Carpet cleaning now what

My carpet needs to be cleaned, now what?

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Carpet is a go-to flooring option for many and can provide a whole host of benefits to your home. But just as every other surface in your home, it collects dirt and dust over time and must be cleaned. The issue with carpet is that debris and particulates that build up are often not visible to the eye, and cleaning gets put off for longer than it should. If left uncleaned, carpets and rugs in your home can have an effect on the indoor air quality and by extension, your health. So it’s important to keep it clean not just for aesthetic reasons, but for the well-being of you and your family.

Read more about the most commonly used methods for cleaning carpet.

Spot Cleaning & Home Methods

The internet is full of hacks and tips to do any number of things. Fix your car yourself, make your own candles, and on and on. Carpet cleaning is no exception. There are tons of articles on how you can get stains out, clean your carpet just like the professionals, and make your own carpet cleaning products. Some are helpful and accurate, but many will waste your time, money and maybe even cause damage to your carpet that will cost you more in the end when you have to call in a professional to fix it.

When looking for information on how to spot treat or clean your carpet at home, be sure to consider the source and the credibility, and look for multiple articles that say similar things. Although it’s not advised to use at-home “hacks” to clean your carpet, at the very least getting info from credible sources can reduce the chances of making the damage worse.

DIY Carpet Machines

These are the machines you see by the front doors of the supermarket that promise an effective carpet cleaning at a bargain price. You usually rent these for a day or two (costs vary but average between $30-$60) and operate it yourself. You’ll need to buy the cleaning detergent that goes with it, which is used in conjunction with hot water to loosen dirt from the carpet and then extract it. This can be an acceptable solution if you are on a tight budget, but only if you are a skilled operator and you don’t need a very deep clean.

Here’s why:

DIY machines tend to be less effective for a few reasons. Typically, they aren’t able to heat the water to the temperature that professional cleaning machines can achieve. They also lack the same power as professional equipment, meaning they can’t extract as much of the dirt (via the water) from the carpet.

Lastly, the skill of the person operating the machine is a factor. In order for the machine to work properly, many things have to go right during the process, including keeping a steady and even pace across the carpet, using the correct amount of cleaner, and other user-related factors.

Professional Carpet Cleaning

If you want to be sure your carpet is thoroughly cleaned and you don’t want to have to deal with it yourself, the best option is professional cleaning. High-quality professionals have a multi-step process that ensures the job is done correctly the first time. Here’s our process here at Master Cleaners:

  1. Pre-Inspection
  2. Traffic Area Preconditioning
  3. Spot Removal
  4. Edge Cleaning
  5. Furniture Moving
  6. Heavy Duty Hot Water Extraction (Steam Cleaning)
  7. Post Inspection & Spotting Treatment

While DIY methods (and some discount professional cleaners) aren’t able to get beyond the surface level of the carpet, high-quality professional cleaners have the equipment and skill level to pull out bacteria and other harmful debris that lie beyond the surface.

Not all cleaning services are created equal. There are many that have popped up in recent years that use lower quality equipment and don’t use the proper techniques. They entice with low price offers, but often do not deliver results that are any better than DIY methods. In fact, they can often create more problems for you – more than 30% of our jobs here at Master Cleaners are fixing the mistakes of low-quality work.

Which service should I use?

Here are some ways to determine if the service you are using is on the level:

  • Avoid scams by checking with the Better Business Bureau to ensure a business is legitimate
  • Check their reviews
  • Check out their blog to get a sense of who they are and what they value
  • Ask questions
  • Take the customer service for a test drive (for example, call the customer service line or send an email and see how long it takes them to respond and how courteous they are)
  • Research how long they have been in business

So it may cost a little more to have a high-quality service clean your carpet and rugs, but in the end, it’s likely worth it for the peace of mind you’ll have knowing your home is in good hands.