Thanks for visiting our site.
I’m excited for the opportunity to provide you with information about carpet cleaning to help you choose a carpet cleaning company.
Curtis Palmer has over 30 years experience in the cleaning business. In that time we’ve learned that carpet cleaning is the subject of much confusion. 
In fact people have so many misconceptions about carpet cleaning I decide to offer this consumer education message so when you select a carpet cleaning company, you can make an informed intelligent decision.
I am going to share with you six misconceptions about carpet cleaning. Plus four recommendations. And I’ m going to give you several questions that you should ask a carpet cleaner before you invite him into your home.
Now here’s….
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 your carpet, you grind dirt into your carpet fibers. This cuts your carpet that is why you have those carpet fibers in your vaccum cleaner after vacumming.
This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife, causing it to wear out faster. A dirty carpet will not last nearly as long as a clean carpet. And while vacumming helps… by itself; its 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 get out the dirt.
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 of your problem could be the pollens, fungus and chemicals in your carpet.
In addition, as you may know, tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemical compounds, 43 of which cause cancer. And even if you don’t smoke, those chemicals get on your shoes, you track them in to your home and you leave them in your carpet.
If you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke,you might find that you’ll breath easier after you hire a company to get those harmful chemicals out of your carpet.
So in addition to getting rid of dirt, another important reason to clean your carpet is to get rid of pollens, fungus, bacteria,chemicals and the tars and residue from tobacco smoke.
Misconception #3: One method of carpet cleanig is as good as another.
No. You can choose from four primary methods: Dry cleaning or hot water extraction.
First, I’ll explain dry cleaning. Many people believe dry cleaning your carpet is like dry cleaning clothing. This is not true. All carpet cleaning methods use water in one form or another. Here are the three methods of dry cleaning carpet.
When a carpet cleaner 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 vaccum? This method can leave residue in your carpet which attracts soil, 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. Using a machine, the bonnet spins from side to side , absorbibng the dirt that’s in the carpet. After the bonnet is saturated with dirt , another cotton bonet is applied. Bonnet clean is like trying to use a large towel to rub the dirt out of your carpet. Like dry foam, its not very effective, especially for heavily soiled carpets.
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 cause dirt to absorb into the mixture. When the mixture has dried , a vaccum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpeting. Because the carpet is not rinsed in any way, this method is not very effective.
The third process is Carbonating Cleaner. Chem-Dry’s proprietary Carbonating Cleaner is applied using a LOW-PRESSURE spray machine, covering your carpet with millions of microscopic carbonated bubbles.
The rotating heads lay down carpet fibers horizontally as heads spin-around, preventing total cleaning at bottom of carpet fibers. This is due to the LOW PRESSURE and minimal amount of moisture used in the Chem-Dry process leading to resoiling. However, it does dry in only 1 to 2 hours.
The fourth carpet cleaning method is called hot water extraction. This 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.
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 machine is mounted in a truck or van.
Not surprisingly, hot water extraction cleans 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 dirt, bacteria and pollen’s. Then the machine uses high suction to draw the dirt out of the carpet.
Some people believe that hot water damages your carpet, but this isn’t true. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water , we can clean your carpet completely—in the same way that a person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.
Misconception #4: Having the right equipment is all that a company needs to clean your carpet properly.
Not true. Many companies own hot water extraction cleaners—but a large number of employees don’t know how to use them effectively. You probably know someone who bought the newest computer on the market – but didn’t know 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 effectively. This is why it’s important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully.
Misconception #5: The company who 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 from the grocery store and do the job yourself.
On the other hand , if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned—if you want to remove all the harmful dirt, bacteria, pollens, chemicals and tobacco residues—then you need to hire a company that uses hot water extraction. This is the only way to assure that your carpet remains healthy and free from dirt, disease-causing bacteria and harmful 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 that some carpet cleaners offer a cheap price—usually between $ 3.95 and $ 9.95 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.
A s 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.This is why I’ve videoed and written this message . And to help promote my efforts at consumer education, I created this web site.
Misconception # 6:
Any honest carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact 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 $ 6.00 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.
What Are Average Carpet Cleaning Prices?
Although I clean by the square foot the average cost falls between $25 to $75 per room for carpet cleaning, or an average of $51 per room. Larger whole house cleaning projects can cost more than $550.
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 the things I consider when quoting a price.
First, 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 six months.
Third, the amount of furniture that has to be moved. If we have to move your furniture, the bid must include the 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.
If you’re thinking about having your carpets cleaned, I offer these four recommendations:
Recommendation #1 : Make a commitment to yourself to get your carpets cleaned. The longer they remain dirty, the sooner they’ll wear out. Plus the longer you have to breathe all the pollens, fungus, chemicals and dust mites that live in your carpet.
Recommendation # 2: List your objectives. Do you want only the dirt, removed, something you could do with a rented machine. Or do you want the bacteria, fungus and chemicals removed, which will require a hot water extraction cleaner, like I use. Do you want to work with an honest, reputable company—or are you willing to risk working with the company that offers you the lowest price—knowing that company might not be in business tomorrow.
Recommendation # 3: Ask questions. The way you learn about a company is to ask specific questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here are the questions I suggest you ask:
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What method of carpet cleaning do you recommend?
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What type of equipment do you use to clean carpet?
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What does your equipment remove from my carpet?
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What training have you had in cleaning carpets?
Recommendation # 4: Once you’re satisfied that you are working with an honest, competent professional, invite him into your home and ask for a specific quotation in writing. A written quotation gives you the assurance that you know exactly what your job will cost—no surprises.
By following these four recommendations, you’ll gain all the information you need to make an informed, intelligent decision. If you want a quick, cheap carpet cleaning job, many companies in the phone book can help you. Or you can rent a shampooer and do the job yourself.
But if you want your carpeting to be completely and thoroughly cleaned—removing the bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens, and tobacco products—then I invite you to call me.
I’ll be happy to answer your questions—come into your home and give you a free written quotation—without obligation of any kind. To reach me call 252-820-3302
Or if you prefer , just leave your name, email and phone number after this message and I’ll be glad to return your call or email.
Here’s one last point: I know that many consumers are skeptical about carpet cleaning companies. Before I got into business, I was skeptical too. So in addition to dedicating my business to consumer education, I do one more thing as well.
I guarantee my work. That’s right. I fully guarantee every carpet cleaning job we do. If you aren’t happy with our work, we’ll re-clean the area free. And if you still aren’t pleased, you pay nothing. Not one cent.
What could be more fair?
As a matter of fact, add this question to the list. Question # 5 is “ Do you guarantee your work” Not all companies do— and its important that you have this information before you make your decision.
Thanks very much for listening and reading. I hope you found this consumer message helpful. If you have questions or comments— or if you’d like to schedule a free, in home quotation, please leave your name , email and telephone number in the form to the right. I’ll return your call or email promptly. Or call me at 252-820-3302 or email me @ whycarpets@yahoo.com