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. A dirty carpet will not last nearly 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 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, on your skin, clothing, and shoes. Not surprisingly all those chemicals, pollens and bacteria wind up, you guessed it, in your carpet because of gravity.
If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems, one major source of your problem could be the pollens, fungus, and or chemicals caught in your carpet.
If you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, you also might find that you’ll breathe 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 residue from tobacco smoke. Since, as you may know, tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemical compounds, 43 of which cause cancer. So even if you don’t smoke, but somebody in the house does, those chemicals get left in your carpet.
Misconceptions #3: One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.
No. You can choose from two primary methods: Dry cleaning or Hot water extraction.
Dry foam method. 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 method is similar to dry foam. The major difference is that when a dry-chemical is used, the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet. Using a machine, the bonnet spins form side to side, absorbing the dirt 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, it’s not very effective for deep down restorative cleaning.
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 causes dirt to absorb in the mixture. When the mixture has dried, a vacuum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpeting. Because the carpet is not rinsed in any way, this method is not very effective.
Hot Water extraction is a fancy way of saying that a hot water cleaning solution under high pressure is forced into the carpet and then extracted (sucked) immediately back out of the carpet. This method is also referred to as steam cleaning even though steam is not used.
ServiceMaster of Columbia uses hot water extraction; portable extraction. which is done with a small machine, or truck mount extraction which means the large cleaning machine is mounted in a truck or van. Not surprisingly. the truck mount extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature and shoots the cleaning solution into the carpet at higher pressure which breaks up the dirt, bacteria and pollens. Then the machine uses higher suction to draw the dirt out of the carpet.
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 thoroughly cleans your carpet and rids it of dirt, harmful bacteria, fungus. chemicals, pollens and tobacco residue.
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.
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 a large number of employees don’t know how to use them. The best carpet cleaning companies are those that have been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, known as the IICRC. A carpet cleaning company cannot buy this certification. The carpet cleaner must earn the certification through study, experience and the successful completion of a formal, written examinations. Cleaners who are certified by the IICRC have in effect. earned a degree in carpet cleaning. ServiceMaster of Columbia has certified technicians.
Misconception #5: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.
Maybe, … but not always. Here are some things to consider;
- The price you see offered may not be for all 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. 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 a hot water cleaner mounted in a truck. 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.
- The price you see advertised may not be the price you end up paying.
Many homeowners have found that the low price they saw advertised was not the amount they were charged. ServiceMaster of Columbia will do a quote/estimate if the homeowner requests one. We do have additional charges that may apply but that should be covered when the appointment is set up or before any work is started.
Our fall carpet cleaning special is Scotchgard Carpet protectant $10 per room. This is a 60% savings. Regular carpet cleaning prices and minimums apply. Call ServiceMaster of Columbia today to schedule your carpet cleaning: 573.443.8383.
