Carpet
Carpet Cleaning
Carpet Cleaning should be included in the regular maintenance of your home. In this day and age of “you can do it”, know that without the proper equipment and knowledge you can actually KILL your carpet. Let me explain, a friend called to ask about her carpets, There was a separation in the face fibers and the secondary backing. Basically, there was a bubble in her carpet. I started asking questions regarding the situation. She had called the manufacturer because she was told that there was a defect.
I asked if the carpet been cleaned previously. She said yes it had. I asked what products were used, because I knew that the bubble could be a result of improper usage of cleaning agents which can cause a de-lamination in the fibers. Sure enough – she rented a machine and did it herself. So much for the upgraded carpet. Be careful about being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Carpets act similar to an air conditioner filter. The fibers trap and hold onto dirt, dander, soil, oils, grimes and even odors. If you wait for the carpets to look soiled, you’ve waited too long. Take a look at this short video by the Carpet and Fabricare Institute that shows how carpets affect our indoor air quality.
Soil and dirt are very abrasive and actually act like sandpaper which can scratch and etch the fibers. Each time we walk on the fibers, the dirt in the carpet grinds on the fibers. Vacuuming is the #1 thing you can do regularly to maintain the carpet. So how often should I vacuum? We get asked this a lot. Here is a chart from the IICRC S001 – Carpet Cleaning Standard.
| Home Owner | Professional cleaner | |||
| Vacuuming | Spot cleaning | Heavy Use Area cleaning | Total Restorative cleaning | |
| Light soil | 1x per week | Daily or as soon as noticed | Traffic areas every 12-18 months | Every 2 years or per manufacturer warranty |
| Normal Soil –family with kids/elderly | 1-2x per week | Daily or as soon as noticed | Traffic areas every 6-12 months | Annually1x year |
| Heavy Soil- families with pets/smoking | 2-4x per week | Daily or as soon as noticed | Traffic areas every 3-6 months | Every 6 months2x year |
| Extreme conditions- large families, multiple pets | Daily | Daily or as soon as noticed | Traffic lanes every 2-3 months | Every 3 months4x year |
So what about the equipment? Isn’t it all the same? NOT even close. Like every industry out there you have poor, good and best. Think of it like Kia, Toyota, Mercedes, or how about Walmart, Dillards, or Nordstrom. You get the picture – YOU get what you PAY for.
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
I personally wanted a carpet cleaning machine that would do most of the work for me. Ok call me a girl. When I clean carpets I want the hottest water, the greatest suction to remove the most amount of water out of the carpet fibers, and the best cleaning agents available. Yes, I could’ve bought a machine that was middle of the road, but I’ll be honest, I am not mechanically inclined and I didn’t want to have to fix equipment. I wanted to know that when we cleaned the carpet, it was done better than you could do, if you were doing it yourself.
All cleaning consists of 4 major elements: heat, cleaning agents, agitation and dwell time. To get the maximum clean, we use great machines and great cleaning agents. This helps ensure the job is done correctly the first time. We want to give you maximum clean with minimum residue.
What do I need to know?
- Vacuuming removes 79% of loose soil from the carpet fibers
- Professionally clean carpets at least 1 time annually
- Clean up spots quickly
- Use doormats to trap soil from entering the building
Contact us to schedule your carpet cleaning at (480) 821-1481.
