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6 Misconceptions You Should Know About Carpet Cleaning

Misconception #1:

You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet.

No.  Dirt is an abrasive—like sandpaper.  Every time you step on the carpet, you grind dirt into your carpet fibers.  This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife, causing it to wear out faster.  Vacuuming helps, but by itself, it’s simply not enough.  The longer you wait to have your carpet cleaned, the more damage you do to it.

Misconception #2: 

The only reason to clean carpets is to get out the dirt.

No.  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, those pollutants are carried in and usually end up in your carpet.  Dust mites, both dead and living, and their waste, build up over time also.  You carpet acts like a big filter, trapping these things out of the air you breath, but like all filters, it only works when it’s clean

Misconception #3

One method of carpet cleaning is as good as the other.

No.  You can choose from many methods, each of which has its place. We don’t sell a method. But for a restorative residential cleaning, the best method to use is Hot Water Extraction.  You may notice that your new carpet warranty actually requires this cleaning process to stay valid.

Hot water extraction is done with a truck-mounted system that heats the water to a high temperature and shoots the cleaning solution into the carpet at a higher pressure—which breaks up the dirt, bacteria and pollens.  Then the machine uses high suction to draw the dirt out of the carpet.  Carpet will dry in approximately 2-4 hours and it’s the method we

use exclusively.

Misconception #4

Having the right equipment is all the company needs to clean your carpets properly.

Not true.  Many companies own hot-water cleaners—but a large number of employees don’t know how to use them correctly.  This is why it’s important to that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully. We only use highly trained technicians and continually adopt new techniques and cleaners that work better than our current method.

Misconception #5

The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

Maybe—but not often.  Here are three important points to consider:

1)     Some carpet cleaners advertise price-per-room cleaning, but if you read the fine print, you’ll find that you may pay more once they see the actual size of the job.  Or, they may try to sell you additional cleaning at a higher price, depending on the situation.

2)     The price you see may not be for the service you want performed.

If you want the carpet cleaner to remove only some of the dirt, you can choose from hundreds of companies that use small shampooers or other cleaning methods.  On the other hand, if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned, you need to use a company that offers hot water extraction with van mounted units like we do.

3)     You get what you pay for

Companies who charge the least for their services do so by using the cheapest cleaning products (usually harsh, strongly perfumed chemicals with high VOCs) and working fast to get through every job quickly as possible…even if they miss some corners.

But there are new, “green” cleaning products available, often made from plant sources and which are safe even for people with chemical sensitivities, as well as being better for the environment.  But they do cost more to use.   Also, if your cleaner is detailed-oriented, cleaning edges and corners, doing a second step clear water rinse and using speed drying equipment, it will take them longer to do your job, and they’ll do fewer jobs a day…therefore probably charging a little more.

Misconception #6

Any honest carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact price over the phone.

We wish this were so, but it’s not.  Consumers often think that if they want to clean four rooms and price is $30 a room, then the price will be $120.  But this isn’t always true.

Honest, reputable carpet cleaning companies usually price carpet cleaning by the square foot.  So if you’d like us to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, we need to know the exact number of square feet that you want cleaned.  To get an accurate measurement, we have a measuring wheel we use to calculate the exact size of the carpet area.  This may be much smaller than the total sf of your home.

Even though we can’t give you an exact quote over the phone, there are things to consider when quoting price:

First, the type of carpet:

Certain types of carper are harder to clean than others.  So before we can give you a quote, we need to know the type of carpet you want cleaned.

Second, the amount of soiling.

Carpet that hasn’t been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean will take longer than carpet that was cleaned in the last six months.

Third, the amount of furniture that has to be moved.

If you have to move furniture, the bid must include that labor.  But if you move your furniture, you’ll save money. When booking your cleaning job, be sure to include all the areas that you want cleaned so there isn’t any confusion or surprises on the day of the cleaning.

If you’d like to have your carpets completely and thoroughly cleaned with safe “green” products-removing allergens, bacteria and pollutants-then we invite you to give us a call at (510) 351-5230 or (925) 866-1333.  We have great people to answer your questions during business hours, not an answering machine.         This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Here’s the last point:

We guarantee our work.  That’s right.  We fully guarantee every cleaning job we do.  If you aren’t happy with our work, we’ll re-clean the area for free. 

What could be more fair?