Costly Misconceptions 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 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, by itself, 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 carpets is to remove 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 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 and toxins wind up in your carpet. Your carpets act as a filter trap holding all this stuff, which needs to be flushed and cleaned periodically.If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems, one major source of your problem could be the pollens, fungus,dander, mites, smoke and chemicals in your carpet.

Misconception #3: One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another. No. The dry cleaning methods—which are dry foam, dry chemicals, and dry compound—do not rinse your carpet in any way. Instead, they leave a dirty residue. You might say they clean your carpet only halfway. The most effective cleaning method is hot water extraction. Hot water extraction means a hot water cleaning solution, under high pressure, is forced into your carpet and then sucked out of your carpet. Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction as the primary method of cleaning carpets, along with an IICRC approved firm. Carpet cleaners use one of two types of hot water extraction. If they use a large unit that operates from a van or truck outside your facility, it's called truck-mount extraction. If they use a small unit that can be brought inside, it's called portable extraction. Shaw's first choice is the truck-mounted unit—and it recommends the small, portable unit only in areas where the truck-mounted unit won't reach.The truck-mount extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature—which breaks up the dirt, bacteria, chemicals and pollens in the uses high suction to draw the dirt and chemicals out of your carpet. This is the method my company uses.

Misconception #4: Having the right equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly. Not true. Many companies own hot-water cleaners but very few companies teach their employees how to use them properly. This is why it's important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully. Before you choose a carpet cleaner, ask questions like:

• How long have you been in the business?
• What type of training have you had?
• Can you give me referrals from satisfied clients?
• Will you be doing the work yourself?
• Will you guarantee your work in writing?

Misconception #5: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire. No. I've seen so many problems arise from lowest-bid companies that I suggest you NEVER hire the company that quotes the cheapest price. The two most common problems are:

• The price may not be for the services you want performed. The company may be equipped to remove only the dirt from your carpet. But you may want bacteria, fungus, pollens, dust mites and tobacco residues removed as well. They may also be leaving you with problems like soap residues in your carpet which causes rapid resoiling
• The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay. Many home owners have learned that the low price they saw advertised lasted only until the carpet cleaner got into their home. Then they were pressured into paying a lot more for a variety of add-ons. (Some carpet cleaners even break the law by using illegal bait and switch tactics.)

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. Honest, reputable carpet cleaning companies almost never price carpet cleaning by the room. Instead, carpet cleaning is usually priced 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 use a measuring wheel to calculate the exact size of the carpet area. You only pay for what we actually clean—not by the room. To give you an idea of how we estimate the cost of cleaning, here are the three things we consider:

• The type of carpet. Certain types of carpet are harder to clean than other types.
• The amount of soiling. Carpet that hasn't been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean than carpet that we cleaned within the last six months.
• The amount of furniture we have to move. If you move your furniture you’ll save money.

Which Method is Best?

Dry foam: The carpet cleaner applies shampoo to your carpet, allows it to dry, and then, without rinsing, 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 leaves dirty sticky residue in your carpet, which is one reason dry foam is not too effective and you get rapid resoiling.

Absorbent pad (bonnet cleaning): This method is similar to dry foam, except that the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet and with a floor polishing buffer machine on top "buffs or wipes" the carpet. The rotating motion causes the bonnet to absorb dirt from your carpet. This method is also called bonnet cleaning or dry chemical. Bonnet cleaning is like trying to use a large cotton towel or mop to rub the dirt out of your carpet—no flushing or rinsing takes place. It's not very effective and leaves sticky residues that will build up over repeated uses.

Dry, absorbent powder: The dry-compound method spreads a moist, absorbent powder through the carpet. The powder is allowed to dry and then sucked into a vacuum. This method leaves dry sponge particles at the base of the carpet yarn. And because the carpet is not rinsed, this method is not very effective.

Hot water extraction: This is a fancy way of saying that a hot water cleaning solution under high pressure is forced into your carpet, breaking up the dirt, bacteria, pollens etc., and then extracted out of your carpet.In a recent Technical Bulletin, Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, "recommends the hot water extraction system, which research indicates provides the best capability for cleaning." You can choose from two different types: Truck-mount extraction, which is done with a large machine mounted in a truck or van. Or portable extraction, which is done with a small, hand-held unit. On which type to choose, Shaw's Technical Bulletin states: "[cleaning] can be done from a truck mounted unit outside the facility with only the hose and wand brought inside, or where a truck mounted unit cannot reach, by a portable, self-contained system brought into the facility." No question, the most effective way to clean carpeting is with a hot-water unit mounted in a truck. It’s the most powerful cleaning machine on the market and the only machine that cleans your carpet of dirt, harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens, tobacco residue and dust mites. 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 clean your carpet completely in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.

Why Soapy Sticky Products Should Not Be Used to Clean Your Carpets

Soap residue left in your carpet is a primary cause of rapid resoiling and reoccurring spots.

Cleaning your carpets with the usual soap-based carpet cleaners is like shampooing your hair... and not rinsing it out. Sure, it'll dry, but what a mess is left underneath. Think how your dishwasher or washing machine works. One wash cycle, and then two, even three or more rinse cycles to get the soap out. Otherwise, your clothes and dishes would be covered with a disgusting soapy scum! No matter how much you vacuum, soap in your carpet just doesn't disappear, it latches onto the fibers, building up an unseen, sticky residue that attracts dirt. The more you use soap, the more residue builds up. Sticky, soap-based goo in carpet fibers binds new dirt and old dirt in a NEVER ENDING CYCLE

So, if we don't use soap to clean, what do we use? Pro Home Care uses prescription strength SoapFree Miracle Cleaner exclusively. SoapFree Miracle Cleaner is the most advanced carpet and upholstery cleaner in our industry today and is the ultimate in cleaning performance. SoapFree Miracle Cleaner is a powerful, non-detergent, water soluable degreaser that has been formulated with soft water conditioners that will leave your carpets and upholstery softer and brighter than traditional cleaners. SoapFree Miracle Cleaner is colorless, odorless, non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and totally sudsless. It leaves no soapy, sticky residue. SoapFree Miracle Cleaner is approved for the new generation stain resistant carpets. These carpets need an advanced cleaning product. SoapFree Miracle Cleaner is that product and meets all the warrantee requirements for the care and cleaning of all stain resistant carpets.

Why do you want your carpets cleaned with soft water? Soft water has much greater cleaning power than the typical hard water we have in our homes today. The process of softening water removes the hard minerals (mostly calcium and magnesium) from the water which enables the cleaners to work much more efficiently. Using soft water will leave your carpets softer and cleaner.

Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Carpet Cleaner

Mistake #1: Choosing a carpet cleaner based on equipment alone. No question, your carpet cleaner needs first-rate equipment. But he also needs something else. He needs employees who are skilled at operating that equipment. Many companies own hot-water extractors, but very few companies teach their employees how to use them properly. Make sure that the technician can give you references of satisfied clients who have used him in the past.

Mistake #2: Choosing a carpet cleaner based on low price. Low price could be a problem in four ways:

• Low price can be the bait that attracts your phone call. But once the cleaner gets into your home, he pressures you into a much more expensive job.
• Low price can be for single-process cleaning. Rarely does the consumer know what this means and, when told, asks for dual-process cleaning instead, which costs much more.
• Low price means an unqualified technician. A trained professional could not afford to clean your carpets for $6.95 a room. The cost of doing business prohibits it.

Mistake #3: Choosing a carpet cleaner based on a single telephone call. Instead, invite the person to your home and ask for a specific written quotation. Then you’ll know exactly what the carpet cleaner recommends — and you won't be the victim of high pressure tactics when the technician steps into your living room.

Mistake #4: Choosing a carpet cleaner who doesn't offer a money-back guarantee. In my view, every carpet cleaning company should be fully accountable for its work. And if you aren't pleased with the job in every way, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Period. Not all carpet cleaners offer a guarantee. Or, if they do, the guarantee may be "limited." Ask the carpet cleaner if he offers a money-back guarantee and then make sure the carpet cleaner includes his guarantee on his written quotation.

Mistake #5: Choosing a carpet cleaner without getting comments from his other clients. Any carpet cleaner can say anything about his past jobs. And sadly, some of what he says may not be true. Make sure you ask for references or read comments from current customers so you can depend on the carpet cleaner and his work.

Mistake #6: Choosing a carpet cleaner who can't tell you exactly what he is putting in your carpet and why. The importance of the chemicals or types of products companies are leaving in your carpets shouldn't be overlooked. Some products being used today can be very detrimental. They can cause rapid resoiling, lightening (bleaching), leave residues you may breathe — they can even void the warrantees you may have on your carpets! This is why our company uses soft water and Soapfree Miracle Cleaner. It’s approved by all the largest carpet manufacturing companies.

Mistake #7: Choosing a carpet cleaner who doesn't use a truck mounted, softened hot water extraction system with a soapfree cleaner to clean your carpets. You might expect this from me, since my employees and I use this type of system. But there are several good reasons. Portable hot water systems are good, but they aren't as good as truck-mount systems. A truck-mount system is the Rolls Royce of carpet cleaners. Compared with portable hot water systems, truck-mount systems use hotter water, higher pressure and stronger suction. So all the way around, you get a much better job. No two ways about it.

The Importance of Value and Price

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. When you select a carpet cleaner, you'll choose from a wide variety of cleaning methods and prices. Here's why Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction:

• It heats the water to a higher temperature. For every 18 degree increase in temperature above 118 degrees F you double the water's cleaning ability. So if the water temperature is 136 degrees F, it will clean twice as well as water that is 118 degrees F. 154 degree water will clean four times as well as 118 degree water. And so on, until you reach a water temperature of 250 degrees F.
• It shoots the cleaning solution into your carpet at higher pressures, which breaks up the dirt, bacteria, chemicals and pollens. 300 to 400 pounds per square inch is the optimum pressure for truck-mount hot water extraction.
• The machine uses stronger suction to draw the dirt, chemicals, bacteria, pollens and tobacco smoke residue out of your carpet. Not surprisingly, having your carpet thoroughly cleaned with truck-mount hot water extraction costs more than renting a shampooer at the corner grocery store.

If you bought the cheapest carpeting you could find, then renting a small shampooer might be all you need. It will get out some of the dirt — but the key word here is "some." It will not get out many of the pollens, chemicals, bacteria, and dust mite residues. It will also leave soap residue behind in your carpets which is the primary reason for rapid resoiling. On the other hand, if you want your carpet to look good and give you years of dependable service then you need to take extra good care of it. This means you need to have it cleaned by a skilled, qualified technician at least every six months to a year, depending on the amount of soiling and foot traffic it receives. And you need to have it cleaned thoroughly and disinfected, as only a truck-mount hot water extractor can do.

Why You Want a Clean Healthy Carpet

Which is more important to you: a clean carpet, or a clean and healthy carpet? Yes, I assure you, there is a big difference. Each carpet cleaning method has advantages and disadvantages. Some methods will get out only the dirt. Other methods will get out dirt and grease. Still others will get out virtually everything. And, to be sure, some are more expensive than others.

If all you want is a cheap, rinse-the-dirt-off-the-top cleaning which you might find for around $9.95 per room then I respectfully ask that you call another company. But if you want to protect your health, if you want to protect your investment in carpeting if you want to protect your family from the countless bacteria, fungus, pollens and dust mites that reside in your carpet, then you're invited to call me. The truck-mounted hot water unit I use is the most effective cleaning system available today. Likewise, it's one of the most expensive units on the market.

But I bought this unit for a good reason: more and more families want the good-health benefits that come from having a fresh, clean, healthy carpet. Have you ever seen how dirty a little boy's pants get when he plays outdoors? If you have, then you know you can brush off his pants and make him think they're clean. Or, if you want the job done right, you can machine wash them in hot water and detergent and you'll KNOW they're clean. The same is true for your carpet. You can hire someone for $25 to $50 who will "brush off" your carpeting and make you think it's clean. Or, if you want the job done right, I'll clean your carpets with hot water and a soapfree cleaner using my state-of-the-art cleaning machine and you'll KNOW they're clean.

So if you want a thoroughly clean carpet and if you're willing to invest in your family's good health, you're invited to call me. You'll receive a written estimate, at no cost or obligation. And if you give us the go-ahead, you're further protected with my 100% NO-RISK GUARANTEE. I want you to be super-pleased, in fact, absolutely delighted with every carpet and upholstery job I do. So every job comes with my iron-clad, risk-free, guarantee. What does this mean? Simply this: if you aren't happy with my work, I'll reclean the area for free. And if you still aren't pleased, you pay nothing. Not one cent. Many companies don't guarantee their work, but I feel nothing is more important than your complete and total satisfaction. I stand behind every job 100%. If you ever have any questions or concerns about my work, please call me right away.

Steps to a Fresh, Clean, Healthy Carpet

If you're thinking about having your carpets cleaned, I encourage you to follow these four steps:

Step #1: Make a commitment to yourself to get your carpets cleaned. The longer they remain dirty, the sooner they'll wear out. And the longer you'll have to breathe all the pollens, fungus and chemicals that hide in your carpet.

Step #2: List your objectives. Do you want only the dirt removed, something you could do with a rented shampooer? Or do you want all the bacteria, fungus, chemicals and dust mites removed, which will require a hot water truck-mount cleaner, as 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 the company might not be in business tomorrow?

Step #3: Ask questions. The way you learn about a company is to ask specific questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here are eight tough questions to ask a carpet cleaner before he begins to clean your carpet:

• What method of carpet cleaning do you recommend?
• What type of equipment do you use to clean carpet?
• What will your equipment remove from my carpet?
• Will you be using a soapfree cleaner?
• Do you use soft water?
• How often should I get my carpets cleaned?
• What training have you had in cleaning carpets?
• Can you give me referrals from satisfied clients?

Step #4: Once you're satisfied that you're 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 steps, 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 from the grocery store and do the job yourself. But if you want your carpeting to be completely and healthfully 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, or come into your home and give you a free written quotation — without cost or obligation of any kind.