If you're planning on having your carpets professionally cleaned for the first time, here are some very important points to consider so that you will not make the mistake that others have made in the past.
Now, first off, let me add that I have been in this business for twenty three years. And in that time, I have learned that carpet cleaning is the subject of much confusion. In fact, people have so many misconceptions about carpet cleaning that I decided to offer this online consumer awareness report so when you select a carpet cleaning company, you can make an informed intelligent decision.
In the following information below, I will share with you the six costly mistakes smart people make every day when choosing a carpet cleaner.
So, let's start off with...
Mistake #1 - Waiting as long as possible before making an appointment
This is a big negative. Eventually, all of the soil that arrives overtime will change the way your carpet looks, and every time you or anyone else steps on the carpet, the soil is grinding into your carpet fibers. This cuts your carpet, just as if you had a knife, causing it to wear out faster. A dirty carpet will not last nearly as long as a clean carpet. And while vacuuming helps, it is simply not enough on its own. The longer you wait to have your carpets cleaned, the more damaging you do to your carpet and the faster it wears out.
Mistake #2 - Carpets are cleaned only to remove the soil
No. As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust - and hundreds of other chemicals. When you and your family members come into your home, you carry those pollens, bacteria, and chemicals in your hair and on your skin, clothing, and shoes. Not surprisingly, all those chemicals, pollens and bacteria wind up - you guessed it - in your carpet.
If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems, one major source could be the pollens, fungus, and chemicals in your carpet. If you are sensitive to dust mites (who can lay 60-80 eggs a day!) and their feces, you might find that you will breath easier after you hire a professional company to get those nasty creatures out of your carpet.
Mistake #3 - One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.
No. You can choose from two primary methods: Dry cleaning or hot water extraction.
First, I will explain dry cleaning. Many people believe that dry cleaning your carpet is like dry cleaning your clothing. This is not true. All carpet cleaning methods use water in one form or another. Here are three methods of dry cleaning carpet.
When a carpet cleaning uses dry foam, he applies shampoo to your carpet, allow it to dry, and then sucks the dried shampoo into a vacuum. Can you imagine applying shampoo to your hair, allowing it to dry and then removing the shampoo from your head with a vacuum? This method can leave a residue in your carpet, which is one reason dry foam is not very effective.
The dry-chem method is similar to dry foam. The major difference is that when dry-chem is used, the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet. After the bonnet is saturated with soil, another cotton bonnet is applied. Bonnet cleaning is like trying to use a large towel to rub the soil out of your carpet. Like dry foam, it is not very effective.
The dry-compound method spreads an absorbent mixture that looks like wet sawdust all over your carpeting. Then the machine brushes the mixture into the carpet, which in theory causes soil to absorb into the mixture. When the mixture has dried, a vacuum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpeting. Because the carpet is not rinsed in any way, this method is not very effective.
The second carpet cleaning method is called hot water extraction. This is a fancy way of saying that a hot water cleaning solution under high pressure is forced into the carpet and then sucked out of the carpet. This method is also referred to as steam cleaning even though steam is not used.
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Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction and you can choose from two different types: Portable extraction, which is done with a small machine, or truck mount extraction, which means the large cleaning machine is mounted in a truck or van.
Not surprisingly, the truck mount extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature, and shoots the cleaning solution into the carpet at a higher pressure, which breaks up the soil, bacteria, and pollens. Then the machine uses high suction to draw the soil out of the carpet. This is the method my company uses.
No question, the most effective way to clean carpeting is with a hot-water unit mounted in a truck. It's the most powerful cleaning machine on the market and the only machine that thoroughly cleans your carpet of soil, harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens and tobacco residue
Methods that use cold and even warm water removes the soil, but it is not as effective as the hot-water truck mount method.
Some people believe that hot water damages your carpet, but this is not true. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, we clean your carpet completely, in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the soil and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.
Mistake #4 - You Just Need A Proper-Working Machine
Many companies own hot-water cleaners, but a large amount of employees do not know how to use them. You probably know someone who bought the newest computer on the market, but didn't learn how to use it for a year or more. The same is true with carpet cleaning machines. The company may own good equipment, but the employees may not know how to use it correctly. This is why it is important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully
Mistake #5 - Go With the Company That Offers the Lowest Price
Maybe... but not always. Here are two important points to consider.
Point #1 - The price you see offered may not be for the services you want performed. Before you select a company, decide what you want to accomplish. If you want the carpet cleaner to remove only some of the soil, you can choose from hundreds of companies that use small shampooers or other cleaning methods.
On the other hand, if you want your carpets thoroughly cleaned, and to be removed of the harmful soil, bacteria, pollens, chemicals and tobacco residues, then you need to hire a company that uses a hot water cleaner mounted in a truck. This is the only way to assure that your carpet remains healthy and free from dirt, disease-causing bacteria, and hurtful chemicals.
So remember that the price you see offered may not be for the services you want performed.
Point #2 - The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay.
Many homeowners have learned that the low price they saw advertised was not the amount they were charged.
And if you have ever hired a carpet cleaner, you too may have been the victim of false or misleading advertising. You probably learned the hard way that some carpet cleaners offer a cheap price, and then pressure you into paying a lot more once they get inside your home. Some of them may even break the law by using illegal bait and switch tactics.
As in all businesses and professions, the carpet cleaning industry has its share of bad apples. I take no pleasure in telling you this, but some are unethical, and, sadly, a few are dishonest. By their misleading advertising and false promises, they cast a dark shadow on our entire industry.
Then you will find other carpet cleaners - professionals like me who work hard to earn your trust and respect.
Mistake #6 - It should be easy to give an exact price over the phone
I wish this were true, but it isn't.
Honest and reputable carpet cleaning companies usually price carpet cleaning by the square footage. So if you would like me to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, I need to know the exact number of square feet that you want cleaned. To get an accurate measurement, I have a laser measuring device I use to calculate the exact size of the carpet area.
This is what I do, instead of giving you a low ball rough guess on the cost of cleaning your carpets over the phone just so I can get my foot in the door like so many other companies do.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to read this, but since you are here, feel free to check out more of what I have on my website!
You can also go onto our official Facebook page to see videos of our MONSTER at work!
To reach us over the phone, our number is 1 (800) 848-8385.
