home be cleaned at least each 6 to 12 months, and more frequently for smokers, children or pets.

    Also, cleaning your carpets and upholstery is an even greater priority if any one in your home suffers from allergies, asthma, or other similar health problems.

  2. Clean for Stewardship

    Cleaning your carpet is the best way to preserve the investment made in your floor coverings. An investment of thousands of dollars can be extended from 5 to 10 years OR even more with proper maintenance of today’s modern synthetic textiles. Without deep and powerful extraction, sand and abrasive soils can destroy the supportive backings of carpets.

    Cleaning carpets is also becoming part of warranty coverage by many manufacturers. More than a dozen now recognize certified professional cleaners as an integral part of your carpet maintenance program. Applying fabric protection is suggested and highly recommended for lighter colored textiles, and also for all warranted products.

    We apply the most popular fabric protectors that are time-proven to work!

  3. Clean for Appearance

    The average carpet of one-half inch medium weight pile contains the soil-able surface area of probably 5 or 6 flat hard surface floors. Those “kitchen” floors receive thorough cleaning each week, and for some each day! It take considerable power, time, frequency and cleaning efficiency to properly maintain carpets comparably.

    Cleaning your carpets will restore the look of your carpets to near new condition.

    Claims have been made that high-pressure hot water cleaning drives dirt deeper with an implication it stays deep in or below the backings. While the hot water under pressure does displace soils from their undesired location, it is the evaporation - wicking process which actually lifts the dirt back to the carpet tips. When the water evaporates, the soil remains on the top and the “spot” returns. Professional carpet cleaners monitor the drying process and before they leave the cleaning site, can re-clean and thus extract soil traps, spots, and traffic lanes.

    Chemists inform us that the reactivity of cleaning detergents doubles every 18° beyond 118° C. Professional cleaning equipment producing over 195° at the source thus allows the chemicals to work 8 to 10 times greater than the heated tap water of portable extractors. Hot water is definitely the best factor for improving carpet cleaning effectiveness.

Who should clean your carpets?

Many home owners elect to clean their own carpets since professional carpet cleaning is not the cheapest option, but most home-owners soon realize ‘you truly get what you pay for’ in this profession. After one self-carpet-cleaning event, the true value of a competent carpet cleaning ‘pro’ well outweighs the cost. 10 Carpet Questions About Cleaning COSTS is a good article to read concerning this.
Getting disreputable firms to clean could cost you more money than getting the best pro to do it in the first place. Be careful when you look at advertisements. The IICRC has published some very useful information we have made available on our server for this purpose: Most of the following are uploaded right now as images in our Consumer Library. We will get PDFs to link below in the future as we improve our website! Thanks for visiting and READING this far!

  • Avoiding Scams
  • Cannot Beat
  • Proper Care
  • Extending Carpet by Choosing Right Cleaners
  • Also See our Consumer Awareness Page where you can hear our Consumer Awareness Message
  • Our Library Links Index:
  1.  bogus-allergy-claims…pdf 147 kB
  2.  carpet_cleaning_main…pdf 101 kB
  3.  eleven_essentials_fo…pdf 98 kB
  4.  myths-about-allergie…pdf 147 kB
  5.  consumer-awareness-a…pdf 95 kB
  6.  carpet_cleaning_scam…pdf 104 kB
  7.  cri-brochure16j12.pdf 2,069 kB
  8.  cri-_551_8-9-2016_40…pdf 51 kB
  9.  storm_damage_restora…pdf 120 kB
  10.  cri-primer_537_8-16-…pdf 1,323 kB
  11.  1of6-carpet_need_a_g…pdf 21 kB
  12.  2of6-make_sure_to_ca…pdf 19 kB
  13.  3of6-tips_for_prolon…pdf 19 kB
  14.  4of6-tips_for_dealin…pdf 19 kB
  15.  5of6-tips_to_help_co…pdf 19 kB
  16.  6of6-what_to_do_when…pdf 19 kB
  17.  7of7-proper_care_ext…pdf 27 kB

On the local level, we have the opportunity to recognize advertisements that result in very unhappy consumers. We have included one from several years back. The firm used a low moisture method to clean a customer who later called us. We properly cleaned the carpet and had to remove the offending chemicals previously used that caused problems with the customer. This advertisement also, of course, contains half-truths concerning the carpet cleaning procedures.

  • Advertising that STEAMS

What does it cost to professionally clean carpets?

As mentioned in another question (Who?) costs for carpet cleaning are value conditioned. We have found the typical ‘newbie’ carpet cleaner to be anxious to clean without proper training and soon realizes it is a very labor intensive occupation. The first way to get customers is to advertise cheap prices. This gets the phone to ring, but what the cleaner does from here is largely a result of his own ethical standards or, more frequently lack thereof. the price soon tells the cleaner how long he is going to tolerate you and your messy carpets. When you don’t show a willingness to pay him for his efforts, he leaves you with damp, darker and richer appearing carpets that soon resurrect soils you thought you paid him to remove, especially based on his ad in your paper or phone book.

So consider these things when you feel like taking the cheapest route out:

  • Cost for Services
  • 10 Carpet Questions About Cleaning COSTS
  • How To Buy Carpet & Furniture Pieces can save you money on your carpet cleaning costs

When should carpets be cleaned?

  • Carpets that are cleaned properly should stay clean at least 6 months in a typical residential setting, especially if minor spotting is done by the consumer. 
  • Exceptions to this rule include homes where children, smokers or pets are present. Any of those ingredients should lead consumers to clean each 3 to 6 months. Most carpet cleaners enroll or give special discounts to clients who regularly and willing schedule carpet cleaning. This is how to get the best deal in carpet cleaning and to ensure the healthiest home for your family.
  • Every carpet should be thoroughly and fully cleaned at least each 2 or 3 years with a full furniture moving operation. This will depend upon whether or not the consumer moves the furniture and vacuums thoroughly each month as well as the aforementioned spot cleaning procedures. See Upholstery SPOT Cleaning Primer for details on how to spot clean any texture or textile in your home.
  • Commercial carpets require more frequent and aggressive measures depending on floor use, a number of employees and environment desired. Most elect to incorporate a Commercial Carpet Restoration System to assure their employees and customers of a healthy work and service environment.
  • See some of our work samples: Our Work Shows

How should I buy carpet without regrets?

  1. Avoid Solid Colors.
  2. Avoid Extremes of Colors (both light and dark).
  3. Incorporate sculpturing (fiber-type, fiber-colors, fiber construction, printing in fiber designs) to hide wear and  shading of fibers.
  4. Prefer Nylon over Olefin unless in possession of reason for other fiber type.
  5. Insist on best padding.
  6. Insist of Power stretching on installation.