Consumer's Guide
to Carpet Cleaning
Mike Breen
BestDry Carpet Cleaning
Six Costly Misconceptions about Carpet
Cleaning
Misconception #1: You Should Wait
as Long as Possible before Cleaning Your Carpet.
False. Dirt is an abrasive -- like
sandpaper. Every time you step on your carpet, you grind dirt into the
carpet fibers. This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife.
This cutting causes your carpet to wear out faster. A dirty carpet will
not last as long as a clean carpet. And while vacuuming helps, it's simply
not enough. The longer you wait to have your carpet cleaned, the more
damage you do to your carpet and the faster it wears out.
Misconception #2: The Only Reason
to Clean Carpet is to Remove the Dirt.
False. As you probably know, outdoor
air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke,
car exhaust and hundreds of other chemicals. When you come into your home,
you carry those pollens, bacteria and chemicals in your hair, on your
skin, clothing and shoes. Not surprisingly, all of those chemicals and
toxins wind up in your carpet.
Misconception #3: One Method of Carpet
Cleaning is as Good as Another.
False. You can choose from tow primary
methods: wet extraction or dry extraction.
First, I'll explain wet extraction.
This is a fancy way of saying that a hot water cleaning solution is forced
into the carpet and then sucked out of the carpet. This method is also
referred to as steam cleaning even though stream is not used. Some of
the disadvantages of wet extraction are overwetting, shrinking, delamination,
streaking, stretched carpet, color changes, mold/mildew, wickback and
downtime. The carpet may take 8 hours to 3 days to dry, depending on humidity.
The second carpet cleaning method
is called dry extraction. There are three distinct methods of dry extraction
-- dry foam, dry-chem and Host® dry-compound.
Dry-Foam: When a carpet cleaner uses
dry-foam, he applies shampoo to your carpet, allows 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.
Dry-Chem: 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. Using a machine, the bonnet
spins from side to side, absorbing the dirt that's in the carpet. After
the bonnet is saturated with dirt, another cotton bonnet is applied. Bonnet
cleaning is like trying to use a large towel to rub the dirt out of your
carpet. Like dry-foam, its not very effective.
Host® Dry-Compound: Host is the
leading dry extraction carpet cleaning method. Rated #1 (wet or dry extraction)
by the leading consumer testing magazine. Host® is recommended by
carpet manufacturers and fiber producers worldwide.
Host® is a soft, organic natural
product moistened with a unique combination of water, detergent, and safe-to-use
solvent. Because Host® has a controlled amount of moisture, it will
never soak the carpet.
The Host® extractor vac opens
up the pile and removes the deep down dry soil before chemical cleaning
begins. This power pile brushing is a key step in effective cleaning because
the majority of the dirt in the carpet is dry soil. After vacuuming, the
Host® cleaner is applied. The Host® extractor vac brushes the
cleaner deep into the carpet -- up down, over, and around the carpet fibers.
The cleaning chemicals come in contact with all surfaces of the soiled
fibers, breaking the oil bond and dissolving the soil. As brushing continues,
the dissolved soil is wiped away from the fibers. Much as a sponge in
your kitchen holds on to dirt, Host® hangs on to this dissolved soil
until it is removed by extractor vacuuming. Carpets don't resoil as quickly
as when cleaned with wet methods because there's no sticky residue to
grab and hold fresh soil. No drying time -- carpets ready to use immediately.
Because Host® system doesn't contribute to resoiling, regular, frequent
vacuuming keeps the carpet cleaner longer.
Misconception #4: Having the Right
Equipment is All a Company Needs to Clean Your Carpets Properly.
False. Many companies own the right
equipment but a large number of employees don't know how to use it. 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's important that
you choose your carpet cleaner carefully.
The best carpet cleaning companies
are those that have been certified in cleaning and restoration. A carpet
cleaning company cannot buy this certification. The carpet cleaner must
earn the certification through study, experience and the successful completion
of formal, written examinations. Cleaners who are certified by HPCA have,
in effect, earned a degree in carpet cleaning.
Misconception #5: The Company that
Offers the Lowest Price is the Company You Should Hire.
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 dirt, you can choose from hundreds of companies that use small
shampooers or other cleaning methods. Or, you can even rent a machine
at the grocery store and do the job yourself.
On the other hand, if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned
-- if you want to remove the harmful dirt, bacteria, pollens, chemicals
and tobacco residues -- then you need to hire a company that uses Host®
and are specialists in indoor air quality. 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've 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 -- usually
between $4.95 and $6.95 per room -- 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'll find other carpet cleaners -- professionals
like me who work hard to earn your trust and respect.
As a way of improving our profession, I've dedicated my
business to educating the public. The only way you can make an intelligent
decision is to have all the facts you need.
Misconception #6: Any Honest Carpet
Cleaning Company Should be Able to Give You an Exact Price Quote Over
the Telephone.
I wish this were true, but it isn't. Consumers often think
that if they want to clean four rooms and the price is $6 per room, then
the price will be $24. But this isn't always true. First, honest, reputable
carpet cleaning companies usually price carpet cleaning by the square
foot. So if you'd 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 measuring wheel I use to calculate
the exact size of the carpet area.
You'll be glad to know that the carpet area to be cleaned
is not nearly as great as most people think, For example, if you want
your entire home cleaned and your home is 2000 square feet, the amount
of carpeting to be cleaned might be only 1200 square feet. This is because
most home measurements are outdoor measurements. Plus I deduct the area
taken up by walls, room dividers and the like. The result is that the
actual area to be cleaned is usually only about 60% of the square footage
of the home.
So even though I can't give you an exact quote over the
telephone, here are things I consider when quoting a price.
First, the type of carpet. Certain types of carpet are harder
to clean than others. So before I can give you a quote, I 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 than carpet that was cleaned within
the last six months.
Third, the amount of furniture that has to be moved. If
we have to move your furniture, the bid must include that labor. But if
you move your furniture, you'll save money.
To recap, I consider the type of carpet, the amount of soiling,
and the amount of furniture that has to be moved. So, as you can now imagine,
every quotation is different.
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