Cleaning a carpet is as simple as grabbing the right products and equipment and starting to clean. It’s even simpler when you hire the first cleaning company you find, right? Wrong.
Carpet cleaning is a pretty complex process, and when you choose the wrong carpet cleaner, you may end up simply getting the dirt ground deeper into your carpet instead of having it removed. Avoid this and other carpet cleaning nightmares with this quick guide to help you find a company who can do right by your rugs.
Dry Cleaning Versus Hot Water Extraction
On the surface, it seems that dry cleaning would be safer and provide a deeper clean than hot water extraction, but nothing could be further from the truth.
While an excess of water can certainly damage your carpets, hot water extraction, when done properly, can break up the dirt, pollen, chemicals and bacteria with the high-temperature water and then extract it fully from the carpet. This leaves you with clean and residue-free carpeting. Dry cleaning methods can leave behind a dirty residue that you may not even be able to see, but you can be sure they will attract even more dirt post-cleaning.
Even hot water extraction methods are not all the same. Truck-mounted extraction offers higher temps and much more suction than portable extraction units that are brought inside your home. While portable extraction units are fine for places where the hoses from the truck cannot reach, the truck-mounted units offer a superior outcome due to the high-pressure suction that created from the truck.
You Need More Than Just Good Equipment
Carpet cleaning really takes more than simply pointing a device in the right direction and hoping for the best. The most trustworthy carpet cleaning agencies offer full training to their staff and are certified by the IICRC, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. If your chosen cleaning service or the carpet technicians are not certified, look elsewhere.
Value Goes Beyond the Cost
While value shopping is always a good thing, automatically going with the lowest price on the market can sometimes lead you to a poor result. A common problem with low-cost providers is that the price isn’t for the service that you really need, or the advertised price is not what you will actually be charged. A little research and a few questions can save you a great deal of time and energy in the long run.
Site Visits Can Help
A vendor who is able to give you a full and complete estimate over the phone is probably not going to be able to stick with the price they quote you. The reason for this? Certain carpet types are more difficult to clean than others, and it’s hard for non-professionals to judge the amount of staining that has occurred or the volume of furniture to be moved. This is a time that you want to encourage a site visit, so there are no surprises on the day of your cleaning procedure.
Finding the ideal carpet cleaner for your home can take a little research, but you will find that by doing this work up front, you are much more likely to be pleased with the outcome.
Call us biased, but if you live in the metro Detroit area we think Chet’s Cleaning is an ideal option for you! Contact us to learn more about our cleaning services or give us a call at 248-584-1819.